4/29/11

Coastal Mix -Pippi Longstockings House, Gidget, Giveaways and more

pippi longstockings house in Fernandino Beach
The house used in the 1988 children’s movie The Adventures of Pippi Longstockings, captured by Amy Kolz during her visit to Fernandina Beach, Florida.
Click link to see more pictures!

Browse everything in the category Movie Homes and Movies by the Sea.


sally field as gidget

The Real Gidget "surfes" now as a hostess at Duke's in Malibu, named after the legendary Hawaiian surfer, and Olympic swimmer, Duke Kahanamoku.
And the unforgettable Sally Field as Gidget in 1965.


flip flops as exterior house decor
Flip flops as Exterior House Decor? Seen at Ocean Offerings.


sea jewelry
Sea Creature Inspired Jewelry by Christophe De Menil.
Link sent to me by Tricia Rose of Cabin on the Water.
You can tour Tricia's cottage here: An Artisan's Driftwood Home.

And I'm loving Patty Anderson's Starfish Necklaces too!


sea inspired party
A Sea Worth Party!


painted glass jars
Another great example of Painted Jars at My Greenbrae Cottage.
See my recent post about Painting Glass Jars.


faux corals from pet store
Beth from Stories of A 2 Z made Faux Corals inspired by Pottery Barn.


ralp lauren seahorse beach towels on sale
Attention seahorse lovers!
Ralph Lauren's Seahorse Beach Towels are on sale.


beach basket giveaway
A Beach Basket Giveaway at Heaven's Walk that you don't want to miss!


jewelry giveaway
As well as a Beachy Jewelry Giveaway by Simple Daisy!


And something that just made me laugh...

dog burried in sand at the beach
How would you caption this?
Check out the hilarious captions in the comments and on my Facebook Page!



Browse everything in the category Coastal Mix, published every weekend.

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

4/28/11

Nautical Boat Cleats for Hardware and Hooks

nautical boat cleats hardware in bathroom
Want to give your vanity a nautical touch? You could replace your hardware with nautical boat cleats as seen in this Guest Bathroom.

boat cleat as hook
Or use cleats as hooks to hang your bathrobes -even toilet paper! This creative solution comes from Laurie of Laurie's Projects who decorated her sons bathroom with nautical in mind.

staircase with nautical boat cleats
You might remember this Staircase from Nautical Decor -Loving Life at Sea. A clever use of nautical boat cleats and rope.

To create the look:

Go to your local marine supply store if you live coastal, find nautical boat cleats online in stores such as West Marine and check out Ebay for Boat Cleats and Dock Cleats.

boat cleat pottery barn
Pottery Barn sells Nautical Cleats too. Aero Home has Cast Iron Cleats...

authentic boat cleats
... and at Our Boat House you can purchase Authentic Cleats that had a life on a boat or dock!


And I thought I show you this lovely picture of a cleat "in action" as well. Captured by New Jersey photographer, Susan Fairgrieve, it is printed on gallery wrapped canvas and available at Caron's Beach House.

Related Post:
Before and After of a Nautical Furniture Piece

Browse everything in the category Bathrooms and Entryways.

4/27/11

Decorating with Shells à la Coastal Living

decorating with shells with coastal living
Coastal Living's Shore Things for the month of May are all about decorating with shells I've just learned from Deanna of Outer Banks Trading Group who has two products featured. So here goes..., for everyone who doesn't have the magazine which ironically includes me. Some of the sources are trade only.
1. Shell Print in Lindsay Frame - Outer Banks Trading Group.
2. Shoreline Planter - Wisteria.
3. Shell Pendant - Light Post.
4. Made Goods Stella Mirror - Vieux Interiors.
5. Shell Console - Revival Uncommon Goods.
6. Upholstered Shell Chair - Nest.
7. Adonis Table Lamp - Oly Studio.
8. Marchmont Sideboard - Outer Banks Trading Group.
9. Shell Jute Tassel - Tara Shaw Maison.

shell tassel by tara shaw
My favorite is this jute shell tassel! Love the funnel design and you could hang this anywhere. The tassel belongs to a line of reproductions by antique dealer Tara Shaw and are sold through selected retailers -unfortunately I was not able to locate any. But I will have more tassels coming up next week! In the meantime, check out this "feel alike" Shell Tassel by Everything Nautical previously posted on Show me the Ropes.

