Sea Glass

I love sea glass, there is something so simple yet so special about it.  I've collected it ever since I can remember.

Those tiny shards, or large hunks of weather worn glass have a story to tell.  Maybe they were part of an old rum bottle that sailed the seven seas, or maybe an old glass bottle which contained a message from someone shipwrecked on a desert island somewhere. 

Sea glass also comes in a remarkable array of colors, from soft lavender to bright neon green!  No matter what the color, there is just something magical about an object that can endure the punishment of the ocean and instead of being destroyed, it becomes something beautiful.

So when Lili from Fearless Nesting had a giveaway of sea glass on her blog, I jumped at the chance to win some pieces from the beautiful coastline of Maine.  I've been to Maine, but it was years ago when I was very little and I never found any sea glass to bring back with me.  Thanks to Lili, I now have some wonderful sea glass to add to my collection!

Lili packaged my sea glass in the prettiest little hand painted box, with an embossed nautilus shell on top.  I plan to use this lovely box to hold some of my favorite jewelry!

Of course Mr. Quinn had to check out what was inside my new box!

See that pretty piece of lavender sea glass on the left, and the wonderful heart shaped piece of brown sea glass?!  Beautiful!  Thank you Lili!

And speaking of Lili, there's still time to enter my latest Giveaway to win one of Lili's beautiful pieces of pottery.  Simply click HERE to find out more!

Bowled Over

Hi everyone!  I'm so sorry if I haven't returned emails or gotten back to you all, things are still a bit hectic around here, but I promise I'll be working on that over the next few days as things settle down a bit.

I did want to show you something really cool I found over the weekend while out searching for a bed for our daughter.  Luckily for me, last weekend was a Vintage Source weekend, my favorite store for finding vintage, chippy, fun furniture at great prices and the bed I found was perfect, but more on that in a later post!

While I was there I saw a bunch of people I know, including the wonderful girls who own the shop.  And I even got to meet LuLu from Lu Lu & Company.  She's just as sweet and cute in person as she is online and I hope to feature her beautiful home at some point here on my blog.

Ok, now back to the point of this post.  While I was chatting and wandering and chatting some more I came across these!!!

They're old bowling pins!  Duck pins to be exact!  The ones you used to play when you were a kid and went to a friend's birthday party.  Back in the days before blow up bumpers.  Remember those old metal bumpers that would come out so that no one got the dreaded "gutter" ball?!

Now, Mr. Tide has known me a very long time.  So after patiently wandering around with me as I lapped the store several times, and chatted it up with lots of people, he didn't even bat an eye when I said "did you see those cool bowling pins over there?!"  He simply followed me over to the part of the store where they were and asked how many I wanted.  That was a whole other story as I picked through them to find the ones I liked the best, looking up and saying  "do you like this one or this one?," which is where he drew the line and left me to sort it all out on my own.

I had no idea where these were going to go when I bought them, which is pretty typical for me!  But when I got home on Saturday and looked around my house, I knew that the hutch in my kitchen was the perfect spot for these babies!  I'm bowled over by these cool little duck pins!

What unusual items do you have in your house that others might think are wacky but you just love?!

And here is something else that Bowled me over!

Yesterday, Trish from The Old Post Road gave me this wonderful award!

If you've never visited Trish's blog you are truly missing out!  She is a talented self taught artist and kind and gracious human being.  She has also been one of my biggest supporters since I started blogging!  Click HERE to visit her blog and to see some of her wonderful artwork and don't forget to visit her Etsy shop while you're there!  She was just featured by The Lettered Cottage and I can't think of anyone who deserves the recognition more!!!


I'm linking up for Three or More Tuesday over at The Gypsy's Corner!

and


It's Vintage Thingies Thursday at Coloradolady so be sure to pop over for more vintage finds! 

Thankful

Do you ever have days that are so completely stressful but then they leave you utterly thankful for so many things?

Today was one of those days for me.  You see, our sweet 22 year old daughter had to have her gallbladder out today, something we just found out about last Friday.  So over the weekend it was a whirlwind of activity around here trying to get things ready for her impending surgery and recovery.

