Thursday, December 24, 2015

Ten Ideas for Beachy Christmas Wrapping!

Enjoy our collected ideas for Coastal-Nautical gift wrapping this year! Nature from your coast tied up with pretty paper can make a beach holiday even more festive.   It's the extra details that make all the
difference when presenting a special gift!

Seashells, driftwood, natural greenery and maybe even a little gold and silver.....Enjoy!

1.  Brown paper tied up with string (can you hear the song now??)  A small white anchor with a fresh sprig of rosemary - I can just imagine how this wonderful this would smell!  Simple, and pretty darn cost effective.   (not sure of the image source - check our Coastal Holiday Gift Ideas Pinterest Board for more details!)


2.  All white glamour, shimmer and simply gorgeous! Idea discovered at County Living Magazine, featured article of British Columbia home of Cheryl Krecsy



3.  Beautiful kraft paper stamped with anchors (could use any coastal motif!) and tied up with white starfish.  Lovely tutorial on Pleasure in Simple Things



4.  Beautiful blues and knotted shells combine to create an ocean themed beautiful sea-themed package!  From the always fab, Carolyne Roehm


5. Don't forget pretty gift tags!  Love these nautical inspired ones - could easily create your own special ones with stamping and glitter pens.  (sorry not sure of the image source)


 - or how about using vintage seaside postcards for tags?  Add a little glitter and pretty ribbon and you are good to go! 



6.   Love the idea of blue and white packages tied up with pretty seashells.  Would be fun to have an entire coastal holiday scheme built around blue and white in all different patterns; packages, decorations, Christmas tree... Idea from Beachcomber Simply Living


7.  How about some glamour with aqua and gold? Still feels very "seaside", but does not have to be obvious with seashells or anchors!  From Southern Living


8. More fun ideas for gift tags - love these pretty ones featured at Completely-Coastal! So simple, charms combines with simple colored tags cut into shapes.  I would try shapes like scallop shells, starfish, fish or maybe even an octopus to create some real interest



9.  Love the simple presentation - starfish ornaments (I think these are clay or pottery?) The pretty brown ribbon adds just an extra touch of elegance. 


10. Start with fun coastal themed wrapping paper! Just add holiday ornaments or pretty ribbon to complete the package



Tom and I are spending the holidays with our friends and family in the Pacific Northwest this week and are very happy to be home, even though we are more than a little bit wet. (good thing we packed our rain boots!) 

Merry Christmas!




Friday, December 18, 2015

A Touch of Glam! Silver and Gold Coastal Home Decor

We are seeing a captivating, glamorous trend this winter with metallic highlights of warm gold and the "bling" of silver in coastal home decor!  This is a look that we feel will continue to grow in popularity, and we will be seeing many more options for decorating a beach home.

I think you might be surprised at how adding just a little touch of silver and gold can really make a room come alive with a luxurious feel.  Just keep it coastal-modern and in layer with moderation for the best effect. What do you think?

Enjoy 10 of my curated beach house decor picks!

1. Pillows with Silver and Gold Hand-Beading  
Luxury with a touch of the shore. These pillows would be fabulous at the holidays, but can stretch into the spring and summer with the detailed embroidery, seaside colors and lux feel.  More in our "Sparkle" category!

2.  Add a Silvered Shell! (Faux of course)

This glamorous champagne silver ceramic large cameo shell adds style and coastal luxury to any home! A wonderful statement piece to add interest on a foyer table or a bookshelf. We have several more options for silver and gold shells on our site - just try our "Coral and Seashell Decorating" category for ideas.



3.  Can't go wrong with a Gold Sunburst Mirror Accent!

Need a little glamour in your coastal living home? We recommend adding this fabulous Gold Sunburst Mirror! Gorgeous over your fireplace mantel or to greet visitors in your beach house entry way.


4. The Whale's Golden Tails - Set of 2
Cause you all know, I just can't get enough of the "Whale Spotting" trend!  Add a simple touch of coastal luxury to any room with this set of two golden whale tails made of heavy metal and finished in a gold leaf. 

5. Golden Turtle Shells
Classic elegance radiates through these two golden imitation turtle shells mounted on stands, adding a luxurious coastal touch to any home!  We especially like them because they are stunning, and NOT real. 

This modern art beach house lamp is created with a large metallic Silver Starfish Replica attached to a thick clear square glass plaque forming the base. Completed with lightly antiqued silvered details, this would definitely shed some conversational light in your home! (P.S. there is matching starfish art too!) 


A silver leaf shadowbox frame encases these colorful natural abalone shells. A captivating shell wall decor piece to add to your coastal home!

This set of three convex, sun ray shaped mirrors will add a touch of glam and whimsy into your home with their hand forged hammered metal and plated silver champagne finish. Love this set - like large sea splashes!


