Beach Stone Zen Wind Chime

Back in Stock: Zen Beach Stone Chime
Coast Chimes

One of my favourite things is beach combing, and fetching great natural materials from which to craft my art. Beach stones are amazing to work with, and made some of the coolest works I make.

I say the glass I use looks best in the sunlight, especially early morning and late afternoon light. The beach stone look great anytime, but show their best in the rain or snow. It's like the stone along the tide line, that look all shiny wet, and colours you do not notice when they are dry appear. So nice!

Like all my wind chimes, they are made for year round outdoor use. The chime pictured above has stones that have been drilled right through, and a strong copper wire keeps them together. Built to last!

Find all my beach stone creations here: Coast Chimes Beach Stones

Beach Combing for Art

Beachcomber's Wind Chime
Coast Chimes

It's been a relatively mild winter here on the Sunshine Coast, BC, but there have been a few big wind storms. Storms usually mean exceptional beachcombing! I go down below my house and walk the beach almost everyday, and last week I was lucky enough to spot this gorgeous piece of wood. I knew immediately it would be perfect for just this wind chime, and so here it is!

I love working with natural local materials, and feel most fortunate to have these lovely beach stones and sometimes nice driftwood. What would I do without these cool materials? Not only are they beautiful, but they inspire.

Visit my website to see all the amazing wind chimes and suncatchers: Coast Chimes

Christmas Shopping Made Easy

Kaleidoscope Suncatcher, by Coast Chimes

The Sunshine Coast Art Crawl was a huge success-- so many people dropping in at Coast Chimes, excited, enthusiastic, curious. Always a thrill, those three days!

Now the Christmas shopping has started online, and given that there may still be some congestion in the mail from the recent rotating strike activity of Canada Post, now is not too soon to order to assure delivery for the 25th.

Some popular designs are already sold out, such as the smaller size kaleidoscope chimes. But there is a lot of great stock left for you to choose from.

Best of all, for a few days I am running a 15% off sale on all large wind chimes, or any order $185 or more. My way of saying thank you.

Drop in on my website, Coast Chimes, or visit my Etsy store: Coast Chimes Etsy. It will be easy to find the perfect gift.

Sunshine Coast Art Crawl

A Little Corner of My Gallery: Coast Chimes

 

 

This past weekend was the annual 3 day Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, and if the crowd swooping down on Coast Chimes (one of the 165 venues) was any indication, what a success! So many people from so many different places (the Crawl is becoming really famous and popular even off the Coast). The gorgeous blue skies meant even wider smiles.

Each year I try to do better. This year I had another 800 feet of ferry lights, and those received a lot of compliments and interest. I'll aim for another 1000 feet next year, to really sparkle!

Each year I wish to have every single chime with a bottom section, i.e., complete. Since the top parts are more interesting for me to make than the chimes, over the winter I tend to fall behind on chime sections. Well, I was far short of achieving my goal-- about 50 small chimes short, and 30 large copper chimes short. Too bad, as it is fun to see all the works displayed, and I had to put many out of sight. Next year will be even better!

If you missed Coast Chimes during the Art Crawl, I am part of the Purple Banner group, so Coast Chimes is open all year round. Maybe phone ahead (604-229-5560) just to make sure I am home and not out on a beach combing mission.

Sunshine Coast Art Crawl 2018, Coast Chimes

One of the more than 200 works available this weekend at the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl 2018 at Coast Chimes, venue # 10, 535 Woodland Avenue, Gibsons. Hope you can visit!

 

 

 

 

Free handcrafted copper earrings with every wind chime or suncatcher purchase (also for sale without purchase)

October 19, 20, 21 is the date, this coming weekend, for the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl--  165 venues of great arts and crafts, free to visit and explore.

This will be the 4th time Coast Chimes participates, and it looks like the first time there will be blue skies, and warm temperatures: that's the way to see suncatchers!

I have actually been preparing for several months, and this week I have been transforming my workshop into a second gallery space. Now for the final clean-up, pricing, and arranging. With the blue skies, I look forward to placing more than usual out in the garden as well.

Hope you can visit! But if you can't make it, remember, Coast Chimes welcomes visits all year long.

