Sentimental Souvenir Tray

I put away the patriotic decor after July 4th and dug out the summer stuff. With a few tweaks from last year, the mantel was finished.

 

The coffee table was a different story. I have not liked how I've set that up so I was on the hunt for something new. What I found was this:

Tray on clearance for $3 at Hobby Lobby; The cork roll, small bottles, and mini tags also from Hobby Lobby.

The tray was on clearance. Perhaps because it was a crazy print. I used some craft paint on the edges and sides.

This was try #1 with a paint color. It didn't work.

When the paint was dry, I glued a piece of the cork roll to the bottom.

I put sand from beaches that we've traveled to in each of the bottles and put the name of the beach and the year on the mini tags.

To finish it off, I added shells we've collected on vacation, and I printed two vintage-looking, sea-themed, clip-art postcards.

Much better than what we had previously. Other summer decor includes our entry cupboard:

And dining room buffet:

Summer's on it's way out! Soak up those last rays!

Linking up to some or all of these great blog parties:

Sunday: It's Overflowing; Sunday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming;
Monday: Inspire Me Monday at Sand and Sisal; Tutorials and Tips at Home Stories A to Z; Monthly Before and After at Thrifty Decor Chick
Wednesday: Wicked Awesome Wednesday at Handy Man, Crafty Woman; Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts; 
Friday: Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest; Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring;