Christmas Gifts Shop Early Warning

 

Warning: coming up to Christmas, and this year is different. In the past, customers could shop up until about the 15th of December, and still have a good selection, still expect to get their order in time. Now the post office is much, much busier, shipping times are already delayed: this will get worse. Covid-19 has caused online shopping to take off like crazy, and Coast Chimes has struggled to keep up, and to keep stock.

Some popular items are already sold out (like diamond-shaped freestanding kaleidoscope suncatchers). Stock is limited, and becoming more limited. There is currently a wonderful selection of awesome wind chimes and suncatchers, but it may be slim pickings by early December. I am hoping to have time to still make more works, but that all depends on how much packing / shipping I am doing. So no guarantee.

In short, to avoid disappointment shop early.

Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, 2020, Coast Chimes

 Kaleidoscope Wind Chime

by Coast Chimes

It's always been an exciting part of the year: the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl. And Coast Chimes has always attracted a lot of visitors. Despite Covid 19, the Crawl is still happening this year, albeit in a much reduced and limited way, with various safety measures in place.

I decided to skip this year, as I could too easily envision things getting out of hand (Coast Chimes has traditionally been a very popular place to visit). It's a shame, as I so much enjoy showing my work, and my process, and people seemed to enjoy visiting and shopping. But safety first.

The good news is that my entire stock, everything you would have seen in person, is available with pictures on both my website-- Coast Chimes -- and in my Etsy store. Free shipping anywhere in Canada and the USA, and you can also shop and have me ship to your friends and family. If you wish me to enclose a personal gift message card, I am happy to do that.

Coast Chimes Inspiration, Design

 Copper Wind Chime

$145 Free Shipping

at Coast Chimes

If you listen, customers can be a wonderful source for ideas. Thirty years ago, it was a customer who first gave me the idea for making wind chimes! From way back then to now, my designs have been inspired by nature, by trial and error, by dreaming, and by customers.

Most recently, a potential customer emailed to ask if I could make a round wood windsail for her, instead of the antiqued hammered copper diamond I use. I put that together for her, and, I must say, I like it!

When I get caught up on my fairly long to-do list, I will probably make more of these, and offer some of my wind chimes with that round windsail. I like to offer my customers as many options as possible, but whatever I offer has to be high-quality and beautiful.

See all my current stock at Coast Chimes.

Wind Chime, Outdoor, Large, Copper, Frosty White Glass

Frosty White Glass and Copper Wind Chime

at Coast Chimes with Free Shipping 

Frosty white glass really stands out against most backgrounds— nice contrast! The glass is from clear glass bottles, which, once given a mat finish, turn frosty.  Very cool!

Visit Coast Chimes to see all the different colours and designs. Everything ships free to the USA and Canada, with reasonable postage to other countries.

Beach Combing, Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada: Coast Chimes

Beach Stone Hunting

Sunshine Coast, BC

There are shorelines along the ocean here full of stones, such as the one below my home, but not the sort of beach stone I like to use. I really want rounded, smooth stones, and after about 30 years of using them, I now where to go.

During the warm summer days, I love to jump on my bike and ride to the best beach for the smaller flatter stones I need for the clappers, or strikers of my copper wind chimes. It's not that far, but some very steep hills. Beneath the sun, one gets pretty hot walking slowly up and down the beach finding the perfect stones, so after half an hour or so, it's time to jump in the water. Lovely!

After cooling off, it's great to sit in the sun for half an hour with a good book. Then time to load up the bike with the treasure, and ride back home. Below are some of the treasures brought home yesterday. And a detail picture of one of this type of stone on a copper chime.

You can find all the larger copper wind chimes with beach stone clappers on my website:

Beach Stone Clapper, or Strikers

Beach Stone Clapper

(the stone is very hard, so it resonates nicely against the soft copper)

Inspiration from Customers

Custom Order

Coast Chimes

It's enjoyable to hear from customers who have something special in mind, and working with them to achieve it. 

