A Nest of Driftwood and Mussel Shells

Tonight the wind is howling outside, which means tomorrow may be a good day for beach combing. Taken on a summer day, this picture shows the type of driftwood we often find washed up on shore here.

Here's something Henri and I made a couple years ago. Using a crudely constructed bird house that I picked up at a thrift store for a couple bucks, virtually everything else used on this bird's nest came from the shore. Henri cut and assembled the driftwood to a platform he made out of wooden planks also found on the shore.

It is still is one of my favorites, so that's why you get to see lots of pictures.

Still with me? Or are you bored yet?

Okay, on to the details. These are mussel shells that I layered up for the roof, using my glue gun.

I really love the triangle shape entrance.

This is a sliver from a lobster buoy that once belonged to a lobster man. I found it just like this on the shore. The number on there identifies who it once belonged to. I decided the bird's nest needed an address.

A tiny bit of driftwood for a perch and some unraveled rope strands in an aqua color serve as nesting material.

More shore finds for display on the platform.

And finally, you've reached the last picture.

The wind is still blowing hard outside, and so now I'm off to dream about what I may find on the shore tomorrow!

Birdhouse Covered In Seashells

Underneath all these seashells, is a plain wooden birdhouse I picked up for a mere 4 dollars. But of course, that's just between you and me and the lamppost, as my mother would say.

And you know, sometimes I forget to take a 'before' picture, but in this case, I did this long before I started my blog. But here is all I did. First, I applied a wash of pale green tinted paint over the entire surface.

Even then, I had a little pot of liquid gold leaf, that I seemed to have far better restraint with than I do today. How is it I forgot the 'less is more' adage?

I still remember thinking it was almost magical the way the shells seemed to nestle together as I began to apply them with my hot glue gun one after the other.

It's the type of little accessory that will go with most any decor.

Even still, every time I look at it, I swear I notice something new.

Pretty shells from the shore are sometimes so under appreciated, but this helped me realize they are truly remarkable treasures.

Night Lights For A Coastal Nest

On the Coast of Maine this time of year, sunset is around 4:00. That's when it's time to enjoy all my favorite lights. This one is in our main living area.

So is this one. This lamp has 4 of those flicker flame bulbs, with just enough tacky to always make me smile.

Here's my glowing pendant light that hangs over my kitchen sink.

The bottom narrows into a graceful twist, and in the daylight you can see the twist is just clear glass.

I love the old look of this glass, it's actually an outdoor fixture that I found at the local hardware store and it's what we use as an overhead light in the kitchen.

I have a little "diner booth" in my kitchen, a built-in with bench seating. Over this area I hung a little wrought iron tealight candelabra that is really handy when the power goes out.

Which thankfully doesn't happen that often anymore.

Coastal Bread Basket

Today I started planning out a Thanksiving menu and going through items I had on hand that I could use to set my Thanksgiving table. I just love doing this!

I painted my basket a light shade of aqua and hot glued pretty white sea shells all along the rim.

I decided the shells looked a little too plain, so here's my fix.

Sometimes I get a bit carried away with gold leaf . . . but not today.

Anyway, I'm thinking I may serve rolls for Thanksgiving, but today I had this bread on hand to display in my basket.

Love the close ups.

Anyway, I think you get the idea.

Oh, maybe just one more picture.

My coastal bread basket. That I will fill with rolls.