Gifts from the Sea... The Shell Shop... and My Mom



I am reminded of the use of shells in design when I see the shells that visitors have collected from the beach and then don't take home when they leave.  My great aunt taught me at a very young age the beauty of silver charm bracelets and shells from the beach! She gave me my first shell and my first charm for my silver charm bracelet.
. I had a shell collection as a girl scout and have  alway picked up shells and rocks and stones along the way of life. My guest used to write me crazy messages on the shells when they visited my cottage.

As I begin the restoration of my cottage, I am running across so many shells that the renter left here. Should I take them back to the beach? I am a girl about nature and a girl  about design so I will share some of the ways the shells  that we find can make our lives more beautiful...
Your favorite bowl or plate or vase or whatever makes you happy..BEGIN THERE..................

I have collected shells all of my life and have inherited some from   my Mom.

this spaghetti coral she found on a beach somewhere

these shells came from an island near by...............

these all came from Habersham Antique Gallery and Horse pen creek on Tybee

a vintage souvenir from the 1930's

more shells from our collections. ....her suitcases were always full of rocks or shells she found in her travels

these belong to my friend and client who's project will be featured in an upcoming Coastal Living story

found objects and a vintage light and a beautiful old jug from a near by farm

simple white and peaceful

gifts from the sea by way of the shell shop at T.S Chu's on Tybee Island

these vintage shells have a small pump and water flowing thru...very unique and a great use of an antique world globe stand...from Wren's Nest cottage...........

straight from the ocean to this wooden mauve(OMG) bowl. I can still see the notes written on some of the shells by my firends and family.. will begin that again when I move back in.............

sunlight  and star fish on a window sills in winter to warm the soul.........
OK.... Your turn to share your treasures.!!!!!

Working On My New Old Beach House

My new dining table and chairs..................

Not much room for the turkey!!!!!

but alway room for art.................

 Not much room for accessories...............................

but always room for art.......................

and more art...............

a large over sized mirror makes the entire room appear larger..............

the original Mirror from 1920..the reflection is the wall across of a wooden wall and a fish cabinet that opens

the ghost chairs dont occupy visual space and I need all the help I can get in 621 sq feet

I have decided to add on a tiny bit to my first beach house and move in as soon as possible. It is 621 square feet and I lived there when I moved to Tybee Island in 1992. It had Spanish Mediterranean cabinets and orange laminated counter tops. It was beige and brown but the walls were so interesting and the ocean was 99 steps away............



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Anna's Latest Wedding Flowers

I helped Anna with another wedding and it was wonderful.( All I do is pick up and clean up and hand the right flowers requested and take a few photos as the beauty unfolds) I wanted to share the creation from the beginning. It takes months of planning and preparation for any special event. The days leading up to the wedding are so busy . Once the flowers have arrived safely ...have you ever carried a five gallon bucket full of water  and flowers....NO small task ,I can assure you.!!!!

I watch in amazement as the work unfolds. Creating everything from giant arrangements 4 feet by 5 feet wide to small pompadour balls for the flower girls,  bouquets, and bunches of beautiful trailing flowers  attached to a suspended twig mossed platforms. Breathe taking, for certain!!!

table center pieces consisted of Moon Moss, Leonotis roses (copper fall colored rose), white garden roses, antique hydrangea, Eucalyptus Berries and finished off with Camellia foliage.

  waiting to be transported to the  tables.....

bouquets in the making

In this wedding there is a twig arbor outside with the river as a back drop. The same twig detail is repeated in the beautiful hanging arrangements created on a pulley system.

                               work in progress......

My favorite thing ..the wedding arbor (complete with grandmothers antique table cloth).

Beautiful "Garden Roses" So Fragrant!

A beautiful place for a wedding..the dogs were even having  good time

SO MUCH WORK...SO MUCH BEAUTY...SO MUCH TALENT!!!!

inside the tent

close up of the pulley system for the platform ( antique pulley belonged to the father of the bride's grandfather

It was such a special day..even the mother of the bride "stopped to smell the roses"

Beach Front Jewel

Hi friends. It's Crystal here. You know that crazy chick that always starts a blog, grows tired of it and  poof it's gone. Yep! That's me, and you have my permission to refer to me as crazy Crystal from this point on. It has been a while since I guest blogged on here and I've got some vintage beach goodness for you today. My hubby and I recently celebrated our anniversary on the GA coast. We started out at St. Simons Island and wrapped things up over at Jekyll Island. While my hubby has visited both Islands, I had never had the pleasure. And now after visiting them both I can honestly say my heart is with Tybee Island 100%!

While we were visiting St. Simons Lighthouse we found a diamond in the rough. It's located directly across from the lighthouse office. Does this have JANE COSLICK written all over it or what? To see the entire image on the ones that are cut off, just click on the image to enlarge. 

Beach front Property. You can see it needs lots of work. It's in pretty sad shape. But nothing Miss Jane couldn't conquer. I have no idea if it's for sale or not. It was empty and the door was cracked open a bit just inviting me in for a spell. My husband on the other hand was against it and kept reminding me that I would be trespassing. TRESPASSING??? I didn't see any "No Trespassing" signs. If I had been alone I would gone in. Men! Pfftt!!

Shooting through the screen. I always love using this method. I think it gives such a dreamy effect.

 Love the french doors

The side

I was able to peek through some of the windows and see into the kitchen. It was very outdated, but it did have a cool farmhouse sink.

I love how the sun is peeking through the trees in this one. I can't believe I was up that early. 

Well that's it for my guest post. I hope you enjoyed seeing this delightful little cottage. I sure hope someone can save it. It would be such a shame to see it go to waste. Thank you, Jane for having me.  

Happy Sunday............A Preview of Beauty !!!!