Three weeks ago, this article was featured as “Six things that you Need to Bring the Beachside In”.  This post has been updated to reflect “Ten things You Need to Bring the Beachside In. ”  This post may contain affiliate links.  Today is the last day of August.  The last day of the month means preparation for a new month and new beginnings.  In one breath, I can’t believe that today is Friday.  In another breath, it’s been one long week.  I am looking forward to the new things that God has in store for me for the month of September. 

The Beachside  We’ve all heard of the phrase “Bring the outside In”  when we look at home magazines.  For this purpose, since I love the beach, I decided that I would do a blog post on bringing the beachside in.  When I think of the word beach, I think of my feet in the sand, the water, and God’s big, beautiful sky.

It makes me think about painting the color white on a blank canvas, and then painting the blue sky and water, and tan colored sand.  If I wanted to add to this canvas, other things that come to mind is a pier, a chair for one to sit on, minnows in the water, people, rocks, trees, flowers, etc.  Take a few minutes to think about what your beach would look like.

Now, let’s transfer this canvas to your home.  How can one keep themselves at the beach all year round?  Use a room or two in your home as the beach all year round.  I am including pictures of how I brought the beachside into my bedroom:

1. Paint:  The walls would represent your canvas.  The first thing that you need is the right color of paint.  Bright, airy colors are needed to bring your beach to life.  For my personal choice, I would have shades of tan, cream, blue, or white.
2. Pictures:  Pictures tell the story of your home.  They give your home life, and they keep your friends and loved ones close by.  Since this is a beach canvas, people, flowers, trees, sand, rocks, and seashells would be great.  However, this is your canvas, and therein lies the fun.  This is one of my favorite pictures from when my children were little.  They were about one and four years old.  Sometimes when I can’t find the colors that I need, I just paint the frames, as well as the furniture.

I found the pictures below at Goodwill for $.99 each a few years ago.  I have two sets of two on either side of my bed.

The picture below is one of myself, kids when they were little, mom, and grandmother, who is deceased.

I painted the canvas paintings on the left below.  Three pictures were upcycled and painted over since my color scheme changed.  The pictures of peonies on the left were taken a year ago.  The clothespins and jute string were $1.00 at the Dollar Tree.

3.  Furniture: The next thing that you would need would be furniture that would give the beach vibe.  Adirondack, wicker, and bamboo seems to do the trick.  If you have more than one style of chair, that would work out nicely.  A mixture of texture gives rooms more of a natural feel, along with an illusion of more depth.  I was blessed a couple of years ago with the wicker chair below.  Next to the wicker chair is a wrought iron plant stand.  I got rid of the glass top to place the plants on.  It safely holds a journal and wallet that my sister bought me when she visited Europe.  I love this journal, but I have to be careful because it can easily rip since the pages are made out of a linen, natural parchment.

4. Accessories:   Let’s not forget about the accessories.  In the picture above, I have a couple of books resting on top of the ottoman, a pillow, and fun necklaces that help give the beach vibe.  You can also add mirrors to the wall, as you can see in the picture above, a little bit behind the wicker chair.  The mirror was $6.99 at Goodwill.  I also found this mirror a couple of years ago.

5. Bedding:   Using bedding with the same color scheme of tan, creams, blues, and white,  gives even more of a serene feeling.  I upcycled some of the pillow cases with wool squares that I cut from a scarf.

6. Plants and Flowers:  The last things that you need are plants.  They can be real or fake.  Hanging terrariums are a nice accent.  Using a combination of hanging and non-hanging plants makes your room look even more inviting.

I found the fake plant above at Good will for 3.99.  The candle was on sale at Michael’s for $2.00 during one of their lowest prices of the season.  It smells just like the beach.

The cream colored flowers below are sitting in a mason jar of rocks. They were $1.00 from Dollar Tree.

7. Wood Ladder

Wood Ladders can be a great addition to any room.  I love the idea of using wood ladders for a paint studio.    In this kind of setting, you can use the ladder to display and store paint, paint brushes, paint smocks, and even a second drop cloth for messy hands.  They are also great for displaying books, flowers, towels in bathrooms, blankets, etc.  Another thing about wood ladders is that they give a natural effect against a wood wall.

8.  Drop Cloth Canvas Curtains

Just looking at drop cloth canvas reminds me of the sand at the beach.  The wonderful thing about drop cloth is that it has the natural look of linen, but it’s not the linen price.  It is forgiving, and very easy to wash.  The drop cloth in this picture is attached to plumbing materials for a little bit of an industrial look.  I use drop cloth for tablecloths, background prop for pictures, and it can even be used to make bed skirts and tree skirts.  By the way, I do love linen!

9.  DIY Wood Signs

In order to make my craft/painting area more beachy, I decided to make wooden signs.  I went to Menards and ordered two 6 foot pieces of lumber for $3.00, and then had them to cut each piece into three more pieces.  They charge $1 for every additional cut after three cuts.  I used black paint that I already have at home, along with a small jar of acrylic paint that I bought from Michaels for $.99.  Whatever makes you think beachy, is what can be written on the signs.  These signs are displayed over the walkways and over doors.

The one below is my favorite.  Painting these signs was also therapeutic.

10.  DIY Word Art

Last, but not least, you can using any material that you have at home, along with jute string, clothespins, and push pins, to hang up any word art signs.  In the picture below, I used some burlap tags that I had purchased from Michaels.  They had a box on clearance for $2.00.  My paint/craft area is small, but just the right space to get away inside.  I need to use it even more.

Have a blessed rest of your weekend!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

Psalms 23:2, KJV