We had given her some furniture for her first apartment when she moved out last August, and her bed was one of the pieces we sent with her.  So on Saturday we were off on the hunt for a new bed and mattress set so that she would have some place to recover after her surgery.

Today was a very long day, mostly for her of course, but also for a very nervous Mr. Tide and myself.  I'm a worry wart by nature, I come from a long line of worry warts actually.  So we were very relieved when the surgeon came in to say that things had gone well and that, although her gallbladder was really quite bad, she expected her to have a slow but fairly normal recovery from it all! PHEW!  I think our sighs could be heard all around the hospital!

When I got home late this evening, I was greeted by all of the wonderful well wishes for our daughter that I had received from friends from all around the globe.  Forum friends, Facebook friends, and lots of wonderful emails from my bloggy friends who knew she was having surgery.

I know that those well wishes and prayers carried our daughter through her procedure on the wings of a dove!  So to all of you who sent healing thoughts and prayers I am truly thankful and grateful.  And I'm also thankful that my sweet baby girl, who is now a wonderful woman, is resting comfortably just a few feet away!

My First Mosaic!

I love seeing all of the beautiful mosaics everyone creates each week for Mosaic Monday over at the Little Red House, so I thought I would give it a try with the vintage jewelry I showed you last week.

If you would like to read more about this vintage jewelry or to see more pictures simply click HERE .

And for more mosaics, head over to the Little Red House to join in the fun!

Beautifully Beachy

I've met so many wonderful people thanks to the internet.  Some of them through blogging and others through home decorating forums where I hang out, such as GardenWeb.  The common thread that links us together is our passion for design and decor that transcends age, location, and even what language we speak.

I think all you have to do sometimes is see the pictures someone posts and you can almost instantly know whether you and that person could be friends in real life.  Maybe they have white slipcovered furniture that you covet, or their home has a certain "look" that you find yourself attracted to over and over again and you just know you've found a kindred spirit.

That was the case for me when I first saw Lisa's photos of her family room.  Her beach inspired decor and love of white immediately struck a cord with me.  Even though she's miles away in Canada, I knew we could hang out and chat about house stuff because we were on the same page when it comes to decorating.

I also knew that she would be someone that I would want to feature on my blog because, although she isn't a decorator by trade, she has such a wonderful sense of style of her own.  She recently sent me some pictures of her wonderful family room and hallway transformation so that I could share her lovely home with all of you.  I know you all will love it just as much as I do!

The before photo (above) of her family room looks pretty darn good to me, but like most of us who love decorating, Lisa and her husband, Danny, were ready for a change.

Their first order of business was to paint the walls a soft gray color, Benjamin Moore's Beacon Gray, and to add hardwood floors.  In this "transitional" photo (above) you can see that they also added a lovely fireplace. 

"In the Family Room, we put in the gas fireplace, ripped up the carpet in the hallway, and had hardwood laid. We also replaced the trim with wider baseboards and installed crown moulding.  We hired a tradesperson to do the basesboards/crown moulding and hardwood.  He did a great job in matching it to the hardwood that was in the family room, you would never know it was laid 6 years later.  This work was all done within a week, but the room decorating has evolved over the past couple of years."

This after shot, shows the addition of beautiful new built-ins on either side of the fireplace.  They provide storage and give Lisa a place to display some of her stylish accessories. The juxtaposition of the warm wood tones of the new flooring and all of the clean crisp white woodwork give the room a nautical feel and prevent it from feeling too cold or sterile.

"I honestly have struggled to decide on how to decorate a room as there are so many looks I like. The style that I love most remains consistent...simple, fresh, calm. I have always been drawn to pale colours and favour casual, welcoming rooms.  My husband's preference is modern, but I don't think the style of our home lends itself to that look.  Mind you, the family room has a Beachy vibe to it and we're certainly not sitting seaside. (Lake Ontario is just 10 minutes away...does that count, lol)  I love flipping through Home Dec magazines...favorites are Style at Home (Cdn) and Canadian House and Home.  I also like House Beautiful and some BHG special publications.  My Dream Home...the set from 'Something's Gotta Give'.  Love it!"

