Shell Crafts Made in Maine

I'm excited to show you some shell crafts (and other things) made in Maine by Lili of Fearless Nesting on this Craft Table -a beautiful shell embellished craft table that is! You've met Lili here before. Her gorgeous Sorrento Wood Sign is part of this post: Make a Wooden Beach Sign (second from top).

And remember, to learn more about each project, just click on images.


It takes artistic vision to see the potential of this bread basket.


Stunning, I think. Lili painted the basket a light shade of aqua and hot glued pretty white sea shells all along the rim, giving them a gold leaf treatment.


A little project done with some fabric left over, inspired by starfish. And the belly button is just perfect!


A salvaged Adirondack Chair and a sealife wreath.


A crudely constructed bird house is covered with mussel shells and mounted on a driftwood stand.
Love this idea!


Pretty shells from the shore, nestled together.


Layering sea shells and sea glass over letters.


And thanks Lili for this intro to your Wall Sconce Craft Project! "Ever since Maya over at Completely Coastal did a post about the art of attaching shells to objects entitled It's Called Coquillage, I was anxious to find an object suitable to use with my collection of tiny shells." But as you have just seen, Lili's birdhouses are (already) wonderful examples of the art of Coquillage!


And here's the finished Sea Shell Covered Wall Sconce -gorgeous! And in case you want to do this too, it only took her about 5 minutes to paint, and about 30 minutes to apply the shells. For the chandelier version, go to Making a Shell Chandelier.


Then, check out Loving Lobsters in Maine. A glimpse into Lili's life on my other blog Daily Vitamin Sea.

Browse all Craft Project Ideas
A new craft project idea posted every week!

Come back on Saturday!

Outer Banks Trading Group will be having another awesome giveaway here on Completely Coastal, starting this Saturday. You can win one of these fun hooked Jellybean Indoor Outdoor Rugs -the choice is yours!

Ships in Bottles in The Lovely Bones

Have you seen the movie The Lovely Bones? Since I'm not going to the movie theaters I'm waiting for the video release. I love "ghostly suspense" (and get to the story in a moment), but what's also featured in this film...


... are the masterfully crafted ships in bottles by Jim Goodwin.


Similar to David Fink's Driftwood Boxes that were used for the movie Nights in Rodanthe, Jim Goodwin was contracted by Dreamworks Production to provide ships in bottles for their adaption of Alice Sebold's 2002 Novel.

The Lovely Bones (2009), directed by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings films), centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven; and she must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. And there is a video clip of this father daughter scene that you can watch here.


It gives you a close look of the ship in the bottle. Here the sails of the ship are still collapsed that's how it got into the bottle. Or in Jim's word's, "The main secret in how a ship goes in is collapsing the mast."


Then when the string is pulled...


... the masts stand up.


In a previous life Jim Goodwin was a geologist and an educator. Now he devotes his time to preserving this maritime art form.


You can find a large selection of his ships in bottles @ Village Craftsmen here.


And check out Jim Goodwin's Lighthouses in Bottles too!

I leave you with this short clip of one of Jim's presentations. I love the part when he says, people who knew him in the past would say, "Eventually Jim's going to end up in a bottle."

HGTV Dream Homes

I don't know how many of you have been following HGTV's Dream Homes, but every year HGTV scans the country to find a builder/developer team to design, and construct a dream home in a different part of the country and millions of people enter to win. Today, March 15th, it's that time again -the winner of the HGTV Dream Home 2010 will be announced (see HGTV Dream House Blog). The home is located in the desert of New Mexico, not exactly coastal, but it inspired me to feature all the coastal HGTV dream homes of the past -and out of the 12 homes, 8 are by the sea! Only for half of them though I have the interior shots. So let the tour begin.


HGTV Dream Home in the year 2008. A colorful beachfront dwelling in Islamorada, the heart of the Florida Keys.


The living room looks out over the ocean as you would expect from a dream home by the sea.


