Oyster roast season is upon us! Now that we have entered into the "R" months, the festive roasts will start filling up social calendars around the Lowcountry--the oyster roast capitol of the U.S. But what to do with all of those leftover oyster shells? Typically, shells are recycled back into local waters to cultivate new oyster beds...but here are some other ways to "recycle" oyster shells:

Coastal Living

image via Pinterest

Currey & Company

Bliss Home and Design

Beau Home Interiors

One kings Lane

Wisteria

Ballard Designs

Mary Kate McConnell on Flickr

Once Wed
via Honeysuckle Wedding Company

Flair Vintage Decor

Enjoy!

Emilie

My childhood bedroom makeover is coming along slowly but surely! The project I took on this past week was updating my headboard. Although I like the existing iron headboard and want to preserve it for future use, it just doesn't jive with the look I am trying to achieve right now. Here is the headboard before:

I concocted the idea to construct a new headboard out of plywood and poly foam and then suspend it from the existing headboard. I would finish the project by upholstering it with pretty fabric to add some soft style to the bedroom...and comfort to the bed! So off I went to Lowe's:

So many choices! I went with the 1/4" pine plywood, as I didn't want the existing headboard to have to support too much weight:

Then I had it cut to size...:

 ...and voilá! We have a headboard in the making!:

Then on to a craft store to purchase the poly foam to attach to the plywood. I chose 1" thick foam:

When I got home, I did some measuring and then drilled holes along the top of the plywood where I intended to hang it from the existing headboard. Clearly Eloise the pug is used to mom drilling things...:

 

 Then I measured and cut the foam to match:

Like a glove (pronounced à la Ace Ventura...or for you Duck Dynasty fans, à la John Luke...):

And then I tied the foam to the board with wire, leaving extra wire to use for tying the new headboard to the the existing one:

And here is me hanging the new headboard on the existing one!:

I also bought some cheap fabric from the craft store with which I could practice sewing the cover for the headboard. Luckily the sewing went relatively well, but the cheap fabric is pretty horrid, so I am going to hold off on the final headboard reveal until I have some pretty fabric to put on it!

I have searched and searched local fabric stores for stylish, affordable fabric (as I do not intend to splurge on a headboard makeover), but much to my dismay, I did not find the perfect fabric in time for this post. The following fabrics were close, but not quite close enough (as I do not intend to settle on a headboard makeover!):

I thought long and hard about the fabric on the bottom of this next photo (and I admit I'm still thinking a little bit about it):

If I can't find the perfect fabric locally, I plan to buy one of these two beauties from Etsy. Which one do you like better?

Green Apples Fabrics on Etsy

Fabric Secret on Etsy

I also have another small update regarding my bedroom makeover: 

I absolutely fell in love with the Great Blue Herons in this room designed by Meg Lonergan from LeSueur Interiors:

Considering there are many more pelicans and herons than people on our little island, I was inspired to find some pretty prints of my own, so I turned to Etsy where I found the following from artist Chase Mullen. They are beautiful and affordable:

I also found some inexpensive frames for them from AC Moore:

I think they turned out well and will easily help me achieve a similar look to the inspirational room above:

Stay tuned to find out about the fabric for the headboard...and the rest of the room renovation! ;)

But in the meantime...

Enjoy!

Emilie

Sweetgrass baskets have been a beloved form of local art in the Lowcountry for over 300 years. When slaves arrived from West Africa, they brought with them their craft of basket weaving. These baskets became quite useful on plantations to collect and store crops. Since then, the art of weaving these beautiful baskets has been passed down from generation to generation and today sweetgrass baskets are a coveted commodity among locals and tourists alike.

Here are some pretty ways to display baskets as art in your home:

Better Homes and Gardens

Taryn Leibowitz and Tammie McLachlan
via Interiors Digital

Focal Point Styling blog

House & Garden

Eclectic Charleston

Villa Rossese at Montaluce 2008 Showhouse
by Des-syn

Jute Design

via West Elm

Learn more about the history of sweetgrass baskets here and purchase your own at The Market in downtown Charleston or just north of downtown along the Sweetgrass Corridor in Mt. Pleasant. 

Enjoy!

Emilie

A model sailboat will instantly add some nautical sophistication to a home and can be the perfect piece to complete a mantel, wide window sill, or really any surface with some extra space. Here are some of my favorite sailboat displays:

Knock on Wood Design

via House and Home, May 2012

Sarah Richardson Design

Sarah Richardson Design

India Hicks


India Hicks

Good Life of Design

Mackle Construction

via The Pink Pagoda

Barbara Grushow Designs


via Zsa Zsa Bellagio

Good Life of Design

and

House Beautiful

Country Living

Chateau and Bungalow

and

The Pink Pagoda

I can't wait to display our model sailboat (which was found at a yard sale for three dollars!) on the mantel of our future fireplace. You can buy your own boat here!:

India Hicks

$59.95 from Home Shopping Network


$113 from Home Goods Center

$153 from Cottage Surroundings

$39.99 from Hobby Lobby

Enjoy!

Emilie