I started stocking the seven copper chime wind chimes a month or so ago, selling just the chimes with a hook to hang them, no top section. This is aimed at those who are about to celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary (copper), and it is very popular, it turns out. But it didn't take too long for someone to ask if I could maybe put a top section on it. They were thinking of maybe a beach stone.

That's a great idea! And I worked with them to choose the perfect stone, as you can see from the quickly snapped picture above. Yep, I really like that look! 

Yesterday I chose a 'daily walk / hike' to a beach where I know there a some stones similar to the one pictured above. I didn't find too many of them, but I did find several. When I get time, I'll likely make a few similar to the above wind chime for my store. It's not unusual for customers to send me in a new direction-- I have some really creative customers! I'm sure most stores, crafters, artists, do have ideas bounced off them: one just has to listen.

Indigo Blue, An Unusual Colour for Coast Chimes

Kaleidoscope Wind Chime

With Inky Indigo Blue Copper Wrapped Glass

3 Antiqued Brass Chimes

$95, Free Shipping, at Coast Chimes

Although I love all the colours of my artist-made sea glass, since it all comes from bottles (mostly wine), the colour pallet is limited. I get pretty excited when I get a hold of some unusual colours, such as the inky indigo blue of the piece of glass below the framed glass, pictured above. Being different, somehow it is always very special.

It's interesting how the glass from all the different wine bottles just sort of naturally goes well together. It's hard to go wrong! 

Check out Coast Chimes to see all the fantastic wind chimes and suncathcers, wonderful for you deck, your yard, your garden, or as a gift for that special friend.

Beachcomber Wind Chimes

Beachcomber's Wind Chime
Driftwood and Beach Stones
Copper Chimes
Available at Coast Chimes

Lately, I have been concentrating on driftwood and beach stone wind chimes, sometimes with the addition of artist-made sea glass, or perhaps a half oyster shell. These are really nice materials, and very durable for those living in high-wind, heavy rain or snow areas. Glass looks so great in the sunlight, beach stones and driftwood look at their best in the rain!

There is something about driftwood and beach stones: they just work so well together! Naturally beautiful!

The antiqued copper of the large chimes, or darkened brass of the small chimes, look great with these materials too!

Beautiful is the word, durable, and a light, peaceful sound. Really great for any garden, yard, or deck!

Too see all the fabulous designs, visit Coast Chimes now. Free, fast, expert shipping to the USA and Canada, reasonable postage to other destinations.

Driftwood and Beach Stone Chime
Antiqued Brass Chimes
Available at Coast Chimes

Natural Materials, Naturally Beautiful Yard Art

Natural Driftwood & Beach Stone
Copper Wind Chime
available at Coast Chimes with free shipping

Somehow nice driftwood with rounded, smooth beach stones just go together. There is something soothing about the combination. Add in a set of Coast Chimes pure copper antiqued with chimes (with a beach stone clapper / striker!), and the picture is perfect. Ideal for year round outdoor use— the driftwood and beach stone look even nicer when wet from rain!

Visit now to see all the fantastic wind chimes available at Coast Chimes.

Wild Berry Picking, Sunshine Coast, BC

Local Sunshine Coast Wild Berries

While there is certainly no shortage of the invasive Himalayan blackberries (nearly every road is lined with this fast growing plant), there is a native blackberry that ripens earlier. The berries tend to be smaller, but I think tastier.

Take a drive up logging roads, find a fairly recently logged area, and venture forth. These areas that were logged a couple of years ago tend to be rich with not only native trailing blackberries, but also raspberries, huckleberries, salmonberries. Munch away, and bring a bucket or two home with you.

A Mix of Trailing Blackberries and Raspberries
Picked from a Recently Logged Patch

Red and Purple Glass with Copper Wind Chimes

Red and Purple!
Wild Fun Color with Free Shipping at Coast Chimes

Using my own artist-made sea glass is what I pretty much stick to, but I do get a lot of requests for purple and red, and sea glass just does not come often in those colors. To break the routine, I occasionally use a bit of commercial glass, and I do enjoy seeing my works 'pop' with eye-catching bright color.

I will never give up on my sea glass, but I will play with color from time-to-time. It's fun! And there are quite a few customers who appreciate the option.

Visit Coast Chimes to see all my designs!

Soothing, Cooling Blues and Greens for Hot Summer Days

Cooling, Soothing  Blues and Greens
with 5 Antiqued Copper Chimes
$185, Free, Expert Shipping at Coast Chimes

This is a wonderful wind chime for hot summer days-- just look at those cooling blues and greens! And who wouldn't love to chill out with his gorgeous piece of art in their yard or garden, or on their deck?

The 5 polished antiqued copper chimes achieve a lovely, soft sound, thanks to the beach stone clapper or striker. The large hammered copper windsail assures even a soft breeze will make music.

Visit Coast Chimes now to see all the wonderful wind chimes and suncatchers.

Copper Wind Chime for Seventh Wedding Anniversary Gift, or Beauty Lovers

7 Copper Chimes Wind Chime, Coast Chimes

Perfect 7th Anniversary Gift

Perfect for Lovers of Beauty

$185, Free Shipping, at Coast Chimes

I've made my signature 5 chime copper wind chime for years: it's very popular! Lots of people buy it for gifts, and especially for the seventh wedding anniversary, since that one is copper. I've had numerous requests for the same outstanding wind chime, but with 7 chimes, and so I am now stocking that. It's gorgeous!

As with the one with 5 chimes, it is exceptionally well made, with polished, brushed, and antiqued copper, handmade hardware, all copper (ie, no fishing line, plastic), a solid red cedar roundel treated with hand rubbed oil. The beach stone clapper / striker resonates nicely against the copper chimes.

This is great for the seventh wedding celebration, or for anyone who enjoys quality and beauty.

Large Outdoor Glass and Copper Art Wind Chimes

Kaleidoscope Sea Glass and Copper
Wind Chime
by Coast Chimes

My Kaleidoscope wind chimes are very popular. Still, I get new ideas for them! Above, I decided it would be nice to attache a larger piece of cobalt blue glass with a copper spiral to the bottom of the box frame of smaller glass pieces. I think it looks great!

Coast Chimes is under full production, which is still not a lot, since it is one person (me!) doing everything! Sometimes I think I should hire someone to do some of the more tedious chores, but I am extremely fussy that everything gets done exactly right-- the very best possible -- and I think any 'helper' would likely be a headache. So I will carry on, by myself, and make sure each step is completed perfectly.

While stock levels are down, there are still plenty of gorgeous wind chimes and suncatchers available to choose from, and a few more being added each week.

See all my wind chimes and suncatchers at Coast Chimes. Always free shipping.

Packing and Shipping Headaches

Very Large Freestanding Double Wind Chime
by Coast Chimes

I used to make quite a few of these extra-large wind chime with beach stone bases: they are really beautiful! But shipping them is not a lot of fun! The beach stone base on the one pictures weighs over 33 pounds. The copper support is over 4 feet tall. The 2 glass strands are somewhat fragile. Packing this to ship is, in one word, nightmarish.

I have taken apart a shipped a fair number of these, and have thus learned some tricks to simplify the process. Even so, ugh! Yesterday when I packed it, I still made some novice mistakes. For example, I spent a long time cutting out 2 pieces of thick cardboard to seal the copper support, and then wrapped that completely in heavy paper. So far, so good, but I forgot I should have measured it before neatly wrapping it in shipping paper. When I measured it, I found it to be oversized, meaning the postage, just on this one part, would have been nearly $300! So I had to get my sharp knife and carve up my neat package, and use a lot more tape and time. In the end, I succeeded, getting it down to a size where it could ship as a normal parcel ($55), but tons of extra work, and a package that did not look quite as neat as I would have like.

Second mistake was wrapping the glass, chimes and copper support, before weighing the beach stone base! It could easily have been overweight, making the whole process a waste. How lucky that the stone came in below the maximum, and thus shippable (for almost $100). 

