I love shells! I love the beach!!

I'm building my own beach!!
 

I have been posting allot about what to do with shells lately...maybe forever!  I hope you check out my Facebook page because I keep finding  more things to do with shells.  I am enjoying finding more to do with shells but especially what else can I do to make my home as beachy as possible without living on the beach.

Above picture is from the fall of 2009 when I first moved in.  Sometimes I wonder if I should have left well enough alone!  But that isn't me, and so slowly but surely, I keep trying to get something done.

You don't have to live on the beach, although there is nothing like it, but love to have that beach feeling.  I am lucky enough to live in Florida where the seasons are adaptable for growing almost year 'round.  I have done pretty well without totally losing most of my plants and most came back.  But if you're not living in an area that stays warm most of the time, get what will grow and/or put plants in pots that you can bring inside for a harsh winter.  My sister has a green thumb and has such luck with beach grasses on Long Island.  They just keep on growing!

I so wish I could get my front to grow and look like that!  But I still try.

As I try to get plants to grow, there are other ways that I keep trying to bring the beach home, and you can too!  I've shown you some of these pictures before:   making my beach front

But making my beach front has been a long time coming.  It has been so hot and humid that I haven't spent much time outside at all.  I go out, basically, only when I had to and did as little as possible.  That's just reality.  When you go out and pull weeds and all you hear is your joints cracking, it isn't a good sound...then my legs got so wobbly.  It does look so nice after weeding but it takes me so darn long.  

I was so excited that ACE Hardware in Titusville started selling bags of shells but it has been slow getting the front ready.  My bags of shells are still in the back of my truck!

So, a little at a time, I've been going out to pull weeds.. try to wrap a vine that's growing around the hitch; clean up pine needles and pine cones; and trying to figure out if I should move what mulch is there and move some stone I put down.  But I have decided to worry about it when I get to that point.

It's getting there.... came out in the morning with the dog.  The only way I can describe her is that she was walking slow and on tippy toes towards the front.  It wound up that a woman that lives behind  me decided to pull some weeds for me!  OK by me.

I spray painted the slats at the bottom with blue... that's my water.  I started getting my 'dune fence' as close to the house and used tie wraps to secure it.  I started at the right corner and ready to attach at the back corner at the hitch.  The left above still needs to be racked out.

I just pray for breaks in the humidity to  get it done and finished soon.  I am looking forward to it being done.

what a difference!

 
Saturday, my brother-in-law participated and finished the NYC Iron Man.  After the swim and during the bike ride portion, I felt bad that he was doing all of this in New York's humidity and I was just watching.  So, being nicer than it's been, I went out to do what I could and got all the shells down except for one bag...I just couldn't lift and hold it anymore.  I'll put the other bag down tomorrow and hopefully have a better idea of how many more bags I'll need.  I really like it allot!

 This (above) is 5 bags of the medium Conquina shells and I have one bag of small shells left in the car.  I know I need at least 6 more bags ...maybe even 10-12 more for coverage and depth.

I was going to use black trash bags as a barrier, but it was suggested it may be too dark.  I had a clear plastic role of tarp and that covered most of the front.  As you can see, for the most part I used it doubled.  I then used white trash bags to the left.

Just for your information:

Each bag is 100% nature recycled landscape shell; alternative to mulching.  No additives, no chemicals, won't float away, doesn't fade, natural source of calcium and other minerals; Only 1" of depth needed.  1/2 Cubic Foot;  6 square feet coverage area for each bag @ 1" deep.  30 pounds each bag.

Great way to beautify your:

gardens, walkways, planters and more.

There you have it, until I pick up more shells this week.  I am liking it a lot! Besides that, I am motivated to do things outside again.  

Stay tuned for the journey to my beach and have a flip flop day!! 

Landscaping with sea shells...

I am so darn excited, I can't contain myself!!   I asked my local  ACE Hardware Titusville if they would consider selling bags of sea shells for landscaping and they said YES!!!  They are hoping for delivery today (on Tuesday, July 17, 2012.)

ACE Hardware Titusville's photo 

My first project is the front of my home.  I have wanted to do this forever.  The only reason I haven't done it yet is:

• I now have difficulty walking the beach to collect shells;
• Our local beach does not have the same shelling as Sanibel and Captiva;
• Purchasing available bags of shells are too small and would be costly;
• And if I went the other way, it was just too much shell for me to manage at one time.

I learned the hard way years ago when I had a load of stone dropped for my driveway, so having shells delivered was completely out of the question!  Thirty pound bags are good enough for me!

ACE Hardware Titusville's photo

When I first moved in, the front was just plain:  sand and weeds.  I found that fence post while cleaning up and scraps of  wood to make the directional post and had the wood gull for the top.  I found kids beach pails made great flower pots for my beach decor.  I have hated that black chippy hitch since I moved in and been trying since to come up with an idea (that works) to camouflage it.

I tried dressing it up with plants and tried to grow something that I could hind it with but the man that was taking care of my yard would hit everything with the weed whacker as soon as something would grow.  I decided to add block to the front and this is where the shells came to mind... but I did mulch instead.

I tried painting the hitch but that wasn't enough for me.  But added more of this and that and remade my directional pole. 

I was originally going to use this fencing for a head board in my bedroom but decided to see if one section was enough to go around the front and hitch and it was!  I want to paint the trailer exterior in the fall and trying to come up with an idea of colors and want to paint the skirt before I use tie wraps to secure the fence to the skirt. 


The front has totally over grown with weeds!  There are some vines and Morning Glories that I  want to try to get around the fence and hitch... and try again to kill some fire ants.  So it is finally time to get out there and go to town, figuratively and literally!

Do you want more ideas?  Check out this link What would you do with a 30# bag of sea shells?