Accessories are always so important to finishing off any room and Lisa has a knack for finding the perfect pieces and grouping them together to create interesting and eye catching vignettes.

"My husband, Danny, and I have lived here for 6 years.  Most of the furniture, with the exception of our family room, came with us from our previous home.(And I desperately want to replace some of it!) Accessories are frequently changed to keep the look fresh.  Besides, I love to shop and see so much that I like!"

Lisa's love of design permeates the entire house.  She finds inspiration through some of her favorite designers while infusing her own sense of style to create a room that is truly her own.

"My DH calls it 'obession', I call it passion!  If I had to do it over again, I would study Interior Design.  Guess it's never too late though...My favorite designers are those whose work I can relate to...Sarah Richardson and Candice Olson.  They can come to my house anyday!  I recently bought Suzanne Kasler's 'Inspired Interiors' and really like her style also."

 The tasteful nautical touches found throughout the room give a nod to Lisa and Danny's coastal roots.

"We moved to Ontario from Halifax, Nova Scotia almost 8 years ago. ( NS South Shore, Halifax and the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton are all beautiful places to visit...go in the Summer!)  Both of our families are still on the East Coast so at least we return home on a regular basis."

Another view of the fireplace wall gives you a peek into the re-styled hallway.  You can also see Danny's favorite feature of the new room, the TV!

"Oh...my husband just piped in that his favorite piece in the room is the TV (roll-eyes)  He'd have bigger if I'd allow it...and it took a lot of convincing to have it over the fireplace in the 1st place!"

The picture above shows you how the hallway leading off of the family room looked before the redecorating began.  Their adorable chocolate lab Mocha continues to keep an eye on everything.

This after shot shows you the dramatic transformation.  It's so light and bright now.  The addition of the white shelves gives Lisa another venue to showcase more of her beautiful sea inspired accessories.  I also love the colorful artwork and large round mirror she's chosen.

"The only things that truly have special meaning are the 2 prints on the (soon to be painted) yellow wall in the hallway. They are pictures of seascapes in Lunenburg and Mahone Bay on Nova Scotia's South Shore, so these represent a piece of home for me.  Besides loving the ocean and sailing, I was drawn to the bright colours in this artwork. Jose Valverde-Alcalde is the artist."

The calming color palette creates a soothing space to escape to after a hectic day of work.  It's also the perfect place to indulge in some of Lisa's other hobbies such as jewelry making.

"I'm a National Key Account Manager for a Cosmetics/Skincare company. My other passions are home decorating of course, and I have recently taken up making jewelry using beads and semi-precious stones."

You might be wondering how they keep all of their beautiful furniture white with a chocolate lab!

"What can I say?  I love white, but I love my dog more than anything so I needed to find a way to make it work together!  As it turns out, white slip-covered furniture can be so easy to live with for pet-owners, and children.  In the wash, a little bleach, and voila, they're like new again!"
Not one to sit still for very long, Lisa still has a few things on her to do list, like making over her self described "teeny" office.  She also wants to purchase new light fixtures (overhead) and paint the yellow staircase wall a new color and the staircase spindles, leaving the handrail stained wood.

Lisa offers up some great advice when asked what she would tell others about decorating and how to develop their own style.

"Look for inspirational pictures to decide what style you might love if you are unsure of what direction you want to go... You'll see a pattern of what inspires you time and time again.  Stay true to what you love and not necessarily what is the latest trend."
She is also a bargain hunter, a trait which you all know I admire, and she's provided me with a list below of some of her favorite places to shop.

"This room definitely falls under the 'Affordable' category! I'm pretty happy with how the room has turned out and nothing is high-end."


A few of Lisa's favorite decorating sources:

Sofas and Cabinets (Granemo) beside fireplace: Ikea!! (Note: We-repainted the cabinets white to match the fireplace as they were solid wood.  We also added narrow trim to fill-in beside fireplace)

Shelves in hallway, Jewelry Box w/ silver on fireplace cabinet: West Elm

Various accessories from:

Pottery Barn (lamps, pillows, shells/coral)

Thomas Paul: blue/white coral pillow

Z Gallerie (Whenever I have the chance to visit in the US...we need one in Canada!)


