Introducing Crabby Chris - My New Beachgirl Featured Artist!

Amazing how networking works!  I received the nicest e-mail a few weeks ago from my new friend Chris, who was referred to me by a wonderful customer from my old Poulsbo store.  Wow! We have so much in common - we hit it off immediately,(beachgirls and mermaids usually do!)  and now I am featuring her incredible talent for making beautiful, durable, affordable, and long lasting beach cottage pillows on the Caron's website.

All hand-painted in bright bold colors on Camano Island, in Washington State, Chris uses her trusty camera to walk out on a low tide to capture images of Puget Sound sealife; red dungeness crabs, bleached white sand dollars, big colorful starfish. She then renders these sea creatures on her fabulous indoor/outsdoor pillows.  And, I do mean fabulous!

 Here's a little bit more about Chris, in her own words - and then I will show you all her beach house pillows featured on my site!

"Born in Oregon way back in the previous century, my background is in interior design and soft crafts, which I designed for national publications. Have made my home on a very big sand spit and two islands in Washington State. Love to catch, euthanize, cook and eat Dungeness crabs, just as I have been doing since my early days on the Oregon coast. Sorry, no work allowed during crabbing season! As to how I got my nickname, it was tossed at me and just stuck. I'm not cantankerous; I'm actually alarmingly cheerful. I render images of decapod crustacea, their associates and environs in fabric, paint, photography, flotsam, pulp, enamel, line art, verse, and a few media I haven't tried yet!"

In the Pacific Northwest  kabillions of seastars can be found and they come in all colors! One beautiful summer's day on a very low tide Chris  found an orchid-colored one that measured 18" across! But the ones that best set off her  favorite Adirondack chairs are these guys in blended blues. They definitely make a bold statement; the smaller stars measure 9.5" across and the large one 13"!


Blue Starfish Pillow

Measuring 19" x 19", this fabulous beach cottage pillow is stuffed with polyester fiberfill in its own removable polypropylene casing; a simple spot cleaning or even a hosedown will keep it looking fresh season after season. Drawn from Chris' live model, Fabio, he is rendered in bold red and trimmed in charcoal for a very non-beige accent. Looks great on your deck, patio, garden bench, hammock, rowboat or beach blanket.

Bold Red Crab Pillow

We love this dungeness crab hiding among Puget Sound rock weed! This 19" x 19" acrylic all-weather throw pillow is handpainted, stuffed with polyester fiberfill in a polypropylene casing. Wears well outdoors and in; a hose-down or spot cleaning is usually all that is required to keep it fresh!

Hidden Among the Seaweed....

We LOVE these beach cottage pillows! I think this one might be my favorite! (Well, I am kinda partial to the crabs too...) Chris has depicted a trio of sand dollars on a 19" square pillow in nontoxic textile paint!  The commercial all-weather fabric is equally at home on your sun washed deck as your custom leather seating. Easy to care for with just a spot clean, quick hosing or gentle wash in cool water; lay flat to dry. Not a reprint or transfer, but her original. 

Unique Sand Dollar Pillow....

See what I mean?  I am so excited about being able to feature Chris' work on my website.  All of her  19 x 19 pillows are washable - the outside cover, and the insert, super long lasting, all original artwork.  Also, incredibly affordable at only $44.00 - some of the pillows are even customizable!

Come check out all of the different sealife she's painted in our "Beach House Pillow" category http://www.caronsbeachhouse.com/servlet/the-Coastal-Decorating-cln-Beach-House-Decor-Pillows/Categories

Thanks for stopping by!

Beach House Style for the Apartment (mine, that is!)

Well, the apartment is taking shape, but  not anywhere close to being finished. I decided that I had to show you all some of the progress I am making.....

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a great store in Half Moon Bay called Abode, they carry way cool simple natural items, including quite a few local artisan hand-crafted interesting things.  Here's a few pics from the store!

Do you recognize the rocks?  I bought two out of this bowl - "I Love You" and the "Happiness" rock.  

Way too cute!

Could not resist these!  Alphabet Soup Letters, a bargain at only $6.00 each, all hand painted and stenciled on reclaimed pieces of plywood. Want to see what I did with mine?

Of course, I had to buy a C for Caron, and a T for Tom!  Like my pink seahorses and tropical fish? 

Found this sea shell and coral bright shower curtain at that DANGEROUS store, T.J. Maxx.  Trying to combine my stuff with Tom's stuff - quite a challenge, this shower curtain helped bring all of the combined towel colors together.

Another T.J. Maxx find - Tom had a good laugh, he thought it was pretty funny that the sign is pointing into San Francisco, and not towards the beach, I thought it was pretty clever to have it point into the shower. Duh! 

My little corner... I am hoping to have the starfish back on my website soon.  Our manufacturer has been out of stock for the longest time! (Candles purchased at Beach House Style last summer)

 Here's another cute recycled shell that would look great with  candles too - our small scallop bowls ($6.95) - here's a direct link! http://www.caronsbeachhouse.com/servlet/the-169/glass-shells,-coastal-decorating,/Detail

(Sorry, had to throw in a little shameless self-promotion!)

Like I said, the apartment is a work in progress, but I am sure having fun discovering new stores and treasures here in the Bay Area!  Have a great Thursday and a great weekend -