Creating Beach Mementos

As the winter cold finally hits us here in Minnesota I find myself dreaming of a day at the beach, or even better, a whole week! Below zero temperatures make short weather seem so very far away. So with no ocean in sight here in the midwest, and all the lakes frozen over, I savor my beach memories and decor that I've collected over the years. Here are some of the very simple ideas to incorporate the beach into your home.

Beach Scene

A great way to recreate your time at the beach is by gathering an assortment of beach items and them placing them in a display.  Our best friend Charlie lived in the Bahamas for a year, and although we were unable to go visit him he brought the beach to us. 

Some great items to secure for the display:
-Seashell or glass platter
-Sand
-Seashell Candles (seashells filled with wax & wick)
-Seashell variety
-Capsule of the ocean water

Shadowbox with Sand Filler

Using a scenic picture from your trip, place it in a shadowbox.  Add the sand as filler from the beach you visited so that the real sand covers the sandy part of the picture. You'll get a really cool effect.

Shadowbox with Seashells & Sea glass

 Using shells and sea glass you've collected fill a small shadowbox. Perfect for a shelf or wall display.

Seashells with Candles

I've accumulated many shells from my visits around the country. An easy way for me to add them to my collection is toss them on a glass plate around a pair of candles.  Easy to clean if dusty, and allows anyone to pick up a shell and examine it if they're curious.

Bottle of Sand

A glass bottle to display the sand from our trip to Cape Cod became a fun honeymoon memento for us to remember all the time we spent at the beach.

Seashell Lamp

 
Growing up, Lisa and my grandparents lived in Florida for a good many years.  When they moved back to MN one decoration that always was a conversation starter was my grandma's seashell lamp.  The lamp base was glass and filled with seashells they'd collected.  Talk about a unique piece!

Lisa and her mother decided with our grandma's help to make one for themselves. The petite lamp really makes a statement.

Sand Dollar Ornament

Find your own sand dollar on the beach or find one in a nearby seashell store to hang on the Christmas tree.  Write the year and vacation spot on the sand dollar to forever spark memories of your trip.

They also make great gifts. Besides the created "Beach Scene", Charlie brought us back a sand dollar ornament from the Bahamas. It was a very thoughtful gift he gave to all our friends and reasonably priced too.

Collage of Beach Memories

My apartment is filled with photos, but I've been setting aside a plan for a beach collage wall for years.  And after 3 years I made the time to print our honeymoon photos and hang those beauties on the wall.  Our pictures from Cape Cod made the perfect arrangement in my new coastal frames! And to accompany them on a separate wall, I have other beachy items that make me smile every time I walk into the room.

I definitely see other beachy projects in my future, but for now, I'll have to wait until summer .