Homesense (similiar to US HomeGoods): White mirror cabinet, white vases and white mirror in hallway (there's a theme here, lol).  I pop in every week or two to check things out.

Local (Toronto) home decor stores are all great places to shop because their stock changes frequently and the price points are so affordable.

Thank you Lisa, Danny, and Mocha for letting us see your beautiful home!


I'm linking up for Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage.

And


For White Wednesday over at Faded Charm.

Pottery, Purses, and a Wonderful Giveaway!

You could win this beautiful bowl!

One of the things I love most about blogging is how it allows you to meet some of the most amazing and talented people that you would likely never meet any other way.  There are so many creative people all across Blogland and I'm constantly awed and amazed by their ingenuity and skill.

Lili from Fearless Nesting is one of those wonderfully talented people that I was lucky enough to meet through blogging.  She was one of the first people to ever comment on one of my posts and she's been a faithful and supportive friend ever since.  I've also become a big fan of her blog where she posts wonderful photos of her lovely home state of Maine along with yummy meals she makes with all of the fresh seafood she and husband Henri catch!  And of course she shares her beautiful pottery and felted purses on her blog and through her Etsy shop!

In Lili's Fearless Nesting Etsy shop, you'll find some of the amazing and really reasonably priced Raku pottery she and Henri have created.  You'll also find the beautiful and unique handmade felted purses she has for sale. 

Lili and her husband Henri (pictured above) are both kind and generous souls, something you can tell just by reading her blog.  And she has generously offered one of their beautiful Raku pottery bowls (pictured below) to one lucky winner along with an easel to display it on!! (Details for the Giveaway are at the bottom of this post)  It is a gorgeous bowl and if you read Lili's blog you'll quickly find out that she has a real love of sea glass and collects it.

If you look closely at the photo below, you'll see bits of sea glass that she incorporated into the bottom of the bowl, how cool is that and wouldn't you love to win it?!

Here are some photos Lili sent me of some of the wonderful pieces of pottery she and husband Henri have made!

These are some of Henri's handiwork.  The colors and textures make them true pieces of art!

A closer look at Henri's work reveals the copper used to give the pottery it's rich, dramatic colors.

In my interview with Lili below, she explains the process of creating Raku Pottery and how incredibly hot you must heat the pottery to create these unique pieces.

Another shot reveals a red hot Raku fish at a "cool" 1900 degrees Fahrenheit!

Lili's creations are equally as lovely, as you can see by this beautiful copper Raku bowl she created.

Here is another one of her pieces. I love the vibrant colors in this pretty little miniature pot, it reminds me of the sea.

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Pottery isn't the only thing that Lili is good at creating.  She also makes these wonderful felted purses.  I love this stunning aqua one!

And see the darling Raku pin on it?!

And here is another one of Lili's beautiful felted purses.

It features a cute little Raku fish pin!

And here is where Lili and Henri work their magic, in their home studio.

Lili and Henri have the perfect place to create their wonderful pieces of art, don't you think?!

I got the chance to ask Lili a few questions about the pottery they create and about her wonderful purses, below are her answers.   

1.  How long have you been making pottery and what inspired you to become a potter? 

In 1994, soon after we first became empty nesters, we began evening classes at Baker-Hunt in Covington, Ky.  I don't think we set off to become potters, but eventually Henri's brother, Jeffrey, suggested we display some of our pieces in the downtown Cincinnati hair salon he managed, and people started asking about them and that's where we had our first sale.  They were never advertised as being for sale, they were just part of the decor, yet we ended up replenishing the displays when much to our surprise, they started flying off the shelves for $20 a piece.  

2.  Do you have a studio in your home? 

Yes, and it's a basement studio that we just recently infused with a funky mix of Old World dungeon meets up with outdoor French cafe on the Coast of Maine.  It's such a fun place to hang out now, and I can't wait to host what I will call our first *Artsy, Fartsy Dessert Party* where we will get together with friends that want to do art together.

3.  I see that you make mostly Raku pottery.   Is there a reason you were drawn to making this type of pottery, and can you tell us a little bit about the process of making Raku and what makes it different from other types of pottery?

