Coastal Home Inspiration {From Amazon}

It's no secret we love the coast around here. There is something about being close to the ocean that just soothes the soul. When we got home from the Bahamas this summer I ordered some sea glass inspired bead garland to go with a couple of coral pieces and every time I walk by this little area it makes me think of our time in the islands. 

If you are looking for a little coastal home inspiration I've put together some of our favorite items from Amazon. These pieces won't break the bank and they are sure to give you the coastal vibes without having to take a trip anywhere!

1. Coral Flower - ($16)

2. Wooden Decorative Links - ($23) 

3. Decorative Stacking Books - ($35) 

4. Sea Glass Inspired Bead Garland - ($21) 

4. Tassel Pillow - ($28) 

5. Linen Pillow Covers - ($14)  

6. Round Side Table - ($200)

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5-Step DIY Wall Shelf

Slowly, but surely, we are making our house feel like a home. Funnily, the spaces I've been concentrating on the most are the ones we aren't frequenting often, or aren't seen by many people. 

Why?? 

The only thing I can think of is that these rooms are blank/clean spaces. No clutter. No kid toys. No random piles from my husband. Just blank rooms I can be creative in. 

The guest bedroom has been one of my favorite to work on. Coastal style is my jam and this room is chock full of it. I'll share a full tour soon, but first I wanted to share an easy project that I did to help complete the room. 

The walls of the guest room were looking pretty plain. Especially over the bed. We've done all these fun features, but the rooms still looked kind of "blah". I knew I wanted to include some coastal themed artwork and water color prints that we've collected on our travels, but nothing would be large enough for the space.

It's also a guest bedroom/pool changing area, and I didn't want to spend a ton of money on anything. After looking at all my available artwork, I decided to hang a shelf and do a framed display of some of the pieces. 

I had a chippy/coastal/antique style shelf in mind and couldn't quite find what I was looking for in a brick and mortar. Then online I was shocked at some of the prices. 

After perusing the every popular Home Depot for ideas, I realized I could make my shelf pretty easily. 

I purchased the few materials I needed, decided what paint color to use, and with in one afternoon and just a few steps, I had a wall shelf! 

I loved how it turned out. I especially loved how it was much cheaper than what I was looking at online. I really really loved that it only took about an hour or so of work to make. 

What do you think??

INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE YOUR OWN 5-STEP DIY SHELF

(Note: We've made a similar shelf in my son's room multiple times. So the idea was born from those instructions.)

Materials Used:

• 1 2x8in pine board
• 2 decorative corbels (I purchased these decorative wood corbels from Home Depot.) 
• Paint (Sherwin Williams Antique White is what I used for this project)
• 80 grit sandpaper
• Drill
• 1in drywall screws

Instructions: 

1. Cut your board to size. (We had a board on hand that I used. It is approximate 4 feet in length.) 
2. Paint all sides of the board, and the corbels.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Once the paint is dry, use the sandpaper to smooth all edges and corners. (To get that distressed look you sand down edges to the raw wood.)
   
   
   
   
   
4. Hang and secure the corbels to desired location in the wall with drill and dry wall screws.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Center shelf board over corbels and attach with screws
   
   
   
   
   
   And that's it. Just a few steps and the shelf is DONE!

Additional Notes: 

- If you don't have a saw to cut your board, Lowe's and Home Depot will both cut the board to size for you on site. 

- I hung my corbels in three inches in from the edge of where I wanted to the edge of the shelf to be. You can put them at the ends or bring them in. Either way it looks great! 

- You can touch up shelf board with wood putty and a dab of paint if desired to hide the screws. I skipped this step since my shelf is high enough up they wouldn't be noticeable. 

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DIY Anchor Pallet Wood Sign

This DIY anchor pallet wood sign might be one of the easiest projects we have ever done! Mostly because it wasn't a long thought out project. On Friday night I was sitting in our office and glanced over at a box that had been leaning against the wall for well over the year. I was sipping on wine, catching up on emails and suddenly thought, "I know what to do with that!".

In the box contained a wooden anchor monogrammed with our initial. I had ordered it last spring or summer. I knew where I wanted to hang it, but always thought it needed a little something more in the space so I tabled the project. Until wine-aspiration hit.

I knew we had some left over pallets from a Christmas present. We kept meaning to put them in the trash collection or give them to someone who could use them, but never did. I thought if we could use the pallet wood to make a backing for the anchor sign it might look good.

I called over Mr. Cute and made him one of my infamous design drawings. He took two seconds to look at it and said it would be super easy for him to knock out.

Saturday rolled around and after our soccer parent duties were done for the day, he broke out his tools and got to work. Within an hour we had our sign ready to hang!

