Year-Round Beachy Decor?

by Tara C.

I know, I know. Summer is amost over. We're supposed to be looking ahead to fall and Halloween. But I can't help myself! I'm just drawn to things that remind me of sea and sand. And summer vacations and tropical drinks and so on. I think somebody is going to have to pry the piña colada out of my hands and drag me into our much more rigid fall schedule.

After a recent trip to the beach, I found myself wanting in incorporate more beach-style decor into my home. However, I am a little worried about it looking seasonally inappropriate, say, in Novemeber. Since I don't live in a cottage by the sea (not even close) it's probably best to keep it to a few small decorations, right?

Martha Stewart has a gallery of shell craft ideas, including these seashell koalas:

I think this looks like a fun craft to do with kids, but I don't think I would want these guys hanging out in my living room (watching me) for the next couple years.

I found a beach decor store on Etsy called Beach Grass Cottage and I like a lot of their items.

I love the color of this sea glass vase:

I'm crazy about this starfish garland, although I have no idea where I would put it:

As if to prove that beach decor is not exclusively for summer, I offer these lovely Christmas ornaments with sea glass :

and seashells:

What do you think? Do beach decorations scream "summer" a little too loudly to be out all year? Should I pack them away after Labor Day along with my white shoes?

{Photo credits: marthastewart.com, Beach Grass Cottage on Etsy}