I couldn’t wait any longer.
It was time to get out my can of spray paint and indulge in a little coastal decor DIY makeover!
This summer I really started missing the Great Lakes.
I’m a ‘Mitten State’ girl who grew up a bicycle ride away from Lake Michigan. And more recently we lived 20 minutes away from Lake Erie and 40 minutes from Lake Ontario. Spending time at the beach in the summer is one of those things that renews my spirit.
Since I wasn’t going to be making the trip to the beach, I decided to bring the beach home. It may not be the same. But, I have had a ton of fun along the way.
You may remember my gilded clam shell I transformed for Darlene’s Ditto Challenge.
As gorgeous as she was, she was just a little too fancy for my everyday lifestyle.
So with spray paint in hand….I gave my Glam Clam a makeover.
When it comes to coastal decor DIY….the beauty is in the details.
First I carefully taped the edge of the portion I wanted to remain gold.
Then I added newspaper…taping it down securely….so no spray would inadvertently drift and settle on the gold.
Then on to my handy spray painting station (a box & newspaper) in my back yard, where I painted it a creamy white.
As soon as it was dry…
a lovely new clamorous bit of coastal decor emerged.
Isn’t she sweet filled with various found shells from a trip to Florida?
She’s rough from all those years she spent on the neighbor’s woodpile, holding down the tarp. But, with a fresh coat of gilding and now a lovely creamy exterior, she sparkles.
My coastal sideboard vignette definitely has a stunning new star!
Have you done any coastal decor DIY ing this summer?
Better yet….have you been to the beach? If so…what’s your favorite spot?
Wishing you an Extraordinary week filled with sunshine!
Diane
I’d be delighted if you’d share the extraordinary goodness here with your friends
by clicking any of the sharing buttons at the bottom.
our favorite beach spot is what the Lord blessed us with buying in Hilton Head. It has been rented out most of the summer when we were not there! If anyone is interested email me at glenda4487 at gmail dot com. is that ok Diane? we did some remodeling and decorating there! of course one Canadian renter of another place that we met there said do not make it too beachy as the Canadian’s come for months at a time and that was her opinion! Our first renters actually rented last Feb. for the Month of March 2014! a great Canadian couple!
That is terrific Glenda! When do you get to enjoy your place?
Diane we closed on it in Feb. worked on it a couple of weeks–went to daughters wedding in March then back to finish the condo. then it was rented until we went in June-Allen’s sis and her hubby came in June for a week with us then rented and we went back last of July and our sone and his family–with 7 month old Wells came then rented again! we were told to choose our time then open it up for rent–it works! we are so blessed! and of course the renters are helping us pay for it. we have gotten great reviews from our renters! if you want to see it go to http://www.VRBO.co and enter our #471372 in the search bar. Pass on info to anyone you know who would be interested.
Wow! You could market those gilded clam shells. Love the coastal theme! We are only 1 1/2 hours from the beach! Your post makes me want to jump in my car and go down there..
Awwww…thanks Mary Lise!! You are so sweet!
Well….maybe this is just the nudge you need for a trip to the beach! 😉
Hope your week is extraordinary!
~Diane
This beautiful vignette makes my heart heavy ~ My soul longs … yearns to be at/near/close to the beach, but your words of wisdom are teaching me patience … and I’m also learning it will only be if it is God’s Will ~ I am happy you are still creating and finding joy in your days while waiting patiently ~ I love what you did with the shell and of course, must pin this for future reference!!! Thanks Diane! ~ Judi
Oh Judi….I know that yearning. Whenever I’m prompted to think of my favorite place it’s always a particular state park in Michigan, sitting on the warm sand, feeling the sunshine on my skin, listening to the beach grass rustle, the leaves blowing in the trees, and the waves crashing on the shore. Ahhh….
I do hope that you’ll find your place on/near the beach very soon. That will be marvelous.
Thanks for your encouraging words about my shell and vignette. 😉
You’re the best!
~Diane
Awwwww…..just the right amount of gold. And if that’s not an exercise in ‘patience’, I’m not sure what is! I can’t imagine taping so diligently to the shape of the shell. LOL I’da made it all white!
It’s lovely with the bits of beach surrounding it.
And the only ‘sea’ I have, is a sea of corn. LOLOL Ah, but I love the rustle of those fields when the wind so decides to move it.
Last ‘beach’–oh, probably along the river a week or so ago. NOT sure that constitutes a beach, but there you have it. No shells, but I did discover a lovely old bridge on a backroad I’d not wandered on before.
Oh Mel….I’ll take any body of water these days. 😉 Glad you had a fun discovery along that back road. Aren’t back road adventures the best? I haven’t done any lately, but they are like mini vacations.
Ha! All white! That was an option…but I didn’t want to waste all the gold from the first time. 😉 So…
Thanks for your kind words. 🙂 Hope you have more back road adventures, soon.
~Diane
The shell was beautiful before, but I really like it with the white exterior now! I too grew up on a lake. It was an inland lake, but we are only minutes from Lake Huron. I do miss living right on the water though. Someday maybe we will have a little cottage…who knows? In the meantime we go to our local rustic state park on Lake Huron to enjoy the water and sand.
Have a lovely weekend my friend. Hugs,
Deborah
Thank you!! I like it much better now too. 🙂
How wonderful that you can go to Lake Huron, Deborah. 🙂
When we lived in Buffalo, one of our friends had a cottage on the Canadian side of Lake Huron. But, instead of being right on the water….the lake was so low and we had to walk quite a ways to get to the water. The shoreline looked like the moon. It was pretty amazing.
Oh I hope you can get a cottage some day. That would be a dream of mine too!
Wishing you An Extraordinary Weekend!!
[hugs]
~Diane
They are beautiful..i would love to know how to make it😊
Thank you!!
Abigail, this giant clam shell is the real deal. All I’ve done is clean it up and paint it… gold inside and creamy white on the outside. Here’s the link to the original post where I showed this giant shell’s humble beginnings: https://anextraordinaryday.net/found-clam-turned-glam-with-gold-june-ditto-diy-challenge/
I was wondering where you get these giant clam shells?