"I think you feel like you have awakened in the middle of a rain forest," says HGTV Dream Home interior designer Linda Woodrum. A pretty wild color, don't you think!


I love the guest bathroom. Clean white tiles with bold artwork. "The clean white subway tile became the perfect backdrop for featuring some fun local artwork," says guest designer Monica Pederson who you probably know from HGTV's series Designed to Sell.

The couple who won the home sold it after enjoying a vacation there. They stated that it was always their intention to sell the house due to the anticipated tax burdens. You can read more here.


Next up. A very large coastal Victorian in Cumberland Harbour, three miles from historic downtown St. Marys, Georgia. HGTV dream home 2004. The historic houses in St. Marys were used as a guide to build this beauty.

"When I watched the television show that year there was a small town feel that I will never forget. The people seemed so friendly, it was like a flashback to 1950's America," Susie of Caliendo Design says.

I have to admit that I have not seen any of these shows, and wonder where I have been.


This is what you see when you enter. A rustic shelf with sea life, an old shutter above and beautiful wainscoting that is prevalent in the house.


Then you arrive here and you get a sense for the classic and traditional style that you find throughout the home.


Dream home 2003 was built on the outskirts of Mexico Beach, FL, along the Panhandle's "Forgotten Coast".


The interior is traditional in style and different shades of blue are used for furnishings and accessories.


A lovely spot for a bathtub -just outside the master suite.


A contemporary style home with a vast deck and views of Chesapeake Bay in Sherwood, MD, was chosen in 2002.


You would imagine that stardom comes with winning an HGTV dream house, but not so much according to this Interview with the Winners. They were contacted for several weeks afterward by the same magazines and newspapers to do some follow-up about them and the house, but that was it.


These winners from Texas also had no intention of keeping the house and sold it to This Couple for $1.3 million, within minutes of getting the title.


Dream Home 2001, a classic New England shingle-style cottage that overlooks the Maine coast in Camden, a town known for having the state's prettiest harbor.


Nehalem, OR, location of HGTV's Dream Home in 2000. A "cabin" with a spectacular view of the coast, said to be northwestern through and through.


The location for the dream home contest in 1999, Rosemary Beach in Florida, one of the master-planned communities on the popular beachside road, 30-A.


And you made it to the final destination! Built in 1998, this classic low-country beauty is located just outside Beaufort, SC on Bermuda Bluff Island, which has become a popular tourist stop when visiting the Beaufort area. I'm sure that is true for all the HGTV Dream Homes -you want to check them out when you're in the area! Only Bermuda Bluff is a gated community and this home usually goes unseen.

Coastal Decorations -Painted Wood

If you love the beach cottage look and the colors red, blue and yellow, Coastal Decorations has some fun accessories for you. From shell hooks to coat racks to planters to lighthouse decor, and more.




















And in case you don't want or don't have the time to Make a Wooden Beach Sign, check out their collection!

Happy Weekend!

Stores to Sea
Featuring a coastal online store (or two) on most weekends.
Previously featured:
Home at Sea
Wisteria
Go Zazzle
Save on Crafts
Outer Banks Trading Group
Shopping New York City
Uncommon Goods
Christmas Coast
Origin Crafts
Chic Beach Cottage Style
Handmade Beach Decor
Vietri Accessories inspired by Italy's Amalfi Coast
White Flower Farmhouse
West Coast Glass Float Shop on Ebay
Treasures from Tuvalu
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville

Kids Paint Shells in Wild Colors

Speaking of Painted Shells earlier this week, I thought I'd follow up with these fun pictures from Pink and Green Mama who publishes the craft adventures with her two girls.


Here she gave her youngest some watercolors and sparkly dot paints to ad a little personality to a bunch of white shells.


Mission accomplished, and happy as a clam!

And just as colorful, the Marvellous Beach Marbles, posted at my other blog Daily Vitamin Sea.