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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Some Glitter, Some Starfish...it must be Christmas.

So I spent a good part of the Thanksgiving Weekend... immersed in making these glass ball ornaments.  And I love them.  The first batch I made (before I figured too much sand makes them too a tad heavy to hang)...ended up displayed in my vintage milk bottle crate that I have in my front entry.  I didn't want to take the time to empty them out and start over - so I came up with a creative way to use them.  

I just started putting up my decorations tonight and since I will be very busy working this week - its gonna take me several days to get everything all pulled together.  But here is a little preview of how the sea treasure ornaments look in displayed in my foyer.  









Don't forget to enter into the 
Beautiful Details by the Seashore 
(drawing is on Thursday evening, 12/2)

Ornament by Beautiful Details by the Seashore



Good Luck and Happy Holidays!


Sunday, November 28, 2010

Christmas is coming early....thanks to a giveaway from Beautiful Details by the Seashore....

If you recently read my post "Loving Beautiful Details by the Seashore"  you'll recall how much I love the bottles that Carol features in her Etsy Shop.  Well, not only does she create beautiful bottles, jewelry and other keepsakes - she makes amazing sea inspired coastal ornaments.  

These colors are so vibrant.
And she has graciously offered to host a giveaway....for the winner to select an ornament or two (up to a $40.00 value) from her Etsy Shop.....

Such vibrant gold sparkles. 

This etched silver is a holiday keepsake.

This sea urchin looks like a vibrant jellyfish. 

This etched brass with a slight patina is a work of art.

  The steps to enter the giveaway is simple...all you have to do is:
  • Visit Carol's Etsy Shop and leave a comment here on Love of the Sea on what ornament(s) you would select if you won and;
  • Become a follower of Carol's Blog, Twitter or Facebook    

I love the colors of this sea urchin ornament. 

So stop by for a visit at Beautiful Details by the Seashore Etsy Shop, leave a comment on your favorite ornament and follow one of the following:  


These are soooo beautiful. 


I will pick the winner
on Thursday evening, December 2nd
using random.org. Good luck!!




Saturday, November 27, 2010

A Pinkalicious Saturday....

So I thought in the spirit of Thanksgiving Weekend - where it's about giving thanks, counting your blessings...and of course, indulging in great food...

...that I would feature my red velvet cake with pink cream cheese frosting...for Pink Saturday.  I started with my favorite cake mix from Williams Sonoma....

Love the "for temporary relief from hunger" label.....

Had to get out my pink utensils so I could stay in theme....
This doesn't look very healthy....but does look tasty










I can attest to the fact that it 
turned out as good as it looks....
Happy Pink Saturday!






Linking up to Beverly's How Sweet the Sound's Pink Saturday.


Friday, November 26, 2010

Creating Sea inspired Christmas Ornaments

For those who are familiar with my blog - these last couple of weeks...I've been posting quite a bit about my coastal christmas tree. I was really inspired by the Wisteria  Coastal Christmas collection, starting with the coastal holiday stockings (that just arrived), to my coastal christmas tree inspiration book.  I finally decided on the tree that I wanted to model mine after - and it is the Wisteria tree that I love so much.  So, in getting ready for The Essential Beachcomber's first linky party on coastal ornaments....I've been really busy.  So starting with  my tree....

Here it is for another look.....
So I ordered all the ornaments from Wisteria, but I'm making some of my own this year using my stash of sea glass, coral and shells.  I decided to get creative this week....and ordered some supplies that I'm sure will keep me busy throughout the weekend.  The first set of ornaments I'm working on are glass balls, filled with little sea treasures.

I started with the plain balls....

These are the larger 4" ones.  I also have 3" ones as well. 
I don't care for the brassy color and this was all I could find.....
So some sea inspired spray paint to the rescue....
I filled the balls about 1/3rd of the way with glittered sand....
Gathered some of my smaller treasures....






I'm really happy with how they came out...
...now I need to get busy making more.
So stay tuned....


I am linking up this week to:


Thursday, November 25, 2010

A special little place...

I couldn't resist sharing this great story from Better Homes and Gardens about a woman in Ocean City, NJ who transformed a shed...(and a nice shed it was)...into her own space to relax and unwind.  
Isn't this adorable?


Wouldn't it be wonderful to have 
your own private little oasis
 in your backyard?  




Tuesday, November 23, 2010

A little driftwood for the holidays....

This wonderful driftwood tree from C'est la Vie really caught my eye in this month's issue of Coastal Living.  I am trying to figure out - where in the world would I put this....I only have so much space to work with...but this would be a fabulous addition to a "Coastal Christmas".  

I'm thinking - Maybe one of the little ones wouldn't take up too much space.


