She Sells Sea Shells

The shells I had bought at the Estate Sale a few months back have been sitting in my "office" still in their bags. So, I decided it was time to figure out what to do with them. I actually have a vase that Landon had bought me when we were dating from Pottery Barn. I wanted this vase so badly because in the Pottery Barn catalog, they had a fish swimming in it and I just thought that was so cool. Then I thought through the practicality of having to clean it and decided I would forgo that idea. So, it's been sitting on my black bookshelf in the sunroom holding some weird green "stick things." Well, not anymore.

I removed the "stick things" and voila.

It looks nice and pretty sitting on my black bookshelf. I'm also still looking for ideas for my sunroom. Here are a few things that have recently caught my eye.

Source: twiddlerhouse.blogspot.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Source: blueeyedyonder.blogspot.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Kristin on Pinterest

What about you? Anything caught your eye lately?

The Smell of the Beach

I love the smell of the beach ... you know that smell that hits you when you first open the car door near the ocean? Well, I haven't quite figured out how to replicate that, but look what I did find this weekend at Marshall's.

It has a great "tropical" smell to it. I put it in some vases I bought at IKEA a couple of weeks ago. I love how it looks on the yellow tables!

xxx

I'm so eager to also put the hanging vases I bought, also at IKEA, on the wall. (Are you sensing a theme? I really like IKEA!) I was going to do this last week, but after looking at the wall, Landon and I decided it really needed another coat of paint. Not only are there some scuffs on it, but you can just see that it's a little thin in areas.

I like the color of the sunroom. It's neutral, which allows for me to use the bright "beachy" colors, so I don't want to change it. I really thought the last homeowners had left the sunroom paint color in the garage, since they left most every other color, but of course, when I went and looked, it wasn't there. So, we hung some paint samples on the wall and picked a color that's pretty close to what is there. Landon had a good thought to use the same color for the office, which if you'll remember, needs a fresh coat of paint, too. :)

So, hopefully we'll be able to pull out the paint brushes this weekend and at least get the sunroom done!

Creating a Beach Oasis

Whew, yesterday was such a busy day! Landon and I finally accomplished the big task of painting the dining room. It looks great. I can't wait to show you the pics. We have to get everything back in place today, so pics will be coming soon!

Another room I've been thinking about lately is my sunroom. It's located right off of my living room and looks out onto the backyard. Currently, it's empty except for a bookshelf, but my goal is to make it a serene reading room. I'd love to give it a "beachy" feel, and matter of fact, I brought home some shells with me last time I went to visit Landon's parents in Miami.

Well, the other day, I was in one of my favorite stores - Kohl's - on my lunch break, browsing for various things. I stopped by the "home" section and a few things definitely caught my eye:

I'm thinking these would be perfect for my beach theme. I didn't get them but may have to watch for them to go on sale. Also, I saw this:

Who knew Kohl's had furniture? Just another reason to love that store!