The beauty of decorating is that you can bring the outdoors in and create a setting in your home that feels like you are in a another place. Coastal decor is my seaside retreat. So how do you create that kind of element in your home without breaking the bank?

1. Seashells and coral. You can find them at your local arts and craft store or plan a beach outing and search for them in the sand or ocean. After you’ve collected them you can display on a mantel, shelf, or tall glass vase.
2. Dress your walls. Search for paint color samples that resemble cool tones.
3. Antiques and collectibles. Light houses, anchors, and boats are great items to find at goodwill or antique shops.
4. Painting and pictures. Display artwork of places you’ve visited. You can also display personal photographs and paintings of family members fishing and swimming are great. Abstract art with great sea landscapes add a nice touch to a home.
5. Pillows and throws.
6. Lanterns and lighting.

The tutorial below will show you how I transformed ordinary frames from Dollar Tree into coastal picture frames.

materials for making coastal frame

I purchased two picture frames, and nautical rope from the Dollar Tree. The seashells and paint were items I already had from previous projects.

I painted the picture frames with sea tone colors.

painted frames

Then after they dried, I added seashells and nautical rope to add some coastal decor.

Here are the transformations:

Before pic:

picture frame from dollar tree

After pics:

after pic

I love them and looking forward to adding my children’s beach pictures.

Please comment below on projects you have done related to coastal decor.