Summer Decorating Around the House

I know I’ve mentioned it a million times once or twice before, but I really love decorating for the seasons and holidays.  When you have a teeny-tiny budget like I do, swapping out seasonal accessories really gives your home a breath of fresh air every few months or so without breaking the bank (since I just store my seasonal totes in the attic and pull them out when the time is right).  The look of my home is always changing, and for very little money! :)

{Back in the fall I did a 2-part series about tips for inexpensive decorating that you can read if you are interested in learning more!}

Anyway, I just like to add a few summer touches here and there to hold me over until my favorite season to decorate (um, THE FALL!) begins. :)

This year I decided to make my dresser/buffet in the living room the focal point.  It looks a lot like my summer “mantel” from 2 years ago, to be honest! :) (Like I said, I reuse items, plus I only keep what I like from year to year.)  

The driftwood is from Maine and the shells are from the beach, but everything else I either found while thrifting or made myself. 

 

On the kitchen island, I put more thrifted jars together with white shells I collected. 

The starfish are definitely from Christmas Tree Shop, though – I’ve never been lucky enough to find an intact one at the beach! :)  I added the wine cork filler from Target for a neutral base. 

 

I added another piece of mini-driftwood to the collection of blue bottles my mom gave me for another pop of summer. 

 

The chalkboard in my kitchen got a summery banner via two pieces of polka-dot scrapbook paper.  Nice and cheerful for the summer months.

 

Oh, and I almost forgot:  clearly these were taken at night, but here’s what I put up on the hutch for the week of the Fourth: 

I framed a cute little Pinterest print, put some summery fabric scraps around a candle (that I never lit, of course!), and then I added a little 50-cent lantern from a tag sale. 

 

I made also made this simple star banner, inspired by Pinterest!

 

 

And honestly, that’s it! Only 37 days until I’ll let myself decorate for the fall…not that I’m counting, or anything. lol

Do you decorate for the seasons or do you save all your decorating for Christmas or another big holiday?