Beach House Decorating

July 2, 2014 Jennifer Davenport

Beach style decorating ideas to help you create a fabulous retreat!

Are you looking for some beach house decorating ideas? Do you love the idea of decorating your home in a clean, breezy, and easy-going coastal style? I think decorating in beach style is one of the easier and more affordable styles to emulate.

What is it about the beach that makes us so relaxed? Is it the warm sun, the cool breezes, or the sound of the ocean? You don’t have to own your own home by the beach to bring a touch of beach decorating to your home.

Beach house decorating is about imitating nature’s own color palette; keeping your house uncluttered and relaxed. It is a mindset of serenity and peacefulness.

Beach House Decorating from The DIY Playbook

Want to meet two cool gals who know how to decorate? Bridget and Casey write the blog The DIY Playbook. I love this bedroom! From the pale blue side table with wired baskets filled with fluffy white towels, to the simple idea of a seashell sitting on top of a book. Their design is uncluttered and serene.

I absolutely love this wooden box! You could easily add some teal paint to an old wooden tray, and create your own beach house style! Again, I love the simple but effortless idea of placing a seashell on top of a few books! Go visit these two ladies! They know what they are doing for sure!

Paint Colors

When choosing interior paint colors you want to imitate the color hues from the water, sky, and sand. Use colors such as soft blues, light greens, coral, sand tones, and sheer pinks. The right color choice can really bring out any tropical decor.

This room was painted with “Revere Pewter” by Benjamin Moore. We kept the paint light and added the color in the pillows, greenery, and coffee table.

Don’t be afraid of color. Here a fun fabric on an outdoor bench looks happy and fun. The colorful door and screen door just say “welcome!”.

Beach Decor

I saw this chandelier in a Parade of Homes I visited last summer! I absolutely adore it!

DIY Seashell Chandelier

If you wanted a fabulous DIY Seashell project, check out Amanda’s from Dixie Delights. What a beautiful chandelier!

The wonderful thing about finding beach theme decorations is that you can find many things that come from nature. Sand, sea shells, rocks, coral, driftwood, and rope are just a few natural beach decor accessories. Find some clear glass jars and fill them with seashell, sand or starfish.

Find a large basket and fill is with oyster shells, or sea shells. This a cheap decorating idea that looks wonderful placed on a porch or patio.

Another unique item is old wood shutters. I found these at the local flea market. They make a fabulous addition to the coastal style! A beautiful seashell wreath is another way to bring nature indoors.

Remember when accessorizing, to keep things simple and uncluttered. Don’t overdo it with too many accessories.

Beach Cottage Window Treatments

The wonderful thing about window treatment ideas for beach house style is you don’t have to spend a fortune! Just installing simple bamboo window coverings would look wonderful.

Sheers are the quintessential look and feel for a coastal look with the dreamy way they flow in the breeze. Ready-made sheers are inexpensive and easy to install.

For a unique and inexpensive curtain design, buy some super cheap white curtains from Wal-mart, and tie a large knot in them.

Beach House Style Furniture

Whenever I think of beach cottage furniture, I always think of couch slipcovers, Adirondack chairs, and rattan bar-stools. Furniture that is easy to clean, isn’t stuffy looking, and just says; “hey come over here and sit awhile” is just so appealing and relaxing.

Painted and distressed wood furniture is a perfect fit with this style!

Nautical Bedroom Theme

This is a bedroom I decorated for a little boy! He was so excited to have a nautical decorated room!

I found these fabulous pillows at HomeGoods! That store makes me drool.

Beach Cottage Style Flooring

Hard wood flooring with a light hue finish, wide plank boards, or even white washed wood floors really finish off your total look. The whole idea of beach house decorating is simplicity and a style that keeps you relaxed. Decorating with things that already have a worn look helps you not worry about an extra scratch or dent.

The same goes with flooring. Choose flooring that you don’t have to worry about!

Read this page that will show you how to turn your bedroom into a wonderful beach retreat!

This was an old mirror that I hot glued all sorts of shells, driftwood pieces, and starfish onto. It was a fun little project.

If I had my way, I would live in a small cottage by the sea. I would give away half of my belongings and live a much simpler existence. Maybe that is what appeals to me about this particular style of decorating; it constantly reminds you to slow down.

The nature that you bring in from outdoors, just somehow seems to make you feel connected — connected to the bigger picture of how small we really are.