Isn't this wonderful?


Sunday, November 21, 2010

A little vintage sheet music, a few seashells and a touch of glitter

I recently purchased a couple home accessories....from The Shabby Chateau Etsy Shop.  Donna's shop is one of my favorites  and I love reading her blog because I get all kinds of creative repurposing ideas. So when I opened my box, I received a nice little surprise gift from Donna that I wanted to share.  Being that I'm crazy about seashells & starfish & sand dollars...and blue, green, turquoise and aqua....it was love at first sight.

I love the vibrant colors placed on top of the vintage sheet music.
Such a wonderful combination.
I love the Blue Starfish with the smaller green starfish in the background.






Such a beautiful collection.  Almost too 
pretty to use...so I will be  saving these 
for very special occasions. 


  
I asked Donna to share how she made them. So here are her instructions:


"Let's see, for your cards I started with pre-made brown cards, then used some vintage sheet music I applied with a glue stick. The shell and starfish motif papers, and other papers I used were purchased in Maui when we vacationed there this past February. I like bringing things back from trips that I can use in projects.  Then I used some "Diamond Glaze" dimensional glaze on the shells and starfish, and added some Martha Stewart coarse clear glitter".


So thank you Donna - for the lovely gift....once again reminding me why would I ever buy a store bought card again.  



Saturday, November 20, 2010

Pink Pelican Designs....A Sea Sheller's Dream

Beautiful vases, gorgeous frames and unique one of a kind pieces...all adorned with seashells and other accents from the ocean.  Sounds amazing, doesn't it?  Well, it certainly is.  And in honor of Pink Saturday....I thought I would share the interesting story and wonderful creations of Pam from Pink Pelican Designs.

I first discovered Pam earlier this year, when I purchased two shell encrusted finials (see on my living room shelf below) from her Etsy Shop and have consistently gone back and visited her shop to browse through all of her artistic and unique designs.  



You can clearly see her love of the ocean in all her pieces.  Pam is a native Floridian and grew up until her early teens on the East Coast, where Amelia Island was one of her favorite beaches.  Her mother was born on Terra Ceia Island, a beautiful unspoiled enclave of old Florida on the Gulf Coast...and it's this heritage that Pam attributes to "the island lifestyle being in my blood".  It's a place where she and her husband still visit, to kayak and fish.

Pam's love affair with all things coastal continued when she married, as her husband's family ran a wonderfully idyllic compound on Sanibel Island called Tarpon Bay.  Pam describes it as "an amazing place – that included a marina, shell shop and dress-jewelry-antique shop called The Red Pelican".  It was also known as “Dinkins Bay” in Randy Wayne White’s Doc Ford novels.

Her shop is named with a nod to the great times that she spent there with family and friends – out on the water exploring the many fun and funky island spots and catching grouper, trout and blacktip shark for lunch or dinner.  Some of her fondest memories are going into the ‘shell barn’ with her father-in-law where shells from all over the world were in various stages of cleaning, sorting and preparation for sale in The Shell Shop.  Pam says "one of the nice surprises for me in dealing with some of my local shell wholesalers is finding a family connection from the old Tarpon Bay days....it truly is a small world".

Pam works on about 8 - 10 different projects at the same time - many are custom orders from brides, where she creates pieces that will be lifetime keepsakes.  She loves all types of shells...but feels sometimes the most interesting ones are the wave eroded shell fragments, worn smooth by sand and sur(I feel the same way).  She opened her Etsy Shop in the summer of 2009 and feels the Etsy community has been such a positive creative force and an inspiration.  She recently become a member of the Etsy All Things Coastal Team and has been amazed by the great work produced by this group of talented artists.  

When I asked Pam what she liked most about the beach, she said... "I guess what I like the most about the coast is walking the beach every chance I get, preferably at low tide, stunning sunsets, sunrises and even moonrises over the water, the lure to be outside and active, rollerblading, kayaking, biking, walking and intertwined with it all, the people.  It is hard not to smile at the beach!".  

And I couldn't agree with her more.  Hope you enjoy Pink Pelican Designs


Pam working on filling a large order for starfish and sand dollar ornaments.
Look at all those beautiful starfish in the background.  
What a gorgeous shell encrusted box.
A seashell extravaganza swag.
Such a pretty frame.  And the wallpaper is so cool.

Here are some of my favorite pieces
 from Pink Pelican Design's Etsy Shop:


Coastal Peace Sign Wreath
Palm Beach Pink Seashell Frame
Scallop Candle Lantern with Glass Hurricane


And this is my current favorite....


Shell Box with Olives, Cockles and Turquoise Limpets


Linking up to Beverly's Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound.  
Hope you have a Pinktastic Saturday!