To top off the whole hassle, the buyer of this wind chime discovered it through Etsy's new offsite ads, so they charged me over $80 extra. I am happy the ads work, but wow, that's a pretty hefty fee! (That's on top of the usual seller / listing fees).

Oh well, it's shipped off now, I hope that it arrives in great condition, I hope the customer loves it. Probably in a few weeks I will get the itch to make some more of this style. Pain is quickly forgotten?

Driftwood and Beach Stone Beachcomber's Wind Chime by Coast Chimes

Beachcomber's Wind Chime
Driftwood and Beach Stones, Five Copper Chimes
By Coast Chimes

One of the best parts of my work is having to walk over to the local beach, or ride my bike to a more distant one, and spending an hour or two beach combing. Even better when luck is with me, and I find a nice piece of wood, or some special stones.

All the materials forming the top section of the above wind chime where found within the last few weeks. Look how well they all came together!

See all my wind chime and suncatchers by visiting my website: Coast Chimes  where everything ships for free.

Classic Copper Wind Chime, Coast Chimes

Classic Coast Chimes Copper Wind Chime
with a Beach Stone Clapper
$135 with Free Shipping at Coast Chimes

The gorgeous classic copper wind chime by Coast Chimes is not only beautiful, but also made to last. All the hardware is handmade copper: there is no string, or fishing line, to break down under UV light. The red cedar roundel is so much better than the usual plywood used by so many wind chime companies, as it will never delaminate.

While copper is gorgeous (the one metal that most agree looks better and better over time), the trick is that copper is a relatively soft metal, making it challenging to achieve a pleasant sound: it tends to sound flat. The very hard beach stone clapper, or striker, is not only ultra-cool, but also the perfect hard material to resonate nicely against the copper, creating a pleasant, peaceful sound.

This wind chime is popular with everyone, but it is especially appreciated as a 7th anniversary wedding gift (copper is the traditional metal for that milestone).

It is also possible to request a short message be engraved on the side of the longest chime, such as the date of the anniversary with initials, perhaps a small heart symbol. There is no extra charge for this.

To see great wind chimes and sun catchers, visit Coast Chimes.

Kaleidoscope Wind Chimes and Suncatchers by Coast Chimes

Freestanding Kaleidoscope Suncatcher
Perfect for a Sunny Windowsill
$95 free shipping at Coast Chimes

My kaleidoscope suncatchers and wind chimes are much loved: when the sunlight filters through the artist-made sea glass, you are treated to an awesome display of colour!

I make a lot of different styles, from freestanding and hanging suncatchers to small or large wind chimes. They are all great!

Check out my store to see them all: Coast Chimes

Kaleidoscope Sea Glass Wind Chimes by Coast Chimes

Kaleidoscope Wind Chime
$75 with Free Shipping at
Coast Chimes

A splash of colour: the beach glass inspired kaleidoscope wind chime. When sunlight shines through the small morsels of artist-made sea glass, you are treated to a spectacular show of colour.

Attention to detail and quality, with clear red cedar treated with an exceptional Eco-house tung nut oil, extra-thick plate glass (1/4 inch), and 3 handmade antiqued chimes. The chimes are cut from raw brass, double-sanded, antiqued with a special process (not paint or dye, this finish will never flake or peel), they offer a gentle, sweet reminder to look, when the wind chimes them.

This wind chime looks great anywhere, but is especially suited to being hung where the early morning / late afternoon sun can shine through the glass.

See all the fabulous wind chimes and suncatchers at Coast Chimes.

Coast Chimes Gallery, Gibsons, BC, Canada

Coast Chimes Gallery
Gibsons, BC, Canada

Having reached a state of serious chaos in my workshop, I decided to do an early clean-up-- something typically reserved until closer to the date of the annual Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, in October. But I really needed to do something about the mess, so why not add more display space at the same time as re-organizing? Pictured above is one of the additions, a new lit zone to show off some of my kaleidoscope works.

