Completely Coastal | Beach + Nautical Decor, Art, Craft Ideas, Books, Homes + more

Coastal Christmas Ornaments

2009-11-14T01:50:00.001-05:00

Usually I don't get into the Christmas Spirit until December comes around, but I landed in coastal Christmas ornament heaven aka Christmas Coast, an online store that looks like a branch of Seaside Inspired, which I have featured here. Anyway, the ornaments are delicious eye candy. And I love the seaglass garland too!

Stores to Sea
Featuring a coastal online store (or two) each weekend.
Previously featured:
Origin Crafts
Chic Beach Cottage Style
Handmade Beach Decor
Vietri Dinnerware + Home Accessories inspired by Italy's Amalfi Coast
White Flower Farmhouse
West Coast Glass Float Shop on Ebay
Treasures from Tuvalu
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville

Win a Nautical Necklace

2009-11-13T10:32:00.004-05:00

I don't usually post jewelry, but for a friend I'm happy to make an exception. Mickey from Nicholas Landon Jewelry is giving away one of her beautiful nautical code necklace's to celebrate her new store. And what a wonderful personal gift this would make! You can have the coordinates of a treasured place engraved, perhaps the location of a wedding, a proposal, or favorite vacation. You don't want to miss it! And you still have time to enter my Tabletop Giveaway too!

A Room with a View of Blue and Green

2009-11-12T12:15:00.000-05:00

I love the combination Blue and Green. Blue like the sea and the sky, and green like palm trees! And I love this view, which is the inspiration for this round of Picture Pics. Pictures do give us a view after all, one that's easily attainable too. This might sound lame, but check out the picture perfect view of the ocean created by designer Steven Gambrel in These Two Rooms posted on Coastal Style Living and you see what I mean. And as always, please click on images for more information and/or purchase.

A Tabletop Giveaway -The Choice is Yours!

2009-11-11T00:02:00.004-05:00

I am thrilled to introduce fellow ocean lover Deanna who's passion for the sea has led her to open Outer Banks Trading Group, a coastal home decor store that offers an awesome collection of sea inspired accessories for the home. And you get to spend up to $50 in the Tabletop department -it doesn't get much better than that!

You'll have fun browsing, and you'll have a hard time choosing! From beach and nautical theme plates to serving pieces, to glassware, to napkin and napkin rings, to nautical coasters, to barware, to everything for a nautical theme party. The choice is yours!

To enter:

Go to Tabletop and let me know in a comment which item(s) you'd like to win (up to the amount of $50).

For additional entries:

Visit Deanna's Blog and become a follower, then leave a separate comment to let me know you're a follower.

Blog about the giveaway. Again please make sure to let me know in a separate comment, grab the button below if you'd like, and of course (as usual) I'll thank you with a link back to your blog when I announce the winner.

Entries will be accepted until midnight EST on Sunday, November 15th. And the winner will be announced in my Monday post, so come back then to check if you have won! And if you don't win..., there are more cool coastal giveaways to come, so stay tuned, or better yet become a follower or a subscriber. I would love to have you here and make new blogging friends!

Rules:

If your comment doesn't link back to your profile or blog where I can find your email, or you don't have a blog, then you must leave your email so I can contact you if you win. You will have 24 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Thank you all so much, and best of luck!

Shared with Tablescape Thursday.

What to Do with a Long Piece of Driftwood

2009-11-10T10:25:00.002-05:00

A large sculptural piece of driftwood like this one is beautiful and decorative all on its own, and you need do nothing but find the right corner in your home to display it.

I love how the shape of this tall driftwood piece was used to hang a pendant light and create a reading nook.

Or if you find three, hang them as a group!

And a driftwood piece like this one, thick and straight, can be transformed into a coat rack by simply attaching hooks (click image for instructions).

Steven Gambrel's Nautical Style

2009-11-09T07:00:00.005-05:00

I love the way Steven Gambrel brings nautical ambiance to a room. Bold and simple! The anchor on the fireplace is fabulous, and check out his Coffee Table Decor.

Giant fishing glass floats not only add a nautical feel, but a sense of history too, these are antiques. Read more about that here: Nautical Decorating with Fishing Glass Floats, and click here for current listings of antique floats on Ebay.