I hope you enjoyed these beach house decorating ideas.

Beach Themed Bedroom – Easy and Cheap Decorating Ideas!

July 2, 2014 Jennifer Davenport

Do you drool over beach themed bedroom ideas on Pinterest? Would you like some easy and affordable beach house decorating tips? Well, you have stopped by the right place! Below are some great ideas to get you started on a fabulous bedroom makeover!

This is my master bedroom makeover. I was in desperate need of a bedroom makeover. Of all the rooms in your home, the master bedroom should be your oasis and retreat. You deserve to have a beautiful bedroom to escape from the world!

Paint Color

This first decorating decision that was made for this room, was choosing an interior paint color. I wanted to go with gray. The color gray is soothing and serene. Now, I am betting most of you have already had those frustrating decorating moments of trying to choose a paint color! Well, it doesn’t matter if I am an interior decorator, choosing paint color can cause me to hyperventilate!

Unfortunately, there are so many grays out there to choose from! I had five sample quarts of gray before I finally was able to make a choice. Grays can either lean towards a green hue, or a blue hue. I really wanted the gray I chose to lean towards blue. The color I finally decided on is called “Gray Shell” by Porter Paints. It turned out lovely.

Beach Bedding

Your next step is finding some beach bedding that will go well with your paint color. Bedding is always difficult for me to find on a “budget”. So, I look in several different stores and mix and match my bedding. You don’t have to have a “bed-in-a-bag” set. Don’t be afraid to pair different designs and colors. Just keep your colors all in the same hue.

To create a beach themed bedroom, you want to draw from the natural colors of the beach. Choose soft colors such as blue, green, tan, brown, white, cream, and gray.

I wanted to add another layer to the bedding for interest. So, I took a matelasse coverlet that I found at a discount store and cut it in half, and hemmed the unfinished edge. This lays at the end of my bed and really completed the look.

I talked about when you are creating a beach themed bedroom, that you want to stay with all of the natural colors. Also, think about the beach’s natural elements when choosing accessories. How do you do this? Well, the pillow in the photo above that I found at a discount store, imitates the look of sea coral. It was the perfect accent on the bed!

Beach Cottage Furniture

So, what defines beach cottage furniture? Beach cottage furniture is all about wicker, rattan, and painted wood. It is casual, inviting, and comfortable.

This headboard was made from an old door that I paid $20 for at an antique shop. My helpful husband framed around the door, and then painted it a cream color. Then I faux finished over the paint with antiquing gel.

I couldn’t afford brand new furniture. So, I painted my dresser a very light cream color. When you are decorating on a budget, you have to do some DIY projects. This furniture makeover only cost me the paint and knobs.

Shop garage sales, discount stores, and Goodwill stores to find a used piece of furniture for cheap! Don’t be afraid to paint!

This rattan bench was perfect for this beach themed bedroom. I found it at T.J. Maxx. It was discounted because of scratches. Well, the beauty of beach house decorating is that scratches and dents just give beach cottage furniture more character!

Accessorizing

Keep your accessories to a minimum. Choose your beach decor wisely. If you over-accessorize a room, it becomes cluttered, rather than serene and calm.

Every accessory you choose for your beach themed room should remind you of the beach. If you look at these lamps that I chose above, you see glass, linen, a look of broken glass, and the base of one of the lamps looks like sea shells.

I love floral arrangements in a bedroom. Look for arrangements with mostly white, cream, and green. You want to have an arrangement that is airy and elegant. Make sure that floral container fits within the beach style. Learn to make your own floral arrangement.

Add some silver frames into your decorating. Just remember not to go overboard.

Cheap and Easy Wall Decoration Idea!

Now, I know this is a unique frame, I found it at the flea market. It is an old tin roof, hammered around wood to make a frame. However, the idea I want to share with you can be used with any frame!Find some vinyl wall words at your local craft store that speak to you. Then purchase a frame, remove and clean the glass, and place your words right onto the glass.

The hard part is measuring and placing your words centered in your frame. Just don’t remove your words from the paper until you are sure where you want them to be placed. How fun, cheap, and easy is this idea?

Window Treatment Ideas

Sheer window treatments are the perfect match for beach decorating. Not only that, but they are very affordable, and fit anyone’s budget!

