Sea Shell Photo Frame Project

One of my family's favorite things to do on our annual beach vacation is to go on a sea shell hunt. During our last few beach trips we've had several very successful hunts, and as a result, we've amassed quite a shell collection!  This summer, we spent a few great days at Isle of Palms in South Carolina, which proved to be a treasure trove of beautiful shells!

However, after the latest shell hunt, our collection is getting a little out of hand, so I decided it was time to do something with the shells other than dumping them in my big glass shell jar.

So, to put some of our shells to better use, I decided to get crafty and make a seashell picture frame. (We have a lot of beach photos, too!)  I selected some of the smaller shells from the big shell jar and then rushed out to the craft store. Literally rushed -- what can I say, I was excited to get started!

I found a plain wooden frame (for $5) at Hobby Lobby, which I sprayed with primer.

Once that dried, I arranged the shells in a random pattern on the frame and then glued them down with Sea Shell Glue (also found that at Hobby Lobby - love that place!).

After the glue cured for a day or two, I decided my frame needed to have a more uniform look. Though I love all the natural colors of the shells, I thought it looked a little too 'beach gift shop,' and I can't resist any possible spray paint opportunity. I chose a glossy white paint.

I think the glossy white paint emphasizes the texture of the shells, which is harder to appreciate when the shells are all different colors.

I like the way it turned out so much (and it was such a fun project) that I think I'll make a few more to hang in a grouping on the wall.  It's a great way to capture our special vacation memories!

Jewelry Chaos Controlled

I have a bit of a mess...

My bad habit of dumping my jewelry in a drawer or all over my dresser, depending on the laziness level of the day, has created quite a frustrating tangle. Though I do tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to the jewelry I wear each day, I still like to change things up every now and then. But since my jewelry mess has grown to such gigantic proportions, it's hard to know what I have, let alone find something new on one of my change-it-up days.  Enough is enough! Time to take control. 

I needed an organization / storage solution, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money - well, I didn't want to spend any money actually, so I decided to use what I had on hand.

I had this bulletin board left over from another project -- easy to do: moulding cut to make a frame or buy a ready-made frame; glue cork to the frame's picture backing or foam core cut to size; spray paint the whole thing black. Easy peasy!

Next, I decided to use these pushpins that I bought to put up my older son's Def Leppard wall hanging. (Yes, my 11 year old is a Def Leppard fan.) I plucked all the black pins from the package and added them to the bulletin board...

Voila! Necklace organization! Now I am able to see what I have, and it's all right within reach. Currently, my creation is sitting precariously on my dresser, but I have plans to hang it on the wall.

Now, I just need to come up with a solution for the earrings, bracelets and rings!

How do you organize / store your jewelry? Feel free to leave a comment below.  And don't forget to become a member of Nest Notes -- just look for the "Join this site" button under Followers on the right side of the page!

xoxo,

K

Dining Room Makeover Plans

My dining room is blah.  It's boring.  Dull.  Quite sad, actually...

See what I mean? Nothing but beige blahness! So... I've decided to freshen it up this fall with a little makeover...

I think I'll start with those boring walls. Since I'm currently completely obsessed with the color teal, I plan to paint a rich dark version of teal above the chair rail (love!) Now that's a dramatic color choice for such a small room, so I'll have to temper all that glorious teal with glossy white paint under the chair rail.  (I have a little DIY idea up my sleeve for a faux panel moulding wainscoting, but that will have to wait for a later post.) I think some simple white curtains hung from a black rod will help to tone down the intense teal, too.  The curtains on my inspiration board are IKEA's Vivan curtains, which are only $9.99 for a PAIR of curtain panels! How amazing is that?! That definitely works with my itty bitty budget. I see an IKEA trip in my future!

I want to add a black and white rug with a graphic pattern (possibly quatrefoil - another love!) for beneath the table, but here's my problem: our cat loves to destroy rugs. I used to have a lovely rug under the dining room table until my precious fur daughter decided to manicure her claws on it and...ahem...test it as a possible litter box replacement.  (Ewww!)  So, I'll have to get creative when it comes to a floor covering.  I've been dying to try this great idea for making my own rug out of a drop cloth (!) from Lindsay. I'm thinking miss kitty won't care to have her way with a painted drop cloth - and I can get exactly what I want. Stay tuned to see how that turns out!

I love the combination of teal, black, yellow and grey, so I'm hoping to find some great fabric in yellow or grey (or both) to cover the chair seats.  I'm thinking an Ikat print.  Ikat is very 'in' right now, but chair seats are easy to recover when it eventually becomes dated -- and we all know it will (one word: Chintz. Enough said). 

My last idea is a big wall collage of black and white (and some all white) plates. I love the example I found for the inspiration board.

But here's my question for you:  Should I paint the table and chairs? If so, what color? I'd love to hear what you think!

I'll keep you posted on my progress!