Happy New Year, from Coast Chimes

Happy New Year Wishes
from Coast Chimes

I can not believe 2019 is gone! What a busy, great year! My customers kept me busier than ever (thank you!), and kind messages about orders received kept me more motivated than ever: there is nothing better than an email raving about a wind chime or suncatcher, or how happy my work made someone-- so great!

My plan of not getting my workshop back together before the new year fell flat, as I saw only one set of copper chimes left. So ordering copper, sawing, sanding with a vengeance. The copper chimes are for now under control, and onto some new design ideas that I am excited to share, once the sun pokes through and there is enough light to snap a few pictures... soon, I hope!

Happy new year, all the best for 2020!

Making the First of Many Sets
Copper Chimes, Coast Chimes

Thank You, from Coast Chimes

A Sincere Thank You
To All Those Who Appreciate and Support Handmade Quality

Back over 25 years ago, in my home in the woods, far from most people, I first came to understand what an amazing thing the Internet could be, as I discovered I could reach the whole world. Thanks to the Internet, my work started to spread far and wide: the USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan.

This year, and especially this Christmas season, has been no exception. And I am grateful. So thank you all my customers. You make what I do possible.

Wishing you a happy holiday season, and a fantastic 2020.

Exceptional Christmas, Housewarming, Birthday Gifts: Coast Chimes

Freestanding Kaleidoscope Suncatcher
$95 with Free Shipping at Coast Chimes

Some call this a suncatcher, but eye-catcher might be more accurate! Loose morsels of artist-made sea glass come to life when the sun shines through the glass. Perfect to brighten any windowsill. What a great gift for Christmas, housewarming, birthday. The well crafted cedar box frame with extra-thick plate glass sits in a contrasting cedar stand, all hand oiled with an exceptional tung nut finish.

See the many original designs featuring glass, copper, driftwood, beach stone and other beautiful materials at Coast Chimes.

Coast Chimes, Something for Everyone

Beach Stone
Cobalt Blue Glass
Copper
Large Outdoor Windchime at Coast Chimes

It doesn't have to be a struggle to find a great gift for a special person. At Coast Chimes, you can find something that they never will guess, and that they most certainly will love. From suncatchers and chimes starting at $55 to giant freestanding wind chimes, all with free shipping to the USA and Canada, you can't go wrong.

Shipping to a 3rd party is also possible. Send along a personal message, and it will be transcribed onto a card and enclosed in the box. What could be easier?

So beautiful, such high-quality, shop at Coast Chimes now for the best selection.

Coast Chime Popular, Beautiful Christmas Gifts

Cobalt Blue Artist-made Sea Glass
Cedar and Copper
Art Wind Chime at Coast Chimes

The Wind Chimes and Suncatchers at Coast Chimes always make popular Christmas gifts. This year orders are going out the door in record numbers. I'm tied up with boxing and shipping, and so no new items will likely be added until the new year. In other words, shop early for the best selection, and also to assure delivery.

Find the entire selection (all with free shipping to the USA and Canada) at Coast Chimes.

Great Christmas Gifts at Coast Chimes

Freestanding Kaleidoscope Suncathcer
Artist-made Sea Glass, Cedar
find it at Coast Chimes

Christmas shopping has evidently started early this year. I do not plan on making any more works until 202: stock is limited, and more limited everyday. For the best selection, and also to assure delivery in time, it is highly recommended to shop soon.

The above popular design, freestanding kaleidoscope suncatcher, featuring loosely trapped artist-made sea glass (yes, it can be shaking about), in a handcrafted cedar box frame with a cedar stand, is proving especially popular this week, and I only have a couple left. Find them (along with a few different styles) in the suncatcher section of my website.

Everything on my website is presented with pride. These are all items that anyone would be thrilled to have as a gift. Free shipping on all orders to the USA and Canada.

Kettle Valley Rail Trail Mini-vacation

Summers are just too beautiful here on the Sunshine Coast to go away! Fall and winter, a different matter.

As the fall rains start, getting away for at least a few days can be refreshing. Strapping the bikes on the back of the car and heading into the Penticton BC area to sample the famous Kettle Valley Rail Trail is a simple, fun holiday.

We warmed up the first day riding the length of Skaha lake, both directions, and exploring Penticton. 60 kilometres was hardly a strain (I do have an e-bike, but my wife was on her heavy regular Liv bike), as the terrain around the lake was quite flat.

We then had a day of hiking, follow by moving to our very comfortable Naramata Airbnb. The next morning we went to a more wilderness section of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, and, in fact, we only saw a three other people during then entire 50 kilometre trip. The trail was excellent: spectacular views, cool tunnels, fresh air, no vehicles, a gentle grade: perfect!

We had  been mildly concerned about going in mid-November, but this proved, at least this year, to be perfect timing. No snow, no ice, no crowds, and very fresh air to keep you peddling hard to warm up! It was a little too fresh coming back down, but nothing a Baileys coffee at the local pub couldn't put right, followed by a sampler of spirits at a local distillery (Legends, highly recommend for the spirits and the food!).

Below, a few pics from the Kettle Valley Rail Trail.

A Gentle Incline, Kettle Valley Rail Trail near Naramata, BC
(my 2020 Turbo Vado 3.0)

Tunnel on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail

Giant Ponderosa Pine, Kettle Valley Rail Trail

View From the Kettle Valley Rail Trail

View on the Return, Kettle Valley Rail Trail

Warming Up, Legend Distilling, Naramata, BC

Framed Cobalt Glass with Driftwood, Coast Chimes

Framed Cobalt Blue Copper Wire Wrapped Glass
with Driftwood by Coast Chimes

I always loved this framed glass with driftwood piece, and regretted not having any pictures. It sold very quickly at an annual Sunshine Coast Art Crawl a number of years ago. Then, during this year's Art Crawl, the person who now owns it revisited. I was very happy she agreed to send some pictures.

Seeing it again, at its new home, I am again struck by how beautiful it is— sorry, no modesty here!

Now I am inspired to attempt making another of this style. Top of my list when I get my tools back out at the start of 2020.

In the meantime, there are many nice things to see (and buy!) at Coast Chimes.

Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, 2019, Coast Chimes

Sunshine Coast Art Crawl
October 18-20, 10 AM - 5 PM
Coast Chimes

The 10th Annual Sunshine Coast Art Crawl starts tomorrow, October 18 and runs through Sunday. I hope you can visit Coast Chimes, 535 Woodland Avenue, Gibsons!

This year, I started preparing earlier than ever, and it shows! More wind chimes! More suncatchers! Using artist-made sea glass, copper, brass, cedar, beach stones, driftwood, I've made beautiful art for your home and garden.

Despite a rather grim weather forecast, rest assured the Coast Chimes studio gallery will be warm, inviting, bright.

Enjoy the 2019 Art Crawl!

Tree / Christmas Ornaments, Earrings, Suncatchers, Wind Chimes

Large Wind Chimes

Double Freestanding Wind Chime
Beach Stone Base
at Coast Chimes

It is a joy to make some larger works. I used to make more of them, but shipping such things is not as much fun as making them! So the annual Sunshine Coast Art Crawl provides a chance to make some, since people come to my studio and I do not have to carefully box them up and pay the postage.

I did still put the above gorgeous chime on my website and Etsy-- it's okay to occasionally ship such things, just not too often!

I made six different styles for the Art Crawl. It will be interesting to see how many I have left after. If I do have a few, that is actually just fine with me, as I love them in my own yard.

Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, October 18-20, 2019

Cobalt Blue Artist-made Sea Glass and Copper Wind Chime
by Coast Chimes

How exciting! Just over a week until the 2019 Sunshine Coast Art Crawl! I'm almost ready, with nearly 250 gorgeous wind chimes and suncatchers. Most of these are available for preview on the website: Coast Chimes

There are a few more special works to assemble, and then the BIG transformation: changing my workshop into gallery space. This involves moving and storing all the tools and glass, cleaning up, hanging fixtures and lights, and arranging the works of art. I allow four days for that.

If you live on the Sunshine Coast, or if you are visiting for the Crawl, be sure to drop by Coast Chimes. I look forward to seeing you! Here are directions: Coast Chimes Location

Frosty White Artist-made Sea Glass Chime by Coast Chimes

Natural Materials in Art

Natural Beach Stones and Oyster Shell
with Cobalt Blue Glass, Copper, Brass
Wind Chime by Coast Chimes
$87 Free Shipping

Using natural materials from local beaches is something I really like to do.

Working long hours in a rather dark workshop basement, getting out for an hour or two each day is beneficial to my mental and physical health. A walk from my home has it all. My workday hike takes me through urban, beach, and forest environments, and I never fail to come back refreshed (also with a stone or piece of driftwood!).

It takes time to find stones that are of the sort I like. Driftwood, around here, is even more challenging to find. I try to keep a good collection in my workshop, so that when the urge to use natural materials strikes I have a generous selection to choose from.

All these natural materials seem to compliment my artist-made sea glass in a most excellent way. Visit my website to see some of the many exceptional works I have on offer: Coast Chimes

Larger Works, BIG Wind Chimes, Sunshine Coast Art Crawl

Massive Driftwood
Glass and Copper Outdoor Wind Chime
at Coast Chimes

The Sunshine Coast Art Crawl is fast approaching (Oct. 18-20, 2019), so I am finishing up a number of works-in-progress. I take the opportunity of having lots of people visit my studio to create some larger than usual wind chime, ones I would not be too keen on shipping.

The gorgeous piece of driftwood pictured above is one I found several months ago. I could ship it, and it is, in fact, available online, I just would prefer not to, for obvious reasons. I also made half a dozen very large freestanding double wind chimes, with huge beach stone bases, that I don't even bother putting online, as they cost so much to ship, and take me many hours to box up. I do love having the chance to make some larger works: so much fun!

If you live on the Sunshine Coast, or if you will be visiting for the Art Crawl, I hope to see you at Coast Chimes, 535 Woodland Avenue, venue no. 13.

Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, 2019

Getting Ready!
Sunshine Coast Art Crawl
October 18- 20, 2019

Each year it is bigger, better, more exciting: the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl. This is an exceptionally well organized, fun, and free, event. If you are on the Sunshine Coast, visit some of the 165 galleries and studios featuring 380 artists and crafters. It's so much fun to not only see the creativity, but also the workshops and display spaces. Chatting with the artists is great, too!

Each year I am determined to have more finished works, and each year I allot more time to prepare. Despite this, it is more of a struggle than ever this year, because online shopping is constantly taking stock away, and there have also been more walk-in customers, mostly thanks to the Purple Banner program. But you can see from the picture above that there will be a great selection available. Also, there is never any need to feel even remotely like if you visit studios you should buy something-- not in the least! It is always a thrill to show off works, talk about inspiration, methods, and there is never any pressure to buy.

That said, Coast Chimes does have lots available for a very reasonable price (starting at $8 for glass and copper tree / garden / Christmas ornaments). And if you should decide to get a larger item, you get one of those for free!

I hope to see you at Coast Chimes, Venue no. 13, 535 Woodland Avenue, Gibsons, BC

Kaleidoscope Wind Chime with Blue Glass
$95 at Coast Chimes

Sunshine Coast Art Crawl 2019

Elegant Sea Glass, Cedar, Copper Wind Chime
$195 at Coast Chimes

Full speed ahead— for the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, 2019!

October 18-20, 165 galleries, 380 artists, including Coast Chimes. If past years are anything to go by, this will be an extremely fun, busy, interesting weekend. If you live on the Sunshine Coast, don't hesitate to visit some studios-- it's free, and so interesting to see the creativity and the studios. If you live outside of the Sunshine Coast and can possibly make it over, it is truly worth the effort. The Sunshine Coast is home to a large number of extremely gifted artists and crafters.

Studios are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 10 AM - 5 PM. Some studios also have events on Friday evening. 

I have been working for months in preparation, determined to have the most works, the best displays, yet. Coast Chimes will have about 225 wind chimes and suncatchers: glass, copper, cedar, driftwood, beach stones. Many of these are also on display on my website where you can get a taste (www.coastchimes.com), but when you visit during the Art Crawl, you save at least 30%-- my way of encouraging shop local! Susanne Keller will also have her gorgeous Can't Break Me Bowls, and Can't Break Me games on display.

Eye-catching Suncatchers at Coast Chimes

Freestanding Kaleidoscope Sun Catcher
$95 at Coast Chimes, Free Shipping

The glass is loosely (you can shake it around) trapped between two plates of extra-thick glass in a well crafted cedar frame. When the sun shines through, you are treated to an amazing kaleidoscope of colour!

The cedar is treated with an exceptional eco-friendly hand rubbed finish that will never peel or flake.

This freestanding kaleidoscope suncatcher is great anywhere, but it looks especially nice on a sunny windowsill.

Find many different styles of suncatchers at Coast Chimes.

Unusual Glass, Coast Chime Wind Chimes and Suncatchers

Teal and Gold Sea Glass with Copper
$195 at Coast Chimes

Sometimes I happily happen on unusual glass. Above, a most beautiful shade of teal, and, below, a section at the top of art stained glass. I tend to hoard such glass... waiting until the moment of inspiration hits. I held onto the piece below for at least 7 years, and then I suddenly felt like using it.

See all my amazing wind chimes and suncatchers at Coast Chimes.

