Simple

Simple

Shells, Part I


Spring has sprung in Boston and every year at this time, I get impatient and start thinking ahead to summer. This then leads me not to the beach, but to a closet in the back of my house where I keep a good sized collection of shells gathered during visits to my parents in Naples, Florida. Somehow, I'd like display my collection of shells without my living room looking like a beach road shell shop. But, I having trouble getting there.

At this point all I can muster without fear of veering into tackiness is the above ironstone bowl of whelks on a side table. My free time this week will be spent looking for inspiration and if anything promising comes up, I'll be back with more. If you have any ideas please let me know.

It's difficult to resist the call of the hot-glue gun, but I'm holding out.


For now.

13 comments:

  1. Shells always remind me of the time I have spend walking on the beach with my family during vacations. I too just have mine displayed in a bowl.

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  2. Oh, pull those shells out and spread them around! I love all kinds of natural things. I have bird's nests, wasp's nests, rocks, shells and dried flowers all over the place. Think of your shells more as beautiful pieces of nature's art and maybe you can broaden the "only for a beach house "idea that we all fall prey to. Does that make sense? Not to diminish the beauty of them in a bowl, but you can scatter them on a table or on top of a stack of books, spill them out of the bowl onto the table, or pile them in a tall glass vase - have fun with them!

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  3. Hi Deborah,

    I think I may be a lot like you. I don't like a lot of little thingys all over the place. Don't get me wrong, I like them at other peoples houses, just not mine. I have a pretty large collection of shells that we have collected over the years also. I will put them in a clear glass cylinder vase or last year I put them on a footed rectangular silver tray. I really liked them like that. But I do like the idea of them in an ironstone bowl also.

    ~janet

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  4. The shells are beautiful, especially in the blue bowl you have them displayed in.

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  5. BT--

    You can never go wrong with WHITE IRONSTONE...which is about to come back into fashion. It went out a bit (I have a collection, very rare pieces) and then went down to the Pottery Barn level, ubiquitous) and not it looks rare and special and costly again.
    Go mad with white...and white ironstone. Resist the glue gun...

    Shells in a white bowl...few things more chic.

    cheers, DIANE
    www,thestylesaloniste.com

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  6. Oooh My,
    I love the vintagw wall papered boxes,
    I my self do papered boxes, would love to house some of yours, they are to wonderful to hide away.

    Will be back to take in all your blog beauty.
    Dore

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  7. The shells look gorgeous in that bowl!! I agree..., no tackiness. Maybe you'll find some more inspiration on my blog Completely Coastal...

    I'm just south of Boston, in coastal RI.

    Have a great week!

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  8. I used to have a large collection of amazing shells, bought on trips, given by friends...all in a cluster decoration. Beautiful, but so hard to keep clean...I love your bowl. You don't need anything else. xx's Marsha
    Come see me, we have a jewelry GIVEAWAY going.

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  9. monkeygrasshill.blogspot.comMarch 30, 2010 at 1:52 PM

    I think they look very pretty in your bowl. I also like it when you fill a big hurricane/cylinder with them then put a candle on top. I'm struggling with this too. I don't like clutter and static, but I found some fantastic really big shells and piece of coral recently at an estate sale. Don't know what to do with them though.

    Love your blog!
    Julie

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  10. They're beautiful Deborah! I love shells, and love your piece of ironstone that you have them it!
    joan

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  11. Don't worry Deborah, your beautiful shells look just fine as they are. Knowing you, I think you'd be incapable of tacky anything!! Have a wonderful Easter Long Weekend.
    Millie ^_^

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  12. I think shells are exquisite works of art and it is a little bit of a shame they have suffered from overexposure. I think they look lovely in your bowl and to heck with everyone. They are beautiful and defy trends, despite what Pottery Barn would have us all believe. They are seaside mad right now.

    Love 'em. xo Terri

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  13. Love your bowl. And your shells. I feel the same way though... don't know exactly where to put them so that they don't look silly. Although I never think they look silly in someone else's home. I'll figure it out eventually. I'm going to buy a chunk of coral too this year... next time I'm at the flea market. Where will I put it? No idea!

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