I took a few pictures through the process in case anyone wants instructions on how to make their own.

HOW TO MAKE A DIY ANCHOR PALLET WOOD SIGN

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• A wooden anchor or design in your choice (obviously these instructions could work with anything. You would just have to adjust your dimensions). I ordered my monogrammed anchor from here. 
• Pallet wood - This project used approximately two pallets of wood. 
• Trim nails (We used a nail gun to mail this process a little quicker.)
• A compound miter saw (Not sure if this is necessary, but it made the project go much faster. You could probably saw and sand, it would just be a longer process.)
• Chalk paint

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pull all usable boards from your pallets. We made our sign 19" across, so Mr. Cute made sure to pull good boards with enough length for him to trim down. 

• Measure, mark and cut down the boards to your desired size. Again, we knew we wanted a sign around 19" wide so Mr. Cute cut down around 8 boards at that length with his compound miter saw. 

• Arrange the boards in the order you want before adhering them together. Because of the varying colors of wood we made sure to arrange the boards in a pattern we thought would look best. 

• Once you've chosen your desired layout you can begin nailing the boards together. Mr. Cute cut  two boards the length of the sign for the back (our was approximately 26" in length). He placed the boards in the pattern we chose on top and then nailed each board into them with trim nails. 

Note: Originally we were going to frame in the sign too, but we didn't have enough usable wood left over from the pallets. 

• Now that the pallet backing is done, lay flat and place the monogram on top to make sure everything looks the way you want it and measures correctly. 

• Time to paint! 

Originally I had plans to paint the pallet wood white and the monogram navy, but once I saw it all together I thought it actually looked good natural. Mr. Cute suggested maybe just painting the monogram so I went with a white chalk paint and loved how it turned out. 

• Let the chalk paint dry and then paint over it once with a clear coat. 

• After everything is dry, remeasure and place your anchor on the pallet wood for final attachment. 

• Attach the sign with two small trim nails at the top and the bottom. Fill in any holes with a quick touch up of your paint color. 

• Time to hang! Now your DIY anchor pallet wood sign shoulda be ready for display! 

We have a little rolling bar cart/cooler someone gave Mr. Cute a few years ago on one of our patios and I placed the sign over it. The minute we hung the sign I knew it was the perfect use for the monogrammed anchor.  We hung the sign a little higher than normal because I didn't want anyone to knock into it when they were opening the top of the cooler when getting a drink. It is super heavy and falling on someone would most definitely hurt. 

I have plans to add a little something to each side of the sign. Maybe glassware holders or two smaller signs? I'm tossing a few ideas around in my head. A little more wine-spiration and I'm sure I will come up with something good. ;)

But for now, I love that it was a quick and easy project and it looks great in the space! And I never thought I would be a pallet wood kind of girl, but after seeing it all together I am already thinking of other projects I can make with it.

Do you have a pallet wood project you have done? Share with us! I can't wait to see what all the possibilities are! 

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Fashion Fix: Timely Style with Grayton Watches

I love a good accessory. Nothing compliments an outfit more. The right accessories can transform a simple t-shirt into the most elegant evening attire. If I had to pick one accessory to wear above all others, it would be a watch. Watches are my favorite and I've grown quite the collection over the years. They are so many fun options, and I love that it's a functional accessory that will always be in style.

I'm always on the hunt for a new one, and my new favorite is this nautical inspired one from Grayton Watches.

When I was introduced to Grayton Watches I instantly fell in love with several of their pieces. The traditional style and classic elegant faces are beautiful. As a lover of anything with a preppy or coastal feel, I was drawn to their fabric strap options.

I wanted something a little more casual and fun for summer, and thought this one would be perfect. 

I love the navy face and striped band with the rose gold touches. The quality is superb and I love it is an automatic watch and I won't have to replace the battery ever. 

Simply walking will keep it wound and in perfect time. Plus I absolutely love the look of the open back. 

The watch has definitely been fun to wear, and has become a go-to for any event. It's been comfortable to wear from baseball games to playing with the kids in the yard to evening nights out. 

I've received tons of compliments on it and even Mr. Cute has borrowed it a time or two. 

It's the men's Fabric Strap Watch so it suits us both. I went back and forth between this one and the unisex version, but love larger faced watches so decided on the men's one. I think it's fun, and maybe one day soon I'll surprise Mr. Cute one of his own so I won't have to share. ;) 

Speaking of gifts, the watch surprised me when it came wrapped so well. 

The packaging was just as elegant as the watch, and if gifting one to someone I love that it's already ready to present nicely even if it has to be shipped for a someone special out of town. 

