Old Dresser Drawer Storage- A Beach Shabby Chic Recycle

I stopped in at a funky & artsy consignment shop down in Murrells Inlet just south of Myrtle Beach called +Inlet Queens and fell in love with a pair of side tables that I planned to use for bedside tables.

As I was loading them into my truck to bring them home, I realized , suddenly, that I was about to lose the storage that I currently had in the night stands that were back at the condo. Living in the condo has been about maximizing small space and I had just made a big mistake. I had acted spontaneously rather than effectively. Now what?

I had rescued two old wooden dresser draws from the side of the road not long ago and when I got home I took them out , removed the handles and filled the holes with wood putty and then sanded them smooth. Afterwards , I painted them with a quick coat of off white chalk paint and then...there they were...just staring at me.... saying"Ok what next? That's all you've got?" 

How could I make them a bit nautical ? Or beachy? Digging around I found an old book about seamanship and used the tarnished pages to help bring some more texture and  life to the inside of the pieces.

  Now we were almost there. Something was still missing. The beachy was missing ....the beach bling was missing. Just a few seashells later and I was happy with the finished product. Tell me what you think.

Very Coastal Very Bohemian.

Thanks again, as always, for checking in on what I have been creating. Please post any ideas or suggestions for other ways we can upcycle old wooden dresser draws.

Michele Michael 

CoastalBohemian@gmail.com

Beach Shabby Chic Clock

One of my New Year's resolutions was to create a video of one of my projects in hopes of continuing to do more videos. Be kind, this is my first video and I know I need work ,but I did it!




Very Coastal Very Bohemian

Driftwood Anchor

Pinterest provided the inspiration for this driftwood anchor.






I found the background wood thrown in the trash around the street from my house.It was an old top to a table that had broken. I knew it would provide the perfect backdrop for something I was up to.

Of course ,I happened to have the right pieces of driftwood hanging around my house to pull off this project.


I used a nail gun to attach the the wood and the rope. It was real quick and easy and done in 5-10 min.


Very Coastal Very BohemianWith love and gratitude,

Michele

Remember the anchor's in your life. They help keep you safe in rough waters, they keep you grounded. Or maybe you need to remember you are the anchor in someone's life and that's an all important role.The boat is nothing without it's anchor.


Michele Michael 

Driftwood Embellished Night Stand Beach Shabby

Driftwood again. And why not? 

Found this lonely, old girl cast to the side of the road while doing errands one day.

Painted her white with some chalk paint to freshen her up and get my brain chugging away at some inspiration.

Next, I dry brushed her with some grey and then some copper. 

Dry brush is simply a paint brush dipped into paint and then almost all that paint is removed from the brush. Remove almost all of the paint using newspaper or cloth or paper towels. Just run the brush back and forth until there is very little to no paint left on the brush.  Then gently brush the furniture and it will pick up the grain of the piece.

She sat around for a while until I took some driftwood and started to nail it around her. I used my pneumatic nailer. Suddenly, she was  like a little princess, or Cinderella coming into her own. Hahaha...I crack myself up. I'm ridiculously attached to my projects and my driftwood.

Digging around in my hardware draw I found her a little bling and attached this vintage crystal knob.

She was really becoming beach shabby. 

I finished her off with a vintage pink lamp and lace. 

Creating beach shabby  is a challenge but I think this is Very Coastal, Very Bohemian,Very Beachy, and  Very Shabby.

Hope you bring some more driftwood into your home. Please feel free to share your driftwood creations. I'd love to see them and share them.

Michele Michael 

Coastal Bohemian 

coastalbohemian@gmail.com

Beach Cleanup / Treasure Hunt / Scavanger Hunt

Years ago, we use to volunteer to clean the Town of Babylon beaches with the American Littoral Society every September. It started out as a Scout event but we eventually grew it to include much of the community.
One year we decided to make it a little interesting and see who would get bragging rights by bringing in the most amount of garbage in pounds. We added a few bonus point finds like tires and bottles. It became very interesting  to see such a  complete variety of  treasures make their way back to weigh in.
This gave me the idea to have a beach cleanup/scavenger hunt with my children and their friends and their parents.

Below is a check list of items to help you get started putting together your own scavenger hunt /beach clean up.

Printable List

I hope you have as much fun as we did back then .
The American Littoral Society is always looking for beach clean up Captains. Follow the link above and see who the captain is in your area. Join the clean up or start your own by becoming a Captain. Very Coastal. Very Bohemian. Very Environmentally Clean.
Michele Michael

Find me partying here all week, at these link parties, with some great bloggers.

If you are in Myrtle Beach come on down and visit us at the Coastal Bohemian Studio or Follow us out on Facebook, Pinterest , Instagram,Linkedin,  Bloglovin or Etsy .


coastalbohemian@gmail.com
www.coastalbohemian.net

Upcycled beachy plant stand /cake stand/ side table

I stole this idea from Pinterest. There, I said it. Of couse, I added  a  little coastal flair so really it's my idea.



1 tall vase (this is 20" tall)
 +
1 large plate preferrably a platter size (you could probably even pull off a plastic plate from a dollar      store)
+
 clear silicone(caulking)
+
seashells pearls, and driftwood
=

Add some weight to the top plate after caulking to ensure a tight adhesion. Make sure to let the caulk dry real well.  I had to let this dry for two full days but it may have been the humidity.

I hope you take time to make this easy project. You can tailor it to your style with rocks , pennies, sand or legos filling the glass vase.


Very Coastal Very Bohemian.

Holiday Coastal Garden

During the holidays I like to cut fresh evergreen boughs and holly and tuck them into my now flowerless planters. Tuck a few picks inside and add a bow and it always lifts the little tired areas in the garden or at the entry way.

This year, I walked the nearby woods for my evergreens and tied the whole beach theme together with other elements from the garden. I pulled in a architectural block from an old Manhattan church along with some shells and an outdoor candle lit lantern. Very Coastal. Very Bohemian.

                                                           Happy Coastal Holiday Decorating to you.

                                                                     Michele Michael

Seas the Day /Dream Vintage Shabby Silver DIY Upcyle decor

Carpe Diem-Seize the Day ...one of my favorite sayings, because I always look forward to what the new day brings to me and she brings to me, that girl bbbbrrrringgggs it. Glass half full and all, I expect that the new day has something creative  in store for me , or a new find is waiting to be discovered, or I may make a new connection to someone exciting.
 As a Coastal Bohemian , I prefer this spelling of the term Seas the Day , a clever play on words that means nothing more than Seize the Day.Yuck yuck :)

I picked up this silver plate at Goodwill Store for $1.00 and this silver bowl at Good will for $1.00.

Both got two coats of chalkboard paint and then I just draw in a few words.

I recommend getting a chalk pen from AC Moore  or Michael's or one of your favorite  craft stores.

You can download various style fonts specifically recommended for chalkboard art. Create your own sayings and print them out so they fit into your project. Next just take a solid piece of chalk and rub the chalk all over the back of your printed saying. Place it on the chalkboard, dusty chalk side down and trace the saying onto the project. Remove the paper and then it's very easy to take your chalk pen to fill in the design.

I added a few dots around the edge to
give it a little pizzazz, hot glued a ribbon and hung it up with a thumb tack that has a seashell hot glued to it. Easy ,easy little adorable charm.

                           Of  course , you need to continue to Dream while you Seas the Day.


                                                                   Michele Michael

Coastalbohemian@gmail.com

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