Goin' Beachy

Just before we left on vacation, I created a beach theme in the living room.

 It all started when Steve found this old Tic Tac Toe board in the garage - I painted it years ago and it obviously has seen better days.

And, who would think that this old board would trigger changes in the living room.

A quick paint job changed the Tic Tac Toe board from Americana to nautical.

We have tons of "found" sand dollars from our beach, but a bicycle ride to the harbor was necessary to buy tiny starfish.

With the Tic Tac Toe Board sitting on the cedar chest/coffee table, the entire room seemed to need a beach motif.

First up was to decorate the mantel with favorite seaside treasures to accompany a painting Steve did last year of Hanalei Bay, Kauai.

The seaglass is particularly special because every piece is a find from our beach and we treasure the few blue pieces we have collected.

Across the room, a special display of shells from the Maldives adorns a chest next to Steve's chair - we should probably swap out the cityscape for a beach themed painting, but I love the colors in the buildings in downtown Los Angeles.

I moved a metal stand from my craft room to the living room

and added shell touches to each tier.

I had planned to write this post while we were on vacation, but my son's computer died the day we arrived on Kauai and he needed mine because unfortunately he had to work a little each day.

Instead, I took photos of the scenery,

and flowers in every color of the rainbow.

 I also looked for shells on the beach

which I promptly put on display in the dining room.

It's good to be home from vacation, "playing house" and keeping the beach theme going.

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In addition to trying to catch up with 10 days of reading your blog posts and responding to comments, I will be partying at:

Our Home Away From Home - Tuesdays @ Our Home

Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesday

Dwellings - the Heart of Your Home - Amaze Me Monday

The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday