A day at the Beach, Mantel Makeover; 33 Shades of Green

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I'm so excited to be here at Remodelaholic guest posting again! Thank you Cassity for having me! Please come and visit me at my blog 33 Shades of Green. You'll find me cooking, crafting, decorating, and trying out all sorts of creative projects.

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Well, Summer is here and my mantle was in need of a make-over that was worthy of hot, Summer days.  I decided on a beach theme using lots of shells, sand, and other natural elements. 

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Here's what my fireplace looked like before I started:

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As much as I like having my TV above my fireplace, it sometimes causes challenges in decorating the mantle. 

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Everything I used to decorate were things that I already had.  Most of the shells I used I have had since I was a child.  Most of them came from family trips to Florida.  I'm so glad I have all of these beautiful shells - who knew I would be using them years later to decorate!

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Here's what the mantle looks like now:

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I purchased the apothecary jars from TJ Maxx and Marshall's a few years ago.  I'm glad I have them - I usually keep them up on my mantle most of the year.  I just switch out the fillers for the different seasons.

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Two of the jars are filled at the bottom with sand and shells on top.

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The third jar is filled with dried sea bark I purchased from Pottery Barn a few years ago.  I think it is actually dried cactus.  I recently saw these for sale at Michael's.

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I bought both of the star fish on the island of Capri in Italy.  Every time I look at them it reminds me of our great vacation!

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I printed out the sea horse and shell print for free from Vintage Printables.  Check out this site - there are so many great things you can print for free!

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I have two frames hanging near my fireplace.  I switched out the photos I had in the frames for more shell prints.

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Not bad for free prints!

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I added beach grass to a vase filled with sand to set in front of the fireplace.

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To complete the Summer look, I added a hurricane filled with sand and shells to my coffee table.

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Thanks for reading!  I hope you are inspired to bring a little bit of Summer inside your home.  Stop by and visit me at 33 Shades of Green.

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