Everything in my home gallery is already photographed and available online, so no need to leave your home to order. Visit Coast Chimes to see all the great works available right now.

Natural Driftwood and Beach Stones Large Copper Wind Chime, Coast Chimes

Driftwood and Beach Stones
Five Copper Chimes
$185 at Coast Chimes, Free Shipping

Beach combing is definitely one of the nicest perks of my job, but is is also time consuming and challenging.

There is a lot of driftwood here, and even more beach stones. However, the vast majority of the wood is too big, too small, too beaten by the weather. The type of stone I like (rounded, smooth) is also not exactly abundant. So while it is a true pleasure to get out and walk the shoreline, finding nice materials certainly involves a lot of hiking. When I do spot a lovely piece of wood, a gorgeous stone, I still get so excited, even after all these years of collecting.

Back at my workshop, I choose from my collected treasures to assemble a great wind chime. When it all comes together so nicely, as in the wind chime pictured above, I breath a deep sigh of satisfaction.

When someone purchases, I am probably as excited as the customer, anticipating the arrival of their new art wind chime.

See all my works at Coast Chimes, or visit my Etsy Store.

Detail of Driftwood and Beach Stones
Wind Chime, Coast Chimes

Lamps Indoor Outdoor LED Lights

New! Coast Chimes Introduces
Indoor Outdoor Lamps

Several years ago, while struggling to light for my gallery, I stumbled on fairy lights. The response from walk-in customers was encouraging-- they loved my lights almost as much as they loved my work! Always thinking up new ideas, I am now making some really cool indoor / outdoor lights.

Visit the Lights Page at Coast Chimes now to see the new designs. I'll be adding more in the near future.

Hand-dyed Glass 100 LED Lamps
See them at Coast Chimes

Wind Chimes: Beach Stone and Driftwood

Natural Pacific Beach Stone and Copper Wind Chime
at Coast Chimes

When the rain pauses, these are perfect days to ride my bike down to a local beach to collect beach stones and driftwood. So there are some great new beachcomber additions to my website.

These materials look even nicer when wet, with the rain making the stones shine, bringing out the speckles and colour variations. They are all extremely well made, ready to withstand any weather, and wind.

Visit my website or Etsy shop to see the entire collection.

Driftwood and Beach Stones

Beach Stone and Driftwood

Extra-large Works, at Coast Chimes

Extra-large Kaleidoscope Suncatcher
19 1/2 inches by 19 1/2 inches
Available at Coast Chimes with Free Shipping

Just having received a new supply of plate glass, I decided to make an extra-large kaleidoscope suncatcher hanging. I cut a plate in half, making 2 12 X 12 inch pieces, cut extra-large pieces of cedar, and filled up the box frame. It's really BIG, and really nice. Pictured above on a dark, cloudy day, you have to use your imagination to see how bright and beautiful it will be when the sun comes out.

I will update the pictures on my website, first blue sky day. You can also visit the suncatcher section of Coast Chimes to see smaller ones pictured with better light, to see how these look lit up.

Raised Galvanized and Cedar Garden Beds

2 X 6 Cedar for 6 Three X Eight Foot Raised Garden Beds

Cedar and Galvanized Steel Raised Beds, 7 Years Old

Spring is fast approaching on the Sunshine Coast, and my wife's mind has turned to gardening. Out of all the different types of garden beds, she likes the raised galvanized steel and cedar beds that I made for her 7 years ago the best. So six more will shortly be added.

The first image is of the cedar I just lugged home. It is currently drying out a bit, and will be ready in a week or two. We did not have anymore of the metal siding from our home left, so I ordered cut 18 gauge galvanized steel. Mostly, I will look forward to not having to cut it myself-- not a big deal, but dreadfully loud with a circular saw.

Once the steel arrives, I bet it only takes a day to cut all the cedar and screw the six beds together. The old ones in the bottom picture are 16 inches high, and the new ones will only be 12, so less soil to scrounge up-- still, a lot. These will be replacing all the cedar square beds, some of which are visible in the bottom picture. Those were okay, but never quite high enough, at 8 inches.