I am definitely a new fan, and will be keeping my eye out on Grayton if I want to add a new watch to my ever growing accessory collection. 

I've been so excited about my new watch, that my lovely new friends at Grayton Watches have given me a discount code to share with you in case you want to add one to your collection too. Use code Flcom-Grayton15%-TheMagnoliaMamas for 15% off your entire purchase. 

Which Grayton Watch is your favorite? 

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**I was given this product by Grayton Watches in exchange for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Weekend Getaway {St. Simons + Sea Island}

Every year for New Years Eve, for as long as I can remember, we have spent with Jen and Mr. Cute celebrating his birthday, but this year when our neighbors invited us and another family from our neighborhood to join them at their beach house we decided it would be a fun change.

We were out of town right after Christmas so turning around and driving again wasn't ideal, but the kids were SO good in the car so it made the trip down there easy as could be...except for it taking us 2 hours to get out of Atlanta.  The traffic was horrible and we weren't the only ones trying to get out of town for the weekend.

Our friends' home is on St. Simons, but is part of a Sea Island property and they are members at Sea Island, which was such a treat.  Their home was so nice and one of the best things they did was convert large walk-in closets to bedrooms.  My family of five was able to fit comfortably in one space.  My friend, being the sweet hostess that she is, had left a gift on our bed.

It was such a sweet thing to come in and see after hours in the car and instantly made us feel welcome.  The lotion smells amazing and I know I'll think of our trip every time I use it!

We had sitters at the house for the kids so the adults all went to a very nice dinner that evening at The Lodge. I would have taken pictures inside, but I didn't feel like it would have been appropriate.  Think huge wooden beams, amazing decor and a very elaborate, yet warm lodge type environment.  We had a delicious dinner with amazing service and then all hit the sack.

The next morning the kids played outside a while and then we all got ready to head back to The Lodge.  It was so dark the night before that I didn't get to really see how beautiful the grounds were that surrounded this area.  There were big oak trees, hanging moss, and gorgeous views.

While the gals of the group checked out the pro-shop, the guys took the boys to hit golf balls at the range over looking the ocean.  I know the boys couldn't appreciate the view, but they loved the experience.  In fact, when we met back up with them, Boo-Boo was looking so disappointed.  I asked him if he didn't have fun and he quickly corrected me.  He was upset that they had to "let some other people have a turn" and wanted to hit some more.  I need to get that boy into golf lessons ASAP!

The guys stayed back at the club to have lunch while the moms took all of the kids for a little more sight seeing.  We stopped for lunch at Chick-fil-a and then did a little shopping!  C knew all of the best places to take us and I was super pumped to find some awesome deals on a little Lilly!

Next we went over to Sea Island and oh my goodness, it was gorgeous!  More huge tree lined streets, lots of history and beautiful homes and hotel.

We took the kids to The Cloister to get fresh cookies and hot chocolate that is available every afternoon and then we walked around the courtyard a bit. It was a warm day and everything was so beautiful.

We took the kids to a few other shops and let them pick out souvenirs before heading back to their house for the evening.  The adults got to get all dressed up and head back to The Cloister that evening to ring in the New Year.

I got this dress on super clearance right after Christmas at Belk for $14!!! I wasn't going to buy anything new, but then when I realized what a good deal it was I couldn't resist.

It was fun to get all dolled up and the kids were all so sweet. I guess they don't see their parents dressed like that too often so they kept making all sorts of comments about how nice we looked.  Blondie wanted to take pictures of us so, "Everyone could see our beautifulness." :-)  I just loved that and she sure knew how to make my day!

Our dinner reservations weren't until later so we were able to spend some time with the kids, get them fed and settled for the night and before heading out to dinner.

We ate at Tavola at The Cloister and it was such a fun experience because we sat at the pizza bar and watched the chef make our pizzas right in front of us.  That coupled with great wine was the perfect way to spend our time leading up to midnight.  We finished up and then found a spot on the patio to countdown and watch the fireworks.  It was a great way to ring in the New Year!

The next day we stayed around the house and played games, did puzzles and just relaxed. Then around lunchtime we made our way back to Sea Island one last time so the kids could do a little fishing at the dock.  My kids LOVED this and it honestly brought back so many memories for me.

My grandparents lived on the Intercostal, so my entire childhood was spent fishing off their dock.  They got a few crabs out of the water that were interested in the bait and then Boo-Boo capped off his day with a fish!

After lunch it was time for us to pack up and head home.  We wanted to have a full day at home the next day to get caught up on things, but it sure was hard to leave sunny and mid-60's weather to come home to a cold and rainy Atlanta.  It was such a fun weekend away for us though and the perfect way to kick off 2017!

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