Decorating with Seashells: Summer Ideas

Decorating with seashells is something I have never done before in the summertime.  But when I found myself with a slew of leftover seashells after I completed my Grapevine Seashell Wreath, I knew that there was no time like the present!

Every summer, my mother-in-law uses seashells here and there to decorate her home.  I had always looked at her centerpieces and thought, Why don't I do that?  But before I knew it, the season would escape me, and it would be time to decorate with garlands and sparkly ornaments.  I am making a point to do more seasonal decorating this year, and seashells just make sense for summertime. :-)

In my kitchen, I half-way filled a clear green glass jar from Crate and Barrel (a gift from my best friend several Christmases ago) with some of the shells.  This sits on a shelf with my cookbooks and a few other goodies.  I love having a little bit of summertime in my kitchen.  One of my favorite things to do is implement seasonal decor in each room -- that means your bathroom, your kitchen...  Those rooms that you wouldn't think to add a little something to.  You don't have to go overboard, but I find that putting a seasonal nod in many areas of my apartment just makes me feel good.  It's a friendly feeling, hard to explain.  But you'll feel it, too -- trust me.

There was one rather large shell in the bottom of the bag that I bought, and when I carefully removed it from the package, I carried it around with me and placed it here and there until I found a spot that I liked, atop my DIY coffee table book with a pitcher of fresh flowers.  Don't be afraid to do this trial and error method -- it's the best way to see what looks best where. Sometimes I just know where I want to put a piece of decor; and other times, it takes a little re-working. But that's one of the sweetest things about decorating -- finding the most balanced, lovely spot for something you care about.  This shell collected flower petals that were falling out of my birthday arrangement for a few days, and now it sits clean next to the pitcher filled with new daisies.

Something I love to do is take items that are supposed to be for one use, and re-work them a different way.  For example, I'll take a glass egg crate from Crate and Barrel, and I'll stand chocolate chip cookies up in it for easy grabbing.  It's a little different, but it's the unexpected that I love.  In this centerpiece arrangement, I took one of my Duralex glasses and filled it with seashells, then set it atop a heavy glass candleholder, bought from HomeGoods a couple of years ago.  The crystal "color" matches, and both objects have nice ridges that keep it quite uniform.  

Using pieces like apothecary jars, decorative trays, pretty bowls, or even vases to display your shells is great -- the point is, use what you have!  The only thing you should have to buy is the bag of seashells; and some of you may already own some, or the beach may be right in your backyard.  I can't think of anything sweeter than using shells that you have collected in your travels.  :-)

How are you decorating for summertime?

What's your go-to decor item for this season?

love,

maria