FOCAL POINT STYLING: Coastal Living

Showing posts with label Coastal Living. Show all posts

DECORATING WITH STARFISH

Somewhere between the months of April to July, I get into a coastal state of mind. When I do, I like decorating with starfish I've collected from our travels. As I was taking them down this year, to pack up and put away for next Summer, I thought I'd share some places I've used starfish in our home. If you live near a coast or enjoy a coastal look all year long, starfish are a great choice to use. They can be strung as a garland, painted and hung as wall art, add texture to a tablescape, or even jazz up your bottles or vases...

I spotted these two pretty pics of starfish decor, but it was before I started pinning...

Recently, while pinning, I did spot this beautiful starfish wall art pinned by Caron White...

For more of Caron's Coastal pins, check out her boards on Pinterest.

When I pack up my shells & starfish, I usually use Ziploc bags for the small clusters of shells, and wrap others in newspaper, and stack stars in between. I store them in plastic totes out in the garage... until next summer season.

Living in South Florida, you'd think I'd have shells and starfish out all the time... But I guess because I come from up north, I like to recreate the seasons in our home with decor and color, since it's pretty season-less outside. The one coastal treasure I do like to keep out year round is coral - because of its organic detail.

What are some ways you decorate with starfish?

Bye-Bye Summer... Autumn is knocking at the door :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

LINKING POST WITH:

The DIY Showoff - Project Parade

Under The Table and Dreaaming - Sunday Showcase

Between Naps On The Posrch - Metamorphosis Monday

LYNDA QUINTERO-DAVIDS

Hello and Welcome to Focal Point Styling! I'm Lynda - sharing simple solutions to style & organize your home, fashion & decor trends, savvy shopping tips, market events, plus local love from the places I've experienced. I started this blog back in late 2009 when I lived in Miami. In 2011, I moved to Phoenix, AZ and rented a house until late 2014, when I relocated back east to the Triad in North Carolina - Join me on my journey!

DIY BEACHY BOTTLES FOR SEASIDE STYLE DECOR

Summer is just around the corner so it's time to uncork your imagination - and recycle those empty wine bottles to beachy decor treasures - with some of these items you probably already have: Caribbean Blue, Seafoam Green, or Simply White latex paint, water, old mixing bowls, mixing sticks, a funnel and an old cookie sheet. After you've already soaked & removed labels from your wine bottle collection, play around mixing the bottles into some of your beachy decor or vignettes. If you plan ahead where your bottles are going, then you'll know how many of which color you'll need and where.

Beach Bottle colors inspired by a recent walk on Hollywood Beach...

Clear an area to work (my fave choice - the floor), lay down your drop cloth, pour desired paint colors to a bowls, add water and stir. I already had these bowls & paint left over from another project (to be posted shortly) so it was really easy to knock this out within an hour. You definately want to use more water than paint to get a "washed" look. For a more saturated or opaque look for your bottles, use less water.

Using the funnel, pour some of your paint mixture into the bottle - White is good to use for clear bottles and I used last years turquoise dining room wall color for more blue-green glass bottles. I did all the white bottles first, swirling the watery paint mixture around in the inside to coat (wash) the bottle. I then poured the excess through the funnel into the next bottle (keep a damp cloth or paper towel handy to wipe drips). To ensure all the excess paint was removed as well as get a more even coat, I turned the wine bottles upside on an old cookie sheet and let the excess run out. (This should be down out sight & reach of kids & pets to prevent them from falling over. I set my cookie sheet on the kitchen counter next to the sink.)

After I felt the bottles had enough time to drain, I turned them right side up, placed them in their vignette, and cleaned up. Although there are quite a few ways out there to decorate a wine bottle, I kept a simple beachy look in mind. I not only adore home accessories, I love fashion accessories too ... so rather than have my summer necklaces and bracelets hidden in a jewelry box, I used them on my bottles. On the white washed bottles, along with the necklaces, I also used my starfish I had (used last year in A Coastal Summer Tablescape) and I also used the starfish inside of my white painted vessels in top of our TV / media unit (my mantel). Some turquoise beaded braclets worked great for a mix of ocean hues in blue.

While the carribean blue painted bottles turned out more saturated in color, the white washed bottles have a more vintage look to them (even the hubs noticed!). I might give them a second coat of the wash, but for now, this is a good start to transitioning our home from Spring to Summer. I've packed away the spring blossoms, and replaced some containers with seagrass. Tips for spring flower storage, sand & shell storage and filling your containers to be in an upcoming post...

I used these recycled wine bottles in a seaside vignette on the living room credenza, paired with a small driftwood branch I found while walking on Hollywood beach, tied shell necklaces, and starfish from my collection. In the dining room, I used the carribean blue painted wine bottles, adorned with some of my turquoise beaded bracelets, and a thrifted wooden bowl with some of my turquoise beaded necklaces. TIP: Why always keep these pretties hidden in a jewelry chest? Add some of your fave jewelry pieces in your home to personalize your decor and tell a story.

Recycling wine bottles is a great way to add some freshness to your homes seasonal decor: Bottles kept clear for Spring with single blooms (like I did on an Easter Karets Tablescape), spray paint your bottles satin black for Halloween and attach faux labels (like I did for a Spooky Stairway display) and now just simply wash the inside of your bottles to display some Seaside Style in your home for Summer...

And just think how much fun you'll have emptying them!

Have a GREAT day!

LINKING POST TO:

Thrifty Decor Chic - Home May'd Paint Party!

DIY Showoff - Project Parade

Fine Craft Guild - Beach Party

Home Stories A2Z - Tutorial & Tip Tuesday

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Very Merry Vintage Style - Share The Link Love Wednesday

LYNDA QUINTERO-DAVIDS

GOING COASTAL? TRY ANTIQUING FOR AUTHENTICITY

With summertime upon us, strong thoughts of going coastal linger in the air. Having recently just visited Key West (for our anniversary last week) I too am embracing the coastal spirit... and what better place to do this, living here in sunny South Florida. Did you know, even Pottery Barn did part of their Coastal Style photo shoot down here, in the Florida Keys, back in January? And in their shoots, have you ever come across some detail or accessory you wish was for sale, but it was just a prop in the photo?

Pottery Barn on location in Islandmorada

Learn more about this Moorings Resort

Well... on their site, they have some "on location" videos, and one of those videos, narrated by Pottery Barn Style Expert Jeffrey Moss, mentioned one of their Miami finds: STONEAGE ANTIQUES. It's located right here in Miami, on the Miami River. Although the dust inside may be from the stoneage, this place has been gathering the mother load of all things authentically nautical - with a few other charmers - for the past 45 years. And after strolling through their packed aisles - my husband can't say diddly about our garage!