She shells she shells by the shea shore

Last week, Kevin and I were strolling through the mall and decided to visit Pottery Barn. I love drawing inspiration from there, but rarely buy anything, which was the case that day. It did get me motivated to get down our summery decor, namely, um... some shells and sand (fall and Christmas are sooo much easier to decorate for). 

I used to detest it when people would decorate with shells, but I have pinpointed that hatred within me to a specific place when I was a child. I have no clue whose home I was in, but at a very young age decided that the bathroom in their home was very tacky; I believe the colors were peach and sea foam green, with shells spewed all about. And lots of wicker. Probably very posh at the time. Anyway, I didn't like it, so, I thought I didn't like shells. 

Until I went to Hawaii. And then I had to leave Hawaii. And I needed something to bring with me to remind me of that beloved land. Shells were the answer. Small, cheap, looks great on a shelf. I love shells!

So, back to being motivated by Pottery Barn. Then, I read this post by the Nester, where she did a great job of "lightening" the mood in her home and getting it ready for summer. Those pictures were all I needed, so I sent Kevin to the attic to bring down the sand. 

First, I took down our chocolate brown velvet curtains (which I still adore, but looked too heavy for the summer), and put up white tab-top drapes from Target. Now, I prefer the ultra luxurious look of the PB version, but if I have the option to get unlined white curtains for $19.99 or lined white curtains for $180, I can deal with some light going through.

I love this built-in that Kevin put in for me; it reminds me of the little nooks that are always in older homes. To "lighten" this area, I simply filled a glass jar with fake coral, and threw in a pretty shell. Also, I decided to unify the books on this shelf by covering them (like you did with your text books in high school) with some scrap booking paper I had leftover from my decoupage silhouettes.

More shells.

More shells, but fake ones this time. 

Starfish are so cute! I copied the Pottery Barn idea and filled glass votives with sand and tea lights.

I have developed a mild obsession with pineapples, yet somehow, this is the only one I have. 

Any other ideas for summer decor? Let me know!