A ceramic lamp created in a beautiful golden tone with delicately etched with fine botanical images reminiscent of undersea, reef life, presents a luxurious look! Finished with soft off-white fabric shade, these gold lamps will add an upscale coastal feel in any beach home. (P.S. There is a Platinum Lamp version too!)

What coastal decor list would be complete without an octopus?  This little sculpture has been so popular that we will see it's golden cousin this spring!  



We will be heading to the home decor and furniture shows in January - can't wait to see what other gold and silver treasures we will find for our customers.  Stay tuned!













Thursday, December 3, 2015

Fifteen of Our Favorite Coastal Christmas Trees

I have been collecting beachy Christmas tree inspiration ideas all year to show off.  When I started writing this blog post yesterday I decided to share one of my favorites trees on our Facebook page from a blogger that I really admire.  Our page went wild with "likes", comments and our post was shared over 1100 times! Almost 107,000 people have viewed our page (so far!) Incredibly overwhelming and I feel very honored to have spread a little Christmas love so early in the season.

Unexpectedly, 5 of our Facebook friends also shared their trees with us too! Here are their Christmas trees and 10 more from my collection -

1. First up - Yamitza Rodriguez's sea shell and burlap covered tree.  She made all of the ornaments!


2.  Kelly-Ann's Aqua Inspired Tree! So much fun swirled into this creation -


3.  Pearls and sea shells - topped off with a blonde mermaid!  Sent to us from Shelly Diamond.



4.  Underwater Bling from Sweet and Salty Seaglass - check out her Facebook page for more inspiration! Sweet and Salty Seaglass - http://www.facebook.com/sweetandsaltyseaglass/



5.  Simple Coastal Tree from Coastal Living Magazine - P.S. love the light blue striped rug too!


6. Super cute "Martha Stewart" inspired tree wrapped in seashells and starfish.  Especially like the vintage washtub for the tree stand!  Discovered on Hometalk-Coastal Christmas


7.  Silvered ornaments combined with rope garland make this tree nautical "elegant"! Source: Mix and Chic

8. From Sunset Magazine (my West Coast!), a live Christmas tree simply adorned to match its' coastal surroundings.  

9.  Another adorable nautical live tree  - this one from Savvy Southern Style. Super cute, and super easy!

10.  Sort of a Rainbow Holiday Tree? Like how the tree is packed with color!  I would never be brave enough to try this, but it sure is a happy look!  Source: Beach Bliss Living


11.  A pretty Coastal Christmas room from interior designer, Greta Fox as featured on House of Turquoise (don't you just love those blue ceilings!)


12.  I just love how Kristy decorates her cottage!  Here's her nautical inspired tree from 2014 - make sure to click her link to see more of her beautiful images! Starfish Cottage


13.  Another fun tree featured on Coastal Living - LOVE those aqua whales!  (can't help it - have been obsessed with whales all year) 


14.  One more nautical inspired tree!  Love all the RED.  Sometimes coastal Christmas trees get a bit too much aqua and blue.... From Hometalk


15. And the tree from A Quiet Life - the Christmas post that started it all!  I want her view and her tree!!



Have fun decorating!  Our tree is sort of half together at the point, I still keep adding pieces to it - not sure when I will be done...



Friday, October 30, 2015

A Touch of Gold - Beach Fall Dinner Party

I love it when company comes to visit us at the beach!  The perfect opportunity (excuse) to use a little
creativity to plan an extra special dinner party; delish seafood, fab California wine and an inviting dinner tablescape for our long time friends, Jim and Mary.

Inspired by my gold sea shell dish finds, this year I decided to create a tablescape combining beach found shells, fall-colored sea glass with lots of gold accents.

Starting with a trip to Michael's for a roll of burlap netting with a touch of gold, and a roll of all gold netting to use as a layered table runner.  Then I grabbed some plain white plates ($1.99) and large gold chargers ($2.25) from Home Goods to set the base for the rest of the tablescape. (loved the fun scalloped edges on both!)

*Sea Breeze Wine Glasses are from Caron's Beach House

*Gold-Beige Table Linens are also from our store

*Vintage Aqua and Gold Sea Gull Glasses were found at the Alameda Flea Market

*Seashell Candle Holders can also be found at Caron's Beach House 







 Love my new gold shell dishes from my friends at Nasturium - one of my favorite escapes for a quick shopping trip when I NEED inspiration away from my desk.  My friend Sudi is the designer and her elegant  Red Pomegranate dinnerware is hand-crafted in Turkey.  Exquisite pieces!












Oyster Shell Napkin Rings -- would love to know what you think of these!






I think we had a good time! (hence, the few blurry photos!)

P.S. Our incredible coconut scallops on the blog soon -  Super easy, and super yum

Relax and Live at the Beach Every Day of the Year!

Most Popular Beach Posts!