Island Home: Fun Decorating with bright ocean buoys
There are times when even an Island Runaways travel blogger misses the islands. Like you, Zickie and I have day-to-day responsibilities, whether it’s walking our three dogs or logging serious work time at the old laptops. For better or worse, life can’t all be one long tropical vacation! And that’s O.K.
Sometimes a little “virtual” travel via photos and videos gives us a welcome break. We also have souvenirs from our travels and artwork to remind us of warm, sunny days spent on the beach. One of the most colorful ways I’ve found to bring the islands home with me? Buoys.
(Colorful buoys for sale, photo (c) Zickie Allgrove)
Yes, you heard me correctly. I’m talking about ordinary buoys, the things that serve as floating markers in the ocean. I’ve seen restaurants and bars decorate their patios with old buoys strung up to add some sea-side atmosphere.
(Old buoys used as decoration at a seaside restaurant)
On a trip down to the Florida Keys, however, I noticed that some of these buoy decorations weren’t old and battered. Instead, they were painted in yummy popsicle hues. Something about this flash of vibrant color against the sky caught me eye.
(Buoys in popsicle hues, photo (c) Zickie Allgrove)
I bought one, and put it up outside my house, on the back deck. Then, on another visit to Key Largo, I had to get another one (much to Zickie’s chagrin). Finally, on yet another trip to the Keys, after my third purchase, I promised to stop. Basta! Enough! Yet they do make me smile, even when it’s grey outside here at Island Runaways headquarters.
(Buoys in our backyard, over our deck)
Belatedly, I realized that a bright strand of buoys would not be all that difficult to make yourself. You can buy Styrofoam balls with pre-cut holes, in a fishing supply store, or you can order them online. Then apply durable paint. You can use painter’s tape if you want to keep the middle stripe nice and neat. Then connect them with thick black or white rope. You can get as creative as you like. Paint them solid navy blue, or alternating colors. String them across two trees. One of the buoy strands I bought has a conch shell hanging from the end.
(Back deck with buoys ready for a barbecue)
What do you think? Can you imagine hanging some painted buoys in an outside space, or a sunroom, to remind you of a favorite island vacation?
Hope you find a way to “bring the islands home,” whatever that might be!