What Color is Your Front Door?

With so many colors to choose from, it was hard for us to settle on a color for our front door.

We could have gone with a dreamy blue.

Or a cheerful yellow.

Or even a bright yellow.

A fun blue.

We considered going with fire engine red.

Or a very glossy black.

Can you guess which color we chose?

We went with a glossy black. And now . . . I'm bored. It doesn't make me as happy as it used to. I guess we've just grown apart.

So, now I'm deciding whether it just needs some sprucing up, or if it needs to be painted in a more cheerful color. What color is your front door? Have you done anything to spruce it up lately?

All images were found on Pinterest.

Sea Shell Wall Decor

After sharing our Beach Inspired Guest Room, I realized that I hadn't shared how to make the shell decor that we featured in one of our photos.

With some twine, a few shells and maybe some hot glue, you can make one too!

Just secure the twine around each shell or sea star, leaving a decent amount of twine on each end.

Continue adding shells and sea stars, using hot glue if you want the extra security.

Make yours as long or as short as you prefer.

We have ours in our guest bedroom, but I would love to make a few to hang in our backyard.

What crafts have you been working on lately?

Bring Beachside Style to Your Home!

There are many beachy touches throughout our house, but the room that gets the award for most beach inspired is definitely our guestroom. My sister lives in Santa Cruz, which is just a 30 minute car ride away, but when she comes to visit, we like her to feel at home. So, our beach inspired guestroom is the perfect place for her to rest her cute, little head. (Check out before & after pics of the room here). Our guestroom has definitely changed since we first shared pictures with you, and we are definitely going to post updated photos soon.

If you are trying to infuse some ocean style into your decorating plan, look for things like shells, sea grass, driftwood, and beach glass.

A beautiful bowl on the nightstand, filled with these items creates gorgeous texture and dimension.

I love the crispness of white curtains next to the soothing blue and greens in our space, but something more textural, like burlap would be nice too.  A soothing color palette of soft blues and greens will mimic the ocean’s tranquillity, so stay away from bold or bright colors.

We distressed all of the furniture in the room, after painting it white. I think it gives the room a more lived-in and cozy feel.

What are your tips for infusing beach style into a home?

Summer Fun

As summer vacation nears it's end, your kids may be climbing the walls. If you are looking for activities to keep your children entertained before the new school year begins, here’s a list of ideas that will help keep your little ones busy while you count the days before they return to school:

• Start a scrapbook and/or organize the family photo album
• Create a family blog and keep it updated with your latest adventures
• Run through the sprinklers
• Create a book club for your little ones
• Make homemade play dough – visit www.marthastewart.com/article/making-play-dough-with-kids
for a recipe
• Write a handwritten letter to a relative or friend
• Organize bedrooms—clean under the beds, in the closets and organize drawers
• Have a movie day at home
• Help your kids write a story or poem
• Draw on the front walkway or driveway with sidewalk chalk
• Build a fort in the backyard
• Do brain teasers such as crossword puzzles, word searches, etc.
• Get in the kitchen and do a little cooking!
• Surprise a neighbor with a good deed
• Have a tea party
• Plant a garden
• Make homemade gift cards
• Run relay races or have a mock swim meet
• Wash the family car
• Make a collage using pictures cut from old magazines
• Plan a treasure hunt
• Have a spelling bee
• Pick flowers from your garden and create a lovely bouquet

Do you have any great ideas to share?

Creating a Moss Terrarium

While at DIG Gardens, we picked up a few pieces of moss, so that I could complete a moss terrarium that I had thought to create months ago. Back when I made this little beauty, I know that I wanted to create something pretty with the other glass vases I had left.

First, I dropped some river rocks in the vase, to create space for drainage.  You'll notice that I completed this project inside of a cardboard box, so as not to get our brand new patio table dirty. I'm nothing if not super tidy! Ehem . . .

Then, I placed soil in the vase.

Next, I nestled my moss into it's new home.

Then, I decided it would look nice to have a few small succulents poking through. So, I snagged a few succulents from our yard and plopped them in as well.

Next, I added a few river rocks to create additional texture and visual interest.

I gave my moss a mist of water and it was good to go!

Now, my little moss terrarium sits happily by our kitchen window.

What kind of projects have you created lately? Have you ever done a project with moss? I was drawn to it because of how easy it is to keep alive. Even my black thumb will have a hard time killing it.

More Succulent Goodness

When we went to DIG Gardens, I knew that I would need to share as many of their beautiful creations as possible. They're so creative over there!

Take a look at these birdbaths, re purposed as succulent planters. I'd love to have a group of these in the corner of our backyard!

These sweet arrangements would be beautiful clustered together as a centerpiece in the center of a table.

Who doesn't love mercury glass?

Got a stump? Shove some plants in it!

This project is one of my favorites. Have some driftwood? Maybe an old branch? Easy, just plop some plants down!

Again, if you have a chance, swing by DIG online and take a peak at more of their creations.

Framed Succulents

This weekend, we visited a store that I have long been curious about. Ever since their first mention in Sunset Magazine, I knew that I'd go crazy if I ever stepped foot in the store. Finally, we found some time to make our way over to DIG in Santa Cruz. I couldn't put my camera down!

Take a look at the beautifully framed succulents!

While the frames are for sale, DIG regularly conducts workshops, teaching others how to create some of the beautiful objects found in their store.

Their store had so many wonderful creations, I couldn't believe my eyes!

Displaying succulents as a form of art is something that I have longed to do, though my first couple attempts didn't work out so well. If my pieces had turned out as well as any of these, I'd probably still be in my backyard enjoying my artwork!

If you're curious about this project, be sure to check out the tutorial that they gave over at bhg.com. And of course, if you're in the area, be sure to stop by the store! If you don't live in the area, you can check them out here online.

Tomorrow, we'll share more of the treasures we discovered over at DIG and show you a few projects that they inspired us to complete.