Large Kaleidoscope Sea Glass Wind Chimes

Kaleidoscope Wind Chime by Coast Chimes

I have been working really hard, preparing for the fast approaching Sunshine Coast Art Crawl where, if history repeats, things should be hopping at my studio. It is the most exciting event of the year, but it does take an enormous amount of preparation. At the same time, I increase my stock enough to have lots available for the Christmas rush, which follows fast after the art crawl.

Just now, I have finished 10 rectangular large kaleidoscope wind chimes. They turned out really well, so I am very pleased. They are a striking addition to any garden, yard, sundeck, or porch. My entire collection of kaleidoscope wind chimes and suncatchers can be found here: Kaleidoscope Works.

Now I am cutting, polishing, assembling copper chime sections. This is one of the most labour intensive parts of all my duties. I hope to get nine sets assembled this week, and then I can move onto mid-sized freestanding beach stone chimes.

Photographing with Smokey Skies, Coast Chimes

Artist-made Sea Glass and Copper Outdoor Wind Chime

  This is a season of preparing for the very popular Sunshine Coast Art Crawl (October 19-21, 1018), and the quickly following Christmas shopping rush. I need a lot of stock to cover these two events, so my summer is spent busily creating.

Aside from making many great wind chimes and suncatchers, I need to photograph all that stock. That's typically just fine, as the garden looks good as a backdrop, and the sun in the early morning is quite nice for taking pictures. But this year half the province of British Columbia is burning, and although we don't have any major fires nearby, we do have a lot of smoke which blocks much of what would otherwise be blue skies and pure sunshine. Oh, oh!

Well, it turns out that this bright summer sun filtered through smokes is actually kind of nice light for taking pictures of my work! I was fearing a great backlog of works to photograph but, happily, I am snapping away with better results than expected. The light is not harsh (like noon sunshine), nor dim like too early in the morning, and the background is not too brightly illuminated, either, meaning I do not have to deal with underexposed foregrounds, overexposed backgrounds.

So there are a lot of brilliant new works on my website-- why not check it our? Visit Coast Chimes and see them, and some half decent pictures.

Natural Pacific Beach Stone Wind Chime

Natural Pacific Beach Stone Wind Chime

Five Antiqued Copper Chimes

Find it at Coast Chimes

Pretty much all my designs are heavily inspired by the beautiful natural environment in which I am fortunate enough to live in-- the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia. But many of my designs actually use materials found in nature, right on my doorstep.

This wind chime is a prime example of that. The stones come from my local beach, where I spend a good deal of time selecting them. At home, I put them together in what I find to be an appealing arrangement, and then I drill through each stone to connect them with a very strong copper wire.

The chimes take even more time. Raw copper is okay, but with a lot of elbow grease and some high-quality products, that copper can really glow. Also, I spent many years tweaking the design, until I found exactly what I wanted: beauty, durability, pleasant sound.

Why not visit Coast Chimes and browse all the amazing wind chimes and suncatchers? There is free shipping to the USA and Canada, even for big, heavy items like this impressive wind chime.

Beach Comber's Wind Chime

Beach Comber's Outdoor Large Wind Chime at Coast Chimes

My daily walk often takes me along the shore of the Pacific Ocean, down below our home. Sometimes I get lucky, and find a wonderful piece of driftwood, such as the one featured in the wind chime above. Or maybe a lovely rounded, smooth, beach stone catches my eye.

While the beaches here are full of stones, and driftwood, most are not for me. The wood, the stone, they have to be just right for me to lug home. Often I come home empty handed, and that is okay, too. Better nothing than the wrong thing. And there will be another day, another hike, soon-- another chance to maybe find just the right piece of wood or just the right stone.

When I do stumble upon a piece of wood like the one I used in this wind chime, my day brightens. When I don't find anything, well, at least I get a wonderful walk!

Visit my website to see all my driftwood, beach stones, and artist-made sea glass wind chimes and suncatchers: Coast Chimes.

Coast Chimes Summer Solstice Sale! Save 25% and Enjoy Free Shipping Too!

Add something beautiful to your outdoors now, with 25 % off, and free shipping!

