Seaside Summer Tablescape

School is officially out for summer.  It's hard for me to believe that I will have one child in high school and another in junior high school next year. High school!  It just doesn't seem possible.  To get my mind off the fact that my kids are growing up way too fast, I decided to restyle my dining room table for summer.                            
    

First things first, I cleared out the antique dough riser except for filler (pinto beans) to create a clean slate.  This is the same base I use for my other seasonal tablescapes.  

I purchased a few items from Michael's - 2 twine wrapped bottles,  2 glass containers with rope handles, 2 bags of decorative sand -  to add to my collection of seashells and candles.

I was on the look out for two unique items for the center sections  that would provide the tallest vertical element.  I popped into World Market yesterday and found a pair of wood carved sea gulls on sale.  I like how one of the gulls is slightly shorter and smaller than the other.  They were the perfect finishing touch to the display.  

Here's how I placed the variety of items in the 8 sections:

- large white candles in the end sections

- twine wrapped bottles next to candles

- larger rope handled glass containers (filled with sand and small candle 

- two wood carved sea gulls in the two center sections (World Market)

I filled in around the candles, bottles, and glass containers with seashells.  Another nice option would be seaglass or driftwood  pieces.  I like the texture of the shells against the wooden base.

You could easily modify this design for a wooden tray or basket.  Chose 3-7 items depending on size of tray/basket to create your own unique table top design.  It looks best (don't ask my why) to keep your design elements in an odd number.  You may already have a few summery items tucked away that would work perfectly for this project.  

Happy Summer!