The wallpaper in the kids room, nautical charts of the Long Island Sound. "You just cut off the edges and paste them on the walls. Obviously, to anything, there's a certain art. You want to keep the values of the blues and yellows consistent around the room and not end up with a boring stretch of beige," Gambrel says in an interview with House Beautiful.

Then, he uses nautical photography as a focal point. Large pictures of the sea that add mystique and depth. I'm a big fan of Art Inspired Rooms. Check out the rooms that I published so far under the category Focal Point Art @ Coastal Style Living, where you can browse all the beautiful interiors room by room.

Steven Gambrel established his New York-based design firm in 1995, three years after earning an architecture degree at the University of Virginia. All of his projects share a classical sensibility that come alive with his individual mix of modern and traditional furnishings, which he often designs himself, from custom sofas and chairs to rugs and accessories. And when asked, what makes a room great, Gambrel says: "A point of view. This means you come up with an idea for a scheme and you determine what the use of the room is and its overall spirit — and you stick to the concept until you bring it to fruition. You don't deviate along the way, which means you can't buy everything you fall in love with.

This is Steven Gambrel's cottage in Sag Harbour, Long Island (NY) that he renovated old fisherman style, you can read about it here.

And isn't the kitchen the cutest, and exactly what you would expect to find in this quaint cottage!

Today @ A Beach Lovers Place:

Camilla's Adorable Parasol and others!

Origin Crafts

2009-11-07T00:50:00.001-05:00

Check out all the fun items @ Origin Crafts, an online store where you can buy shells and starfish, and a wide variety of rustic and unique items, my favorite being the black and white lighthouse candle holders and the whale with the chalkboard.

Coastal Style by Sally Hayden and Alice Whately

2009-11-05T09:50:00.004-05:00

Coastal Style by Sally Hayden and Alice Whately with pictures by British photographer Paul Massey is a celebration of simple seaside living.

The book features more than 200 photographs of homes with coastal themes from around the world, and talks about coastal style decorating from the creation of light and breezy rooms to the selection of simple furnishings that echo the natural beauty of the surf and sand.

And as always, I go to the review section to learn more. Here is how one person who read the book described it: "Most of the houses depicted in this book display the lighter, bleached looks for paint, wooden floors, and design accessories. Stone for flooring, open-heart ovens or walls is another favored element, as is distressed wood and tiles. Wicker chairs or wall hangings, fishing equipment, nautical charts, seashells, driftwood, old glass bottles and other elements add to the nautical flavor.

The book explains the need for open design that encourages minimal barriers between outdoors and indoors. Rooms are kept clutter free, while sand and light greens are favored colors for keeping to the ocean theme. We also get tips on how to accomplish the same or similar look, what kinds of fabric work best in humid areas for example." I've always been attracted to the simple and uncluttered life style and the concept of letting as much nature in as possible. So I definitely keep this book in mind!

Go tour photographer Paul Massey's Home in London and you will see that he pretty much lives the life style portrayed in this book.

Nautical Tabletop Decor -Create the Look with Coastal Living

2009-11-04T00:35:00.007-05:00

The November issue of Coastal Living has arrived, and I have kitchen on my mind. Or let's say with my new kitchen well on its way to completion, I enjoyed the coastal theme Kitchen Essentials, and I'm also very much looking forward to cook up some nice meals...

... which brings me to Tabletop Decor. In this issue Coastal Living features three beach inspired looks for a holiday table, and I'm in love with look #3. It's a vintage maritime table setting that was inspired by the colors found in old nautical charts. And the place mats are pieces of an actual nautical Long Island Sound chart, cut out with craft scissors to get a deckle edge. Another clever idea, embroidered napkins with the coordinates of a coastal town. The center piece is a group of antique wicker bottles and wicker wine bottle holders filled with magnolia branches. And I adore the little cast iron anchors and the flatware with the Rope Design is a very nice touch. Check out the candle holders, they're wrapped with twine and tie right in with the nautical rope theme. So many great ideas..., and now it's time for me to start planning some meals!

As always please click on images for more information and/or purchase.

Subscribe to Coastal Living Magazine

For another review visit Beach Vintage, and over @ Apartment Therapy is a post about Finding a Nautical Chart which I found very helpful.

Shared with Tablescape Thursday.

An old Window Frame now Frames Beach Memories

2009-11-03T10:53:00.001-05:00

I just love what born crafter and nester Monica from Crafty Nest did with this old window frame that she bought at a salvage yard. To see the step by step transformation click on images.