Special, Colourful, Handcrafted Chime
$95 at Coast Chimes

Keeping it Simple, Beach Stones and Glass Wind Chimes

Simplicity is Delightful!
Glass, Copper, Beach Stones, Antiqued Brass Chimes
$75, Free Shipping, at Coast Chimes

Adding a few beach pebbles to a chime somehow just seems to make it more balanced, simpler, more natural. Zen, I guess.

This summer I discovered a new beach with many exceptional stones. Mostly going on my bike, I can include a bike ride, a walk along the beach, a swim, a bit of reading, and return with a few lovely fresh stones.

Very high quality diamond drill bits to cut the needed holes through the stones are super expensive, so I rely on relatively cheap diamond bits. The good is that they are not so expensive, the bad is that the quality is... variable. Sometimes it takes 2-3 bits just to cut through one small stone. Sometimes the bit is pretty good, and I can cut 5-6 stones before it is worn out. It's time consuming, but the results are worth it!

The glass, like most beach glass, comes from a wine bottle. With a mat finish and smooth edges, it's just gorgeous.

See all the glass, copper, beach stone, driftwood wind chimes and sun catchers (nearly 200 works, currently!) by visiting my website: Coast Chimes.

Busy Days at Coast Chimes

Busy days at Coast Chimes, both fulfilling incoming orders and preparing for the exciting Sunshine Coast Art Crawl 2019. Loving the sunflowers in the background of recent photos of new stock. Visit Coast Chimes to see more. Follow on Instagram to see fresh images.

Frosty White Glass and Copper Wind Chime

Artist-made Sea Glass Wind Chime

Cobalt Blue by Coast Chimes

Blue and Green Glass Chime

Artist-made Sea Glass and Copper Spirals

Beachcombing Time

Natural Zen Beach Stone Wind Chime
$87 with Free Shipping at
Coast Chimes

There have been almost daily trips to the local beaches this summer, for swimming, reading, relaxing, and... especially beach combing. I found several new beaches with excellent beach stones, as reflected in the creation pictured above. I simply love beach stones.

My glass suncatchers and wind chimes look best in the sunlight, especially early morning and late afternoon with the light filtering through the glass from behind. Beach stones look great anytime, but at their best wet from the rain, which brings out the shades and often makes them shine.

They are all suitable for year round outdoor use, in any climate.

Browse all my works at Coast Chimes.

New Beachcomber Wind Chimes: Coast Chimes

Summer afternoon hours spent at the ocean— reading, dreaming, swimming, and beach combing. The success of the beach combing is reflected in my most recent creations, a few of which are pictured below. Visit Coast Chimes to see these and many other unique works.

Driftwood, Beach Stones, Oyster Shell
Antiqued Brass Chimes

Natural Beach Stones
Copper Wrapped Glass
Antiqued Brass Chimes

Natural Driftwood and Beach Stones
Copper Wrapped Sea Glass
Antiqued Brass Chimes

Natural Beach Stone Zen Chime

Good Summer Light for Picture Taking

Below are a few recent pictures of my works, taking advantage of pretty nice summer light. I took a bunch, and then realized that the awful shade of green netting over the background blueberry bushes was not working, at all! So I had to retake them all, once the netting was done.

I invest considerable effort trying to capture my work. It's really tricky, because the light changes the appearance of the glass so much. I do the best I can... and frequently redo!

Find all these gorgeous wind chimes (and many more!) at Coast Chimes.

Skookumchuck Narrows, Sunshine Coast BC Mini-holiday

We took a mini-holiday, basically a staycation, as we did not leave the Sunshine Coast, but drove an hour up the coast to the West Coast Wilderness Lodge. That's a fantastic place for a little R & R, with one of the most beautiful dining areas I've ever seen out on their patio. We had some bicycle trail adventures before checking into the lodge, then relaxed and dined.

The next day we had thought of exploring further on our bikes, but there was some drizzle coming down, and so we decided to revisit the world famous Skookumchuck Narrows. This is a place where the land narrows, and the tides rush through like a crazy river. We happened to hit it at one of the more fantastic viewing times (there are published times for viewing at its best). Although I've visited perhaps half a dozen times over the years, it never, ever fails to impress.

The Tide Ripping Through the Skookumchuck

It's an easy, mostly level, 40 minute stroll into the furthest viewing point. Just before arriving back at the car, there is a very good bakery nestled in the woods where we got delicious treats and drinks. Then the drizzle had ceased, so we got a bit of biking after all. The only just slightly disappointing part of the whole mini-vacation is that the so called Suncoaster bike trail is not at all what it is written up to be. After approximately 6 kilometres, one section was completely closed, and going back on another section was so rough, and steep, we had to walk a lot of it. Trying the start of the trail the next day, the first few hundred metres were great, and then back to extremely rough, and steep. Nope, not a bike trail unless you perhaps are into extreme mountain biking.

