Silver Shells {tutorial}

There are always a lot of home decor items using shells, especially here in Southern California. They are found on frames, mirrors, vases, etc...I needed something to dress up my guest bathroom and had seen shells dipped in silver that I thought would be a really nice addition. At upwards of $200 each they were not in my budget. I thought it would be pretty easy to spray paint ordinary shells using metallic spray paint, and I proved to be correct. Here's what you'll need:

1. Metallic Spray Paint {I used silver but gold would be pretty as well} $6.50 at ACE

2. An assortment of shells

3. Newspaper

And here's the process:

1. Lay shells out on newspaper in well ventilated area {you can see I did not do this inside below}

2. Spray paint evenly over one side and wait about 15 minutes to dry. Flip shells over and paint the other side.

3. Wait another 15 minutes until paint is all dry and put you're all done! Super easy.

I put mine in a glass jar but they would be really cute on a picture frame or around an old mirror.

And my personal favorite were the sea urchins:

4th of July

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays and always makes me feel like Summer has finally arrived. We had a great 4th spending the day at Crescent Beach in Laguna followed by some great food and fireworks. I also attempted to make a few of the treats in the post below. This was my second attempt at cake pops and might be my last. They turned out OK only after trying three different types of chocolate to coat them with. FYI- The cheaper the better. The one that worked the best was some off-name brand from Target for about $1.50. Here are some pics.

Summer To-Do's- Update

So I've made some more progress on my Summer To-Do list.

#5- Read two books. I started the Help by Kathryn Stockett. Currently still in chapter 1, but it's a start.

#9- Take Morgan to Swim Lessons. We are signed up and ready to go starting on the 11th!

#10- Make some good Summer meals. I made some great apricot chicken sliders last night and cape cod chicken salad on Monday that I think would qualify.

There are still a few on that list that I keep trying to forget about...like painting that blue chair. We'll at least I have a few more months to get motivated.

Summer To Do's

First I must admit, I'm slightly obsessed with Pinterest. If you haven't been to this website maybe you shouldn't; it gets addicting. One of the ideas I thought was too cute was this Summer To Do List.

It's from eighteen25.blogspot.com and she has a template if you would like to make your own.

Morgan is still a little young for me to start making her To Do lists but I thought it I could use it to create a list for myself. This is the first summer home and let's just say there are more than a handful of things I'd like to accomplish before Labor Day. Here's my short list:

#1 Paint the patio chair red. I painted one of the two almost two years ago....and never got around to the other.

#2 Organize linen closet. I can still open the door without anything falling out, but we are getting close to that point.

#3 Fix dresser drawer in bedroom dresser. It is Drew's drawer which is probably why I haven't been motivated to fix it sooner.

#4 Have a BBQ at San Onofre.

#5 Read two good books. I admit I'm not a reader but I do enjoy a good Summer read.

#6 Complete redecorating family room.

#7 Paint TV console.

#8 Paint wall in family room.

#9 Take Morgan to swim lessons.

#10 Make some good summer meals.

#11 Mid-week beach days.

#12 Join gym and take classes regularly.

#13 Be better at ironing.

#14 Organize Morgan's clothes by size. Like this below:

And this is just the beginning....hopefully I can check these off by the end of the Summer!