Do you have a favorite?

Browse everything in the category Shell Decor.

4/26/11

Build an Easel

build easel
It's always a thrill for me when I discover yet another functional item that you can make with driftwood. To Build an Easel definitely goes on my (growing) "someday crafts" list. I found this project on Eating Etc. (click link above), a blog mostly about delicious recipes written by a lady from the North West coast who tries to eat locally and healthy including growing some of her own food.

how to build easel with driftwood
To build an easel just screw a few driftwood sticks together! Then find something great to display, such as Driftwood Signs with Sayings, Your Own Artwork or a Photo Canvas.

Browse all Driftwood Crafts.

4/25/11

Ocean Blue Living Rooms

white living room with ocean view
I'm starting off the week with a collection of fresh ocean blue living rooms! I love the light blues and crisp whites combined with natural tones and textures such as the simple sisal rug in this Living Room.

white and blue living room
The great thing about collecting room pictures that speak to you is, you'll discover a common thread (Source)...

living room with blue walls
... and what you love will become more clear (Source).

blue painted walls in living room
And as banal as this sounds...

blue painted living room ceiling
... collecting beautiful ocean blue living rooms (Source)...

large blue and white striped ottoman
... unexpectedly led me to coffee tables (Source).

blue and white striped sofa
Even though I very much like the looks of my glass coffee table, it is cold (Source)...

blue sofa
... and as my collection of blue living rooms shows, I'm clearly attracted to wood and upholstered coffee tables (Source) -I'd be happy with anyone of these!

"Blue and white just has a wonderful, airy feeling, and it appeals to both men and women." Designer Meg Braff (via latest issue of House Beautiful).

Browse everything in the category Living and Dining.

4/23/11

Happy Weekend and Easter Egg Hunt!


An Easter egg spotted at Trip Advisor.

Happy Weekend and Easter, Everyone!

4/22/11

An Earth Friendly Reminder

world map picture
Today is earth day, reminding us to be earth friendly. Fabulous vignette via Trisha Brink Design.

gobe on coffee table
To me earth friendly means reducing the use of non bio degradable products. Plastic is a big one. See more of this charming Sag Harbor cottage at Hampton Cottages and Gardens.

vintage globe
I suggest. Only buy plastic if you have to, consider to bring your own shopping bags to the grocery store, replace plastic bottles and recycle. That's a good place to start. Vintage Globe via Design Sponge.

Also check out Going with Vintage Globe Decor. After all, 70 percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans and seas!

4/21/11

Create your own Sand Writing Picture

sand writing on the beach
Brittany of Pretty Handy Girl created this Sand Writing while on the beach. Use a broken shell with a sharp edge to write your name or message, she explains. Then she decorated the scene with shells and a driftwood stick.

framed sand writing picture
And how pretty her Sand Writing Picture looks framed! For all the details, more sand writing and to learn what kind of picture software she used, click link. I think this is a very cool Homemade Gift Idea too.

Browse everything in the category Framed It.

4/20/11

Decorative Custom Mirrors -From Shell Mirrors to Sea Glass Made to Your Specifications

custom shell mirror in bathroom
Shari of Beach Grass Cottage has been doing a lot of big decorative Custom Mirrors lately, and some of her happy clients even send her pictures to show where they placed her piece, like this beautiful shell mirror. Shari makes these custom mirrors to your exact specifications including shell colors, sea glass colors, size, shape, and favorite sea life items.

custom mirror frames
Plus you can choose from many sizes and shapes of beautiful high quality lacquered hardwood and beveled mirrors. To view them all (with measurements) click: Custom Mirrors.

making a custom shell mirror
And here's a tiny peek into Shari's process..., but not to giveaway her secret techniques! Shari treats the mirror frame with something to make the glue adhere better, lays out the general design just to make sure the big elements are evenly dispersed, then covers the mirror with paper so she can use it as a work surface. She start by adding the big elements and works from largest elements to smallest elements. The first half goes quickly and the second half, she says, goes incredibly slowly as she fills each crack and crevice.

finished custom shell mirror
Large rectangular shell mirrors like this one (25.5 x 33.5) take about 10-12 hours to finish, including packaging and getting them ready for a safe shipping journey. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the artist's studio as much as I did!