I'll be sure to post an update, once they are made.

Framed Glass Suncatchers by Coast Chimes

Cedar Frames, Freshly Oiled
Ready for the Addition of Beautiful Glass

These wet, dark, cold days are perfect for tackling some long put off projects. Making cedar frames to fill with my glass is a great thing to tackle.

The end of January through much of April are the slowest days at Coast Chimes for orders, so there is less interruption for answering emails, packing, shipping, and I can concentrate on the somewhat more complex projects, demanding precision use of saws and so on.

I have to admit that I do not overly care for using saws and other power tools, due to the noise, the dust, the bit of danger (will never forget sawing the tip off my left thumb years ago!). But I do enjoy the end result.

I should have these three frames completed later next week, with luck, and then I'll photograph them and have them on my website (Coast Chimes) and in my Etsy store, as soon as there is a bit of sunlight for taking pictures. That might be the longest part! There are a lot of dark, wet days here currently-- sometimes it feels we may never see the sun again. But it will happen, and so will my pictures.

Kaleidoscope Wind Chimes by Coast Chimes

Kaleidoscope Wind Chime
$95 with Free Shipping at Coast Chimes

The wind chime pictured above is great outdoors all year long, but in winter it can add a nice sparkle of color to your property-- it's an eye-catcher!

There are several sizes available, including larger, with five copper chimes.

Large Kaleidoscope Wind Chime
$185 with Free Shipping at Coast Chimes

Copper Wind Chimes

Handcrafted Hardware for Coast Chimes Large
Copper Chimes

At the end of 2019, I was surprised to discover only one set of copper wind chimes left in stock (thank you, to all my customers!). So 2020 is starting with making lots of new chimes. They take a long time to make, due to all the handcrafted hardware, and also the care needed to produce the lovely finish on the copper chimes. I love taking that time and paying attention to each detail, creating a truly exceptional wind chime.

Because the unique top sections (the original art) all uses the same base copper wind chimes, I often find myself with many top sections and not that many bottom chime sections. So if you visit my website, you will still find a great selection of wind chime designs, even though I am not fully caught up on the chime sections. 

To see all the beautiful copper wind chimes, visit Coast Chimes

Copper Wind Chime by Coast Chimes

$135 with Free Shipping

Outdoor Large Wind Chimes, with Salvaged Old Growth Red Cedar

Curves!
Old Growth Salvaged Red Cedar
Copper Wind Chime
$195 with free shipping at Coast Chimes

Using the very best materials is very important at Coast Chimes, so I was thrilled to recently source some stunningly beautiful salvaged locally milled red cedar. This is such awesome wood, as you can see from the pictures.

Red cedar is naturally extremely resistant to the environment. I further protect my wood with an very excellent Eco-oil, a finish that never peels or flakes.

The artist-made cobalt blue sea glass compliments this wood very nicely. And the antiqued copper is perfect, as well.

A treat for the eyes, a treat for the ears-- wonderful in any yard or garden, on any porch or deck.

Visit all the new red cedar designs at Coast Chimes.

Old Growth Salvaged Red Wind Chimes, Coast Chimes

Salvaged Clear Old Growth Red Cedar
Cobalt Blue Artist-made Sea Glass
Copper Outdoor Wind Chime
$195 free shipping, at Coast Chimes

It was a pleasant surprise a few weeks ago to discover a source for beautiful reclaimed and salvaged clear old growth red cedar. I scooped up a few prime lengths, and now I am starting to put some of the creations on my website (Coast Chimes) and in my Etsy Shop. It's a pleasure working with this gorgeous wood, and it's leading me into some new designs (see pic below).

For all my work, I always look for the finest materials. They can cost (a lot) more to source, but they are always worth it.

Old Growth Red Cedar
Cobalt Blue Glass
Natural Beach Stone
Copper Wind Chime by Coast Chimes