Pair your sheers with bamboo blinds. This marriage of sheers and bamboo blinds is just perfection. When the sun shines through the sheers, it illuminates the whole room in a soft glow.

I sure hope you found some helpful hints in creating a beautiful beach bedroom.

More Master bedroom decorating ideas.

Graduation Party Decorating Ideas – Easy DIY ideas!

March 12, 2014 Jennifer Davenport

Are you looking for graduation party decorating ideas? My daughter recently graduated from high school, and our church threw a party for all of the graduates. I was in charge of decorations, so off to the craft store I went!

I’m also sharing some graduation cake ideas, and party food ideas. (Cake, my favorite!)

Fun Graduation Centerpiece Idea

Here is the main centerpiece for the graduation party . I know it looks a little difficult, but I promise it is easy. Everything was purchased on sale. The total cost was around $20.

Supplies:

square chipboard
gold glitter
wood numbers representing the graduating year
tassels
two cardboard books – different sizes
acrylic paint – Burnt Umber, Soft Black, Red, and Off-White
white paint pen
hot glue and Elmer’s glue

Chipboard

The first thing you want to do is paint your square chipboard using an off-white acrylic paint color. Give your chipboard two coats. Let dry completely.

Antiquing the Chipboard

Once your chipboard is completely dry, you can antique it with the color Burnt Umber. Whenever I do a paint project, I love to add texture and depth. This is done by antiquing something you have painted, or adding different tones of the same color.

How to Antique:

Pour out a little of the paint onto a plate. Add a few drops of water to make the paint very thin. Wet a paper towel slightly. Next, dip your brush into the paint, and brush over a section of the chipboard. Then take your paper towel and gently wipe the paint off. It is that easy!

Making the books look real

Time to paint the books. Paint the pages of the book with off-white, and paint one of the books with soft black, and the other with red.

Making the book pages

Here is the red book after it has been antiqued. It really makes the book look real!

A well written word

Grab your white paint pen and write the word English on the red book, and Math on the black book. Write in all capital letters. Don’t worry about being perfect, I have a little trick that will make your letters look fabulous!

Making Printing Letters Look Fabulous!

My secret to neat handwriting

Tip: Make a straight line where the sections of the letters end. It makes all your letters looks straighter. Easy idea that makes a big difference.

Neat handwriting secret

Glitter, all a girl needs.

Now it is time to glitter your numbers. I brush on Elmers glue, then sprinkle on the glitter.

Graduation Centerpiece

Now, all you have to do is hot glue the tassels onto the books, and hot glue everything else onto your chipboard!

More Graduation Party Decorating Ideas

Easy Graduation Centerpiece

I needed several table centerpieces for our graduation party. These were easy to make, and very inexpensive. Each centerpiece cost me $5!

Glass Jars

I found the glass milk bottles at the craft store half-off for $2.00 each.

Elegant Flowers

My favorite flowers to use in live arrangements are called Alstroemeria. They are inexpensive and last a long time. This whole bunch cost me $7.99.

Arranging flowers

Adding a fun tag

I purchased chalk labels and a chalk pen to make these tags on each bottle.

Chalkboard fun!

Another cool idea is to purchase a cheap chalkboard and place it on an easel! Don’t forget to use my letter technique to make your printing neat!

Graduation Cake Ideas

Graduation Cake Idea

Take a good photo of your graduate and have it put on a cake. I loved the way this cake turned out. The blonde is my munchkin. We kinda look alike!

Fun Graduation Cake Idea

This graduation cake was made by Erin of The Three Little Blackbirds.com. She makes fabulous cakes, and has great tutorials and recipes. Stop by and say hello!

Two Fun Graduation Party Food Ideas

Graduation Party Food Idea

Yummy Ho Ho Diplomas

Use ribbon in the schools colors and wrap around each Ho Ho. What a fantastic idea.

This is a photo I saw on Pinterest. I would love to give credit where credit is due, so if this is your creation, please let me know!

Cap and Gown Desserts

This is simple and easy! Use small Reeses cups for the base and Lindt or Ghirardelli squares for the top. Then purchase a small tube of red icing for the tassel. One of my friends made these for the party. They are so cute!

I hope these graduation party decorating ideas help to make your party turn out fantastic! Ours was a ton of fun! This graduation party was for my last chick leaving the nest. I may have cried a little. Okay, maybe more than a little.

Link Party fun:

Tiny Side Kick.com