Challenge of Photographing Glass

Double Freestanding Wind Chime
Beach Stone Base
at Coast Chimes

Taking pictures of my work is a constant and frustrating challenge. Often I think I have an okay picture, post it to my website and Etsy, and then weeks or months later revisit and can not believe how bad the picture is! I take an awful lot of pictures, and retake even more.

The issues are that my works are quite thin, so it is a challenge to get the focus right. Even more so because my background is not all that attractive, or at least it is a bit chaotic, and so I wish to use a very narrow focal plane, which makes getting the target in focus even tougher. Then there is the light. My glass changes appearance greatly depending on the light conditions. I wish to capture it looking really good, but the light seldom cooperates.

Enough complaining, right? I make beautiful works, and even if I seldom achieve great pictures, maybe it is better to let people be pleasantly surprised that what they receive is much nicer than the pictures (I get a lot of comments about that).

Anyway, these past days have been devoted to packing and shipping, making copper chimes, and re-taking pictures that are really not good enough. Always plenty to do around here!

My Type of Summer Holiday: Sunshine Coast, BC

Not Exactly Crowded
Beach Sunday, Sunshine Coast, BC

Being Fortunate enough to live in a very beautiful area, the summer attracts a lot of tourists. Going to downtown Gibsons or Sechelt any day of the summer, but especially on weekends, you would think it would be impossible to get away from the crowd. Not so!

Yes, if you just park your vehicle and expect seclusion, you will likely be a little disappointed. But pretty much take a five minute walk along the shoreline in any direction, and more than likely you will be away from it all. The entire shoreline is public property, so don't fret that you may be trespassing, because you are not.

Yesterday, Sunday, possibly the warmest, most beautiful afternoon yet of the summer, I zipped down to the closest bike rack near the beach, locked up, walked past the dozen or so people who did not want to walk for five minutes (or who don't mind a bit of a crowd) and around the corner found this lovely stretch of sand and pebble beach with not a soul in sight. I spent two hours reading, dreaming, swimming, sunning, and no one even walked past. So peaceful, so enjoyable.

This is my primary way of taking my summer vacation. No driving for hours, no hotels, no tents, just a relaxing few hours each sunny afternoon. I get up very early and work for around six hours, take my break, and then perhaps work for another hour or two. Rinse and repeat. As I said, most enjoyable.

Beautiful and Unique Additions to Your Landscape

Warm Earth Colours
Kaleidoscope Wind Chime
$87 with Free Shipping at Coast Chimes

After a fair period of warm, somewhat sunny, days, today is a cool, wet day here on the Sunshine Coast. That got me looking at this warming earth coloured kaleidoscope wind chime. There is something comforting and warming about the golden yellows, rich ambers, chocolate browns, and grass greens. Perfect for any yard or garden.

Find the perfect addition to your landscape or the best gift for a loved one at Coast Chimes.

Time Off, Fireweed Jelly

Fireweed Blossom Picking
Sunshine Coast BC

My job is a pleasure. But I do enjoy some time off. All year long, I make a point of going for a walk or hike during the day, just an hour or so, which is refreshing, especially in the winter rains! But really I am waiting for summer, with blue skies, warm ocean. My holiday time is a couple of hours each nice afternoon, walking or biking down to one of my favourite beaches, sprawling out with a good book in the shade, taking dips. Lovely.

Some good, long hikes are also always a preferred summer time-out. Lately we made several trips up to a large fireweed patch we had our eyes on. The first couple of trips, the flowers were not quite open. The last time was perfect for picking, and we got our ten cups for fireweed jelly (see below).

I first stumbled across fireweed jelly somewhere on the internet-- perhaps Instagram or Pinterest, and it immediately caught my eye. This was several years ago, and it has been on the to-do list ever since. I am so pleased to have finally accomplished the making of this treat, as it is absolutely gorgeous. The color is so intense, it almost looks artificial. However, nothing could be more natural.

While trying to steel a couple of hours a day for my 'break,' I feel the pressure of attempting to keep my stock of wind chimes and suncatchers up, and, indeed, increasing stock for the fast approaching Sunshine Coast Art Crawl. That's all going okay, but I need to keep working really hard to get to where I wish to be. It will happen. Even with my daily mini-vacations.

Fireweed Jelly

Kaleidoscope Wind Chime
at Coast Chimes