Raku differs from other traditional or functional pottery in that the glaze firing is done outside in the open air due to the amount of black smoke and fumes that occur during the process.  Basically, you're taking a pot and bringing it up to 1900 degrees F. in a relatively short time (20 minutes) and then, while it is still glowing hot, removing it from the kiln with the aid of asbestos gloves and long handled tongs while wearing a respirator.  It then gets placed into a garbage can, and with the addition of combustible materials such as leaves or sawdust, it quickly ignites into a swoosh of flames that completely envelop the pot.  From there the lid goes onto the can, which begins the process of reduction, where the environment inside the can is starved of oxygen.  This is what produces the brilliant flashes of coppers, lusters and crackles that raku is known for, as the chemicals in the glaze react to this starvation. Opening that can is a little bit like Christmas when you get to see how the fire worked it's magic on your final piece.  That is why we were drawn to raku.

4.  I love how you incorporate colors from the sea into your pottery, including sometimes adding sea glass, how did you get the idea to try this? 

Somewhere in the process of learning about glazes, I learned silica was one of the ingredients in glaze, which is also the main ingredient of glass.  That's when I got the idea of adding more glass into the pot to see what would happen.  Also, Henri recently experimented with combining a couple glazes together that ended up looking somewhat like the pink granite found here along the coast of Maine, at least that's what came to our mind when we first saw them.     

5.  Where do you find inspiration for the pieces that you make?

As far as the shapes that form, we both kind of let the clay tell us what it wants to be.  Clay has a memory, in that it will naturally take a similar shape to how it has been worked up getting it ready to throw.  That may sound a little strange to someone who has never worked with clay, but it's the best way I can describe what happens on the wheel.

6.  You also make beautiful felted purses, when did you start making these? 

I made my first purse just last year.

7.  Can you tell us a little about what goes in to making a felted purse? 

Basically, you knit an over sized bag in wool, that when washed and agitated in hot water, will shrink and virtually obliterate any evidence that it was even hand knit in the first place.  It hides a lot of knitting mistakes too.  Then you attach your handles and embellishments, such as my hand made raku pendants, and ta da, a felted purse.

8.  How many hours go in to making just one purse?

It varies depending on the size, but generally I can have one completed within two weeks, working on it in my spare time.  I've never sat down and counted the hours though, it's a wonderful past time for making the most of time spent waiting.

9.  Which do you prefer, felting or making pottery and why?

I enjoy them both equally.   I like the ease of taking my knitting along with me, but I enjoy when I can stay home and have the time to work on pottery too.  Both of them have that element of surprise at the end though, I think that's why I am drawn to both.

10.  I see on your blog that you are taking up the craft of stained glass.  Do you hope to add stained glass items to the list of things you currently sell on Etsy?

Oh heavens, no.


I would like to thank Lili and Henri for letting me showcase some of their beautiful wares and for their generous donation of their gorgeous Raku Bowl with Sea Glass for my latest Giveaway.  Below are all the details about how you can enter to win this wonderful bowl! 

***Sorry, this Giveaway is now closed, check back soon for another great giveaway!***


To Enter to Win...

1.  Simply visit Lili's Fearless Nesting Etsy Shop by clicking HERE and then come back and leave me a comment letting me know what your favorite piece was.

The Giveaway will be open until Thursday, February 25th at Midnight PST.  The winner will be announced on Friday, the 26th!



I'm linking up for Metamorphosis Monday with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch!

Another Winner!

The winner of the beautiful white cut work throw is Rhonda from Blue Creek Home!  Congrats Rhonda!

Blue Creek Home said...

I can see why you fell in love with this throw. It is just beautiful!!! I signed up to follow! Rhonda

Rhonda was picked by random.org and since this was my first time using it I can't figure out how to post a picture of the winning number, sorry you'll have to just trust me on this one until I can figure it all out!!!  If anyone can tell me how to post the picture from random.org that would be great!

Check back later this weekend for a wonderful artist profile.  You won't want to miss seeing this gorgeous pottery and some really beautiful felted purses, and another great giveaway!!!