Visit Coast Chimes or Etsy Now

Here on the Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada, the sun is shining, and yesterday, Father's Day, I had my first swim of the year in the ocean. It seems everyone is outside, enjoying the season. So what a great time to add something beautiful to your outdoor life? Or send along an amazing gift to someone special. It's easy, with free shipping, and a one week 25% off sale at Coast Chimes.

Happy Summer!

Alcohol Ink

This Wind Chime Can Be Found Here at Coast Chimes

This Wind Chime Can Be Found Here at Coast Chimes

This Wind Chime Can be Found Here at Coast Chimes

I love new materials, and alcohol ink is proving to be most interesting and beautiful. Years ago, I did quite a few reverse painted glass wind chimes, with acrylic paint. Alcohol ink is similar, but more challenging as it needs to be UV protected. So working with this ink is art and science.

For my sea glass, people frequently ask if I do not have any red, or purple. Alcohol ink more than satisfactorily solves this desire, as the colors are so brilliant. 

So for the red lovers, for the purple lovers, and the gold and silver lovers, here's to you!

See all my recent alcohol works, both suncatchers and wind chimes, here at Coast Chimes.

Warming Up with Beach Stones and Driftwood In My Winter Workshop

Beachcomber's Wind Chime
Driftwood & Beach Stones
@ Coast Chime for $85, Free Shipping

Winter has finally arrived here on the Sunshine Coast, with below average temperatures, snow and ice that isn't going anywhere soon. A perfect time to stay indoors and work on some new wind chimes. I am pleased to have a fairly good supply of dry driftwood and smooth, rounded beach stones, to make some of these awesome beachcomber wind chimes.

Visit my driftwood website section, or my beach stone website section for natural beauty.

Customer Satisfaction: Coast Chimes

Beaver Gnawed Driftwood and Copper
Wind Chime
At Its Gorgeous New Home

I love, love, love when my customers send me pictures of my work installed in their homes and gardens. Even better, sometimes I get to hear some of their story, and what attracted them to my work.

Last year I found a small piece of driftwood that had been chewed on both ends by a beaver-- so cool! I'd never seen anything like that. It was perfect for my small set of handmade antique brass chimes. That set sold quickly.

A little bit later, I found the big piece of double chewed driftwood pictured above, perfect for my large copper chimes. It's like some beaver was working for me!

This large set really grabbed the eye of someone with a most beautiful house; a house that they have put a ton of hard work into (as you can see a little bit of from the picture). They clearly have exceptional taste, and they knew my natural beaver driftwood and copper wind chime would fit perfectly. How right they were!

It feels really good to make someone very happy-- that is a HUGE part of my job satisfaction. I do get quite a few very enthusiastic emails after people receive their orders, and each time my day is notably brightened. So it works both ways: my work make someone feel great, and that makes me feel great. Win win.

Be sure to visit my website to see all the different wind chimes and suncatchers: Coast Chimes

Snowy Beautiful BC Holiday, Back at Work Now

Backcountry, Beautiful Snowy British Columbia
Near Apex Mountain

British Columbia truly is beautiful, and a short holiday in the snow made this crystal clear once again. We spent 5 nights at Apex Mountain, with some of the group X-country skiing, others downhill skiing, others snowshoeing, and still others simply hiking without any special equipment. Everyone enjoyed everyday.

I personally was thrilled to discover numerous trails that had been packed by snowshoers where I could walk quite easily without sinking too deeply, and without marring the trail for future skiers and snowshoers. One day we went on a nearly 4 hour hike, and we never saw another soul.

It was really cold (minus 17 C, or 1 F), and sometimes snowing, but hiking was an easy way to warm up, and infact get warm enough to remove gloves, unzip jackets. Absolutely awesome!

Now back home, and the work begins. I need to put my whole workshop back together (it has been stored away since the big art crawl back in mid-October). My stock of wind chimes and suncatchers is seriously depleted after the art crawl, and the Christmas rush. Oh, I will  have busy days ahead! But I am looking forward to making new, beautiful works.

There is still a good selection on my website, if you feel like adding something beautiful to your life, or a friends life: Coast Chimes. Happy 2018!