Post Christmas Rush Coast Chimes

 

Although it never quite got to this point, sometimes the

Christmas rush felt like this.

For the past few years, Coast Chimes (my wind chime company) has been steadily busy year round. But the month or so before Christmas is crazy busy. Now, with the 2023 Christmas rush over, it's time to breathe and to do essential chores.

The chores include restocking. Everything I do is completely handmade, and takes time to make. I don't have time during the rush season, so stock gets depleted. It is with eagerness that I approach having time to immerse myself in the creative process, and get my hands dirty again. That said, while I will be making a lot of nice, new things, it may be a some time before many of those start to appear on my website (Coast Chimes), and on Etsy. This is because for the next several months we have a grey sky, drooping rotting plants in the garden, and rain-- not ideal for product photographs. Some new creations will appear, but many may wait for bluer skies.

The chores also includes website improvements. I've already speeded the site up somewhat, improved certain under-the-hood features, and generally worked, and will continue to work, to provide a very nice experience for my customers. There is always more to do, but it is a nice site and seems to function well.

Finally, I definitely will take a little more time than usual for myself. All year, everyday, I take an hour (sometimes longer) from each day to hike, bike, or read on the beach. Right now I will enjoy a bit more 'time to breathe' and, just maