diy oyster shell necklace

May 28, 2021

I had some fun the last couple weeks making some necklaces from decoupaged oyster shells.

I had been putting holes in some shells to create some garlands and decided to drill some extras to create necklaces.

I have shared plenty of decoupaged shells in the past. If you still haven’t tried to make some, click here for simple instructions. Summer is a great time to try this craft made from some collected beach shells!

For making necklaces, drill the holes in the shells first. Then, decoupage – being sure to use the end of your paint brush to punch the appropriate hole where you have drilled after decoupaging. Next, add the chain, beads, rawhide, etc. of your choice to complete the necklace!

I happen to like a long necklace – with a 30” chain – but, your creation should reflect your own personal style.

Have some fun with it!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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spring walk in essex

April 23, 2021

Even though I live in a shoreline town, there are plenty more in Connecticut to explore! Some towns I may not visit very often, yet others I wouldn’t miss checking out on a regular basis.

Essex is one of these ‘regular basis’ towns. It has a quiet elegance about it and is very historic – It is home to one of the oldest (since 1776) continuously operated inns in the country. I usually visit this seaport village in July, but a friend and I recently made a spring visit.

As in any visit, we took plenty of time to notice outdoor home décor and gardens. Having done a formal home tour in Essex in the past, I know there are many magnificent interiors as well!

I hope you are inspired to enjoy some walks outside of your regular neighborhood during this pretty time of year!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to enjoy pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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christmas oyster shell dishes

December 18, 2020

You have seen decoupaged oyster shells on my blog before, but today I am including a few honoring the Christmas holiday.

I decided to make some as gifts and thought I’d share the pretty holiday patterns with you on today’s post.

Shown here are a few of my favorite decoupaged Christmas patterns.

If you are inspired, you still have time to craft a few of your own! You can get to the link with my original DIY instructions by clicking here.

Living on the coast, I salvage shells from the beach, but if you need them, most craft stores have some in stock.

Remember that other types of shells will work also, but a heavy, hard-to-break shell is best – I like oyster, clam, and scallop for good- sized, smooth surfaces.

Seas and greetings!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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can’t stop fall

September 18, 2020

We had a couple of cool days here in Connecticut and I couldn’t resist taking out some fall décor. Not that I have very much! Because I always resist acknowledging fall, I have never accumulated that much in décor to celebrate it! But I do have a box filled with velvet pumpkins I’ve made and I also own a few pumpkin pillows in neutral colors.

So, on one of the recent cool weather days, I took out my box of pumpkins on my lunch break and used them to update the fern centerpiece on my dining room table…basically, I just added some pumpkins and replaced one of the existing ferns with a white heather. Then I placed a few of the pumpkins in other rooms of the house.

Enough of a change to have something new to enjoy.

A little gray pumpkin in the bathroom.

A little white velvet pumpkin on display in the kitchen.

Have you done anything with your home décor to celebrate the upcoming change in season?

Thanks for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. As I hesitate to acknowledge fall, HomeGoods already has Christmas merchandise on display!

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storm isaias

August 7, 2020

I found an easy way to make good on my promise to change up my perspective at least once a week. Walking around outside and checking out Storm Isaias, up close and personal, accomplished my perspective change for the week!

Looking back, it probably wasn’t the best idea that It just so happened I was checking it out while a tornado warning was in effect! But, I’m glad I did. The coastline was so beautiful to watch during the storm!

Our area of the state – the southwest – was hit especially hard. Connecticut received a significant amount of the strongest winds from the storm – wind gusts in my town reached 68 mph – which was why I had trouble standing up when I tried to take photos and was only able to take a few! Watching the rage of the storm and getting soaked by the sea spray was actually invigorating – and the beauty of nature was awe-inspiring.

The storm rated in the top three in the history of our state in terms of power outages (probably at least through the weekend), It was bad enough so many people were already confined to their homes because of COVID-19, but now many need to leave to seek out a shower, a charging station, or a hot meal – if a store or a restaurant nearby has power and is open! Or, if the roads on the way aren’t blocked by trees! Most traffic lights are out, so that poses a hazard as well!

I found a Target open today and the store was operating on what I would guess was ‘generator mode.’ The lighting was barely bright enough to see and the produce area and freezers were empty.

I hope you are faring well if you are in one of the towns in Isaias’s path.

2020 just keeps getting more challenging!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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bustin’ out of quarantine

June 23, 2020

My first escape out of quarantine was a quick trip to Newport, Rhode Island. It felt really great to see something besides the inside of my house and my neighborhood for a change!

One of the things I love about where I live in Connecticut is how accessible it is to so many great places. Deciding to do a ‘first weekend of summer’ trip to Newport, Rhode Island was a great way to gain a little perspective. And a visit to Mystic, Connecticut as well as Watch Hill, Rhode Island was easy to include in the trip!

Breakfast at Sift in Mystic is always a requirement when in the area. I am a fan of Chef Adam Young and love to see what the current offerings are at his fabulous bakery!

I stayed at the Newport Marriott – a hotel you have seen me post before. The coastal décor is really fun and it is always a great place to stay – right in the hub of Newport.

Trying to make this a healthful trip, my daughter and I included the Cliff Walk on our schedule. Only 3.5 miles – it is an easy 7-mile round trip walk. When I was a kid, I would be amazed at all the magnificent mansions. These days, the flowers, ocean view and architectural details appeal to me most.