View Shari's portfolio of Custom Mirrors and Contact her at Beach Grass Cottage to discuss a project.

4/19/11

More Decor Ideas for Glass Floats

glass floats in bowl
To arrange your sea treasure collections in Bowls, Vases or Jars is an easy breezy decor idea. Here Diane's Sea Treasures at Lavender Dreams -beautiful, simple and so perfect!

glass floats on rope coils
Or..., similar to yesterday's shell Display Stands, you could give each of your glass floats its own spot, and have it sit on a rope coil. This neat decor idea comes from the Sea Hermit, an avid collector of floats. This is what he says: "Having looked for wooden curtain rings, or other suitable rings, and not finding anything that I wanted to invest in to mount the floats on, the idea came to me to make rope coils using the net material in the box. They worked perfectly, and allowed me to display the floats in any position I wished."

glass floats hanging on porch
You might remember this stunning display. Interior designer Maybelline Te of Frou La La found it out on the bamboo porch at a friends house while visiting her homeland, the Philippines.

glass floats hanging from ceiling in restaurant
This might be the beginning of me gathering decor ideas from restaurants! Some of these ideas could be incorporated into our homes..., often the ceilings are decorated. Becky of Beachsnaps discovered this Ceiling Treatment at the Conch House restaurant on Anastasia Island in Florida.

glass floats in bar
And in a Maui restaurant, an interior design firm came up with this decor idea, photographed by Tropical Light Photography Hawaii. To see more pictures, click over to their site. 1,100 baseball sized glass floats were used. And best of all, they bought all the floats from Glass Float Junkie! You can see a feature on Kamichia, collector and seller of floats, here:
Japanese Fishing Floats for your Home at Glass Float Junkie.

More Decorating Ideas with Glass Floats:
Nautical Decorating with Fishing Glass Floats
Authentic or Fake? A Close Look at Floats
Glass Display Coffee Tables

4/18/11

Homemade Display Stands for Shells and Sea Life

display stands for shells and sea life
Look familiar? Beautiful Display Stands from Seaside Inspired that you saw here: Seaside Decor with a Modern Interpretation.

bottles with shells and sea life
Sort of a spin off of the popular Vintage Sea Life Bottles! Carol of Beautiful Details has perfected the art for sure -visit her Etsy Store to see them all.

candle holders as display stands for shells
After seeing expensive sea life display stands in high end décor stores in Houston and Dallas, Cyndy of The Creative Exchange created her own gorgeous Collection of Sea Life Display Stands with candle holders. And expensive they look!

candle holders used as display stands
"If there is enough space in the hole of the candlestick for the hot glue to be filled and cooled, it will turn to clear and strong solid form and practically anything will stay," she says. Click here to follow her step by step how to!

Cyndy seems to be the pioneer woman in this display stand endeavour. Below, two gals who followed in her footsteps.

white painted display stands
Beautiful Sea Life Display Stands, homemade by Susan of Homeroad. She scored the candle sticks at Salvation Army and painted them white.

candle holders as display stands
Another version of Shell Display Stands at Blue Ridge Altered Art. These include micro mini glass balls to make it look like the shells stand in sparkly water.

candle holder with shell on top
And here's my non glue version! Just for the fun of it, I placed this rustic shell on a candle holder that I had handy.

Related Post:
Beach Inspired Creations and Vintage Finds
Vintage Glass Bottles Topped with Sea Shells
Recycled Crafts with Beach Bottles