12 Fireplaces for People who Love the Sea

2009-11-02T07:00:00.002-05:00

I don't have a fireplace but I'd love to have one and would be happy with anyone of these.

Wherever they are, fireplaces are usually the focal point in the room.

They are beautiful.

And their mantels are perfect for displays.

Or lean a painting.

And I would love to know what's on your mantel, or what hangs above it!

We gather around them.

Soak up the warmth of the fire.

And we enjoy decorating them for the season.

Some are very unique.

Others are in bathrooms.

And then there are those that do not work. But nevertheless they are the focal point, rightfully though.

And the winner of the All Modern Giveaway is: #9 (by random.org)
Marie from Marie's Home. Congratulations!
And thank you so much Laura, Mickey and Kimba for the mention!

Browse Room by Room @ Coastal Style Living

Chic Beach Cottage Style

2009-10-31T01:00:00.002-04:00

Seaside Inspired
Among other things this store has lots of chic little decor items such as silver shells, resin starfish, urchin vases, sand letters, and a great selection of table top products.

Cottage & Bungalow
Here the focus is more on beach cottage style accessories that are a bit bigger in scale such as mirrors, rugs, furniture, beach art by more than a dozen artists and unique handpainted mermaids and fish made from recycled picket fence posts.

Seascapes by Thomas Kinkade

2009-10-29T07:00:00.002-04:00

Seascapes: Four-Piece 19" x 19" Framed Gallery Wrap Canvas
Fifty one year old Thomas Kinkade who began drawing at a young age is not only America's most collected living artist, but he's also known as The Painter of Light. And when I look at his seascapes, the incredible light that glows from them is truly uplifting and magical.

All art is via Home Shopping NBC, where Thomas Kinkade has been presenting his work regularly on TV. Please click on images for purchase, more information about each art work and Thomas Kinkade's upcoming shows.

Clearing Storms: 20" x 20" Framed Artwork

The Sea of Tranquility: 12.5" x 15" Brushworks

Fisherman's Wharf: 22" x 24.3" Framed Print

Tranquility Harmony Collection: Set of Three with Satin Ribbon Hangers

A Cool Coastal Giveaway -An All Modern Glass Vase with Tealight

2009-10-28T06:54:00.013-04:00

Thank you All Modern for sponsoring this fabulous giveaway!

This clever Glass Vase with Tealight cannot only be used as a vase or tealight holder, it can show off your sea treasures too. I just love that! Imagine how great it will look filled with small beach pebbles, seashells, seaglass or sand from your favorite beach.

Also check out All Modern's Alessi products where you'll find some cool coral designs under Home Decor & Accessories.

To win:

For one entry, simply leave a comment. For a second entry, blog about this giveaway and leave another comment to let me know that you did.

This giveaway ends at midnight on Friday, November 30th, and the winner will be announced in my Monday post, so come back then to check if you have won!

Rules:

If your comment doesn't link back to your profile or blog where I can find your email, or you don't have a blog, then you must leave your email so I can contact you if you win. You will have 24 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.

This giveaway is open to residents of U.S. and Canada only.

Starfish Sculptures -or Imitating Thom Felicia

2009-10-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

In this category Create the Look I usually want the exact match, but I might just expand the scope a bit and also include like pieces. I spotted this starfish duo at Thom Felicia...

... and found these starfish sculptures woven with natural materials, which I adore (and as always please click images for more information and/or purchase).

And there is more to explore:
Decorating with Starfish -Creative Display Ideas
Nautical Rope Decor with Thom Felicia @ Room by Room

Giant Clam Shells Everywhere

2009-10-26T07:00:00.003-04:00

Giant clam shells make great Seashell Bowls and Seashell Planters, and look stunning by themselves too. Most of the giant clam shells that are used for decor are resin or stone cast, but there are some interesting facts about the real giants at the end of this post..., and to see the biggest clam shell ever go to my other site A Beach Lovers Place: Anne Geddes Clam Shell Baby and Babe Chris.

This resin clam shell is anchored over the tub and planted with Dendrobium orchids.

In Ali Wentworth's Home in Washington DC, you find one in the fireplace.

Filling the space underneath a side table.

Another seashell planter that helps soften this Blue Bedroom.

Designer Barry Dixon placed a giant seashell in an enclosed shower...

... and Tobi Fairley created a center piece with an elegant white Orchid.

And to answer Erin's question (see comments), it seems that you can have a sink made with a real (or real looking) giant clam shell (click image).

And here a few interesting facts about real live giant clam shells via National Geographic:

The giant clam gets only one chance to find a nice home. Once it fastens itself to a spot on a reef, there it sits for the rest of its life.

These bottom-dwelling behemoths are the largest mollusks on Earth, capable of reaching 4 feet (1.2 meters) in length and weighing more than 500 pounds (227 kg). They live in the warm waters of the South Pacific and Indian oceans.

Giant clams achieve their enormous proportions by consuming the sugars and proteins produced by the billions of algae that live in their tissues. In exchange, they offer the algae a safe home and regular access to sunlight for photosynthesis, basking by day below the water's surface with their fluted shells open and their multi-colored mantles exposed.

Giant clams have a wildly undeserved reputation as man-eaters, with South Pacific legends describing clams that lie in wait to trap unsuspecting swimmers or swallow them whole. No account of a human death by giant clam has ever been substantiated.

The adductor muscle of the giant clam is considered a delicacy, and overharvesting of the species for food, shells, and the aquarium trade have landed it on at least one group's "vulnerable" list.

Handmade Beach Decor

2009-10-24T02:00:00.003-04:00

The Boardwalk and very popular Etsy are both great places where you can find ocean and beach inspired home decor items, all handmade by talented artists and artisans. It's a sea of creativity and you can easily get lost in it for hours!

No Spooky Halloween Bats here, but Alfred Hitchcock's Birds yes!

2009-10-23T07:00:00.003-04:00

Didn't this haunted door (assuming you've seen it around) remind you of something? Even though these are bat cutouts...

... I had scenes of the movie The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock flashing up.

Filmed (1963) in Bodega Bay, a small coastal town, 50 miles north of San Francisco...

... where in fact the air can be disconcertingly thick with squawking and chattering (being a center of Bird Migration)...

... and described as genuinely frightening, The Birds is the perfect Halloween movie. Time to watch it again!

Tippi Hedren was having a laugh here...

... it is funny, well, these raven cutouts are. You can print them out here (pdf file), then display them in glass vases. Spooky!

And The Tides Wharf Restaurant, in which the locals shelter from the bird attacks, is where Tippi Hedren has returned over the years...

... to meet her fans and sign autographs, you can read about it on Kathlene's Bodega Bay Life Blog. I wonder if her daughter Melanie Griffith ever went along?

And what do you think of the Tippi Hedren Barbie doll? She doesn't look frightened at all!

Lettered Art Canvases

2009-10-22T00:10:00.000-04:00

Dee from Red Lettered Words creates beautiful lettered canvases with inspirational words, using something related to the sea as a metaphor on some of them. And you can still win this particular saying! There's a giveaway over @ The Lettered Cottage. You have until noon Thursday October 22nd, 2009 to enter!

Wave by Suzy Lee

2009-10-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

Wave looks like an absolutely adorable and touching picture book by talented artist Suzy Lee, telling the story of a little girl's day at the beach.

"In 40 wordless pages, Lee captures the fascination, awe and ongoing sense of wonder that the ocean inspires in each of us, no matter how old."

Suzy Lee who studied painting in Korea, began making her own picture books after graduating with an MA in Book Arts from Camberwell College of Arts in London. Her paintings and books have won numerous international awards and have been featured in exhibitions worldwide. You can hop over to Jules and Eisha's book review blog Seven Impossible Things and read their interview with Lee.

This is how Lee describes her process:
"When I make a story, usually the images come first. I draw first image popped in my mind, then I add more images before and after this key image. And I follow the story as these images lead me –- I guess that’s why my books usually end up as wordless books."

Then she talks about what happens once the picture story is told:
"I make a dummy book to see if the story flows well, then I start making the actual pages. I decide the format and size of the book, choose the art material which fits the images. And draw and draw and draw until I like them. When everything (including the endpapers and covers) is done, I scan> print > bind to make a (second) dummy book that looks like a finished product. I spend quite some time to do this final stage, because I need to see the ‘actual book’ to get the feeling that “I’m really done”."

And a peek into Suzy Lee's studio: "I used to have a work space of my own, but now it turned into my baby’s room. I am working in my bedroom!"

Interior Decorating Inspiration Room by Room

2009-10-20T11:10:00.001-04:00

You might have noticed already, Completely Coastal's Room by Room site has been re-created.

It's not just a site anymore where I catalog all the Interiors previously featured here, I now also post all the great designer rooms that I stumble upon while scouring the web -images that I don't use here. So if you are looking for a daily dose of nautical and beach theme interiors, please stop by!

Neighborhood Walk -Rocky Neck Art Colony

2009-10-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome to my new category Neighborhood Walks...

... where I lead you through the streets of Americas seaside neighborhoods beginning with Rocky Neck, said to be our nation's oldest working art colony, residing north of Boston along the picturesque harbor inlet of Gloucester, MA (and as always please click on images to go to the source).

Rocky Neck has been described as homey, rustic, funky as well as sophisticated. There are about 30 small galleries to visit, showing paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, and various crafts.

Apparently almost every American artist of note has painted on Rocky Neck at some point in his or her career (see Art Trail) including my favorite painter Edward Hopper who I featured here and here. Hopper's fascination with this Victorian Rocky Neck house resulted in a watercolor titled The Mansard Roof.

Artist Brenda Malloy outside her playful gallery Imagine Studio.

Brenda also took the brush to her car (more pictures @ Good Morning Gloucester).

An artistic sign for Madfish Grille, one of the waterfront restaurants where you can sit out on a patio and look out to the harbor.

And also in the neighborhood, mixed media artist and fashion designer Sigrid Olsen . After losing her job at Liz Claiborne last year, Olsen and her husband traded their 3600 square foot Hamilton home for their summer cottage at Rocky Neck Art Colony, which is now their year-round residence.

The bungalow consists of about 1,200 square feet of combined living, work and gallery space all on one floor above the garage...

... and faces the working harbor, full of fishing boats (click here to read the article).

To view more scenes of Rocky Neck visit RockyNeck.org.

Vietri -Dinnerware + Home Accessories Inspired by Italy's Amalfi Coast

2009-10-17T07:30:00.001-04:00

"Since ancient times, ceramic arts have been the mainstay of Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast," writes Barbara Jacksier, sharing her recent trip to Italy's spectacular coastline (as always please click images for more information and/or purchase).

I have introduced Vietri and the duo behind it a while ago on my other blog A Beach Lovers Place (under What People Do), and just had to have their company here in my Online Stores category.

You can read about their story @ Coastal Living, but here it is in a nutshell: Susan and her sister Frances visited Italy's Amalfi coast more than 25 years ago and became so enamored of the dinner plates at their hotel that they wanted to bring them back to the United States..., and as they say, the rest is history.

Designers who Take the Surfboard Inside

2009-10-15T07:00:00.003-04:00

If you're a surfer in the Northern Hemisphere you might soon want to take your board inside! But whether you're surfing or not, I think a beautiful surfboard can give a room a great beachy feel.

Kerry Joyce who also designed this spectacular Bathroom with Display Ledges for Shells finds just the right spot on the ceiling...

and leans one against a wall, the most common and easiest way to add a surfboard to your decor (or store it in your home). This image is from Habitually Chic where you can find many more surf style interiors (as always please click on images to go to the source).

Leslie Klotz pairs a yellow colored surfboard with an antique painted chest that belonged to her grandmother.

Designer and blogger Brooke Giannetti finds the perfect corner in her newly remodeled living room.

And Annie Selke was given three keywords -sea, sand, and sky- to design this Chatham, MA, beach house. The result, an eclectic home bathed in blues that includes a surfboard table.

And how could I not think about The Beach Boys while writing this post..., if everybody had an ocean across the USA, then everybody be surfin'..., surfin' USA...

Browse Room by Room

Beach Pebble Designs

2009-10-14T07:00:00.004-04:00

In the right room a beach pebble wall mural could look quite stunning.

A beach stone placemat, and the same company also carries a floor mat and a rug in a pebble design.

Pebble tiles in all shapes and colors.

I don't use a sink mat, but maybe I should.

Elegant and subtle, a white pebble pillow.

Custom made picture frames with hand collected beach pebbles.

Decorative beach pebbles that are carved with an inspirational word.

And for a more cozy feel, beach pebbles that are felted.

And an equally cozy pebble rug.

And there is more to explore:
A Bounty of Beach Pebbles and Rocks
Beach Rocks and Pebbles -Picture Pics
Beaches that Rock