If you have never been to Newport, The Cliff Walk runs along the eastern shore and is world famous as a public access walk that combines the natural beauty of the Newport shoreline with the architectural history of Newport’s gilded age. It is a National Recreation Trail in a National Historic District.

Eating out in Newport is usually at one of the ‘old standby’ restaurants or pubs, but this trip we decided to try a newer restaurant. Only in business for about a year, we found Bar ’Cino to be a great place and we were so happy we gave it a try!

Visiting a great coffee place in the morning is always a must and we got a super recommendation from a friend. I decided on a lavender latte – fabulous!

We added more miles to our tally by walking around Watch Hill before heading home. Watch Hill is one of a number of small villages that make up Westerly, Rhode Island – an affluent coastal village located at the most southwestern part of the state.

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of my first trip out of quarantine – a quick view of three coastal New England towns. Where is your first ‘bustin’ out’ location?

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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decoupaged oyster shell pendant necklace

May 19, 2020

How many oyster shell trinket dishes can one person use? After making quite a few of these beauties during quarantine, I started coming up with some other ways to use these decorative pieces.

Living in a spot where oyster shells are readily available makes it easy to go a little overboard when using them in a craft! I love the way the shells come out when decoupaged, so I needed to start coming up with some additional uses for them other then what I’ve done in the past.

There are plenty of ways to use masses of shells – in a wreath…or, even as I have shown you in the past – as ground cover in place of mulch – but this time, I am utilizing shells in a way that highlights each one individually. Because, once decoupaged, each oyster shell is so unique and beautiful, a great way to highlight an individual one is to make it into a necklace, using the shell as a pendant.

After the shell is decoupaged (full tutorial here), simply add it to a chain or a piece of leather. Here, I have added beads to a chain. Wooden beads are also a great choice – some natural colored wood beads highlighted with a few painted gold would have set off this shell nicely!

The only real challenge with creating a necklace is to add a hole to the shell. I say challenge because of the shape and texture of the shell. Caution is required so that the tool you are using does not slip. And, because of the texture of the shell, caution is also required so as not to split the shell while drilling.

I made this necklace to go with one of my favorite sweaters…just need to add some gold sandals and white jeans and I have a super OOTD!

Probably the best and safest way to make a hole in a shell is with a Dremel using water. Because of quarantine, the only tool I had available for my project was a regular drill. I used a masonry bit and held the shell with some pliers so that if the drill slipped, it wouldn’t drill through my hand! Like I said, caution is required!

If you plan on making a habit of putting holes in shells, I suggest you purchase a Dremel and follow the instructions very carefully!

Decoupage shells in colors/patterns that coordinate with your wardrobe and create some great statement necklaces!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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beach walk

April 24, 2020

With the virus causing so many places to be shut down here in Fairfield County, I feel lucky that our town beaches have remained open for residents. A walk on the beach can sure make a bad day seem a whole lot better!

My beach walk today is to do a little scavenging for my next craft project. Can you guess what it is?

Did you guess what it was I was collecting? If you guessed shells, you were correct! The type of shell, specifically? Oyster! Although I did find some small ones, I didn’t find any of the really large ones I had hoped for!

Luckily, one of my friends is very close with a family in Connecticut who have been oystermen since the 1940s (fourth generation) and operate one of the last standing traditional oyster farms in the United States. Because of this, I was able to score some really choice, large oyster shells that are perfect for my project!

Maybe you didn’t realize Connecticut was a big oyster state? The Connecticut shoreline actually has more tributary rivers per linear mile of coastline than any other region in the country and this unique geographical characteristic creates the most ideal environment for oysters to thrive.

I haven’t made anything from oyster shells for a while. You may remember the oyster shell place cards I posted a while back? Click here to see.

There is a current craze to decoupage oyster shells in blue and white chinoiserie. Everything I’ve seen has been blue and white. So, I am totally motivated to create some decoupaged oyster shells in some different color palettes. So, since I have had enough of making Christmas ornaments in April, I am moving on to decoupaged oyster shells! Of course, I could easily convert these oyster shell pieces into Christmas ornaments! ;)

Stop back next week to see my creations and get full instructions to make your own!

I hope these photos may have inspired you to take a walk somewhere picturesque near you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Take pleasure in simple things and stay healthy, Jackie

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coquina

March 20, 2020

Coquina is a new oceanfront restaurant set to a backdrop of the ocean breezes of Amelia Island, Florida. While staying at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Coquina is a great place to order up local seafood and coastal dishes inspired by the island’s Spanish heritage.

This al fresco restaurant serves dinner under some beautiful coastal lighting (click here to see more) overlooking the resort’s dune-lined beaches. Coquina’s menu includes ceviche made from freshly caught fish and shareable tapas. A full-bar overlooking the ocean is a great spot to order a signature cocktail. (See some signature drinks by clicking here.)

One of the first to sit in this beautiful new spot with friends, I happened to be staying at the Ritz at the time Coquina opened, just this March.

I hope you enjoyed these few photos of the new restaurant Coquina on today’s Friday field trip!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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lighting at coquina

March 10, 2020

In my last post I shared some cool drinks I shared with friends at Coquina in Amelia Island, Florida. Today, I am sharing some of the lighting at this new coastal restaurant.