Our Hopeful Home: shell vignette

Many of you have shared such beautiful summer mantels, vignettes, displays, etc., most of them involving some sort of shells, starfish and/or coral. My hope is to have something similar to show you soon, but until I find my ~~really cleverly hidden~~ stash of awesome shells (I know, I know) I'll just have to share a post from the past that gives you a glimpse of what's to come.

Shell-wise, I mean.

Re-Run of my May 25, 2011 post:

A while back I purchased these two -- not really sure WHAT to call them -- (um, maybe we'll call them orbs) ok, then, orbs -- at Club G.W. for $6.00. It might have been $4.00, who knows, all I can say is that I knew I had to have them. What the heck would I do with them? Well, that would be decided later.....

I guess I was initially thinking candle holders. Pretty traditional, I know.

But the ~~downright bleh~~ brown color, though, had to go! So out came the blue painter's tape.

Then some primer.

And an old can of creamy white paint left behind by our home's prior owners.

Speaking of old paint, does anyone know if there's a figurative DO NOT USE BY date on these things?
I know there's not a literal date, I was just wondering what your experience has been with paint longevity........

So after priming, two coats of paint and a little distressing with sandpaper, voila.

Shells seemed the way to go, what with summer rapidly approaching. I think we could all use a breezy, beachy look in our homes come summer, no matter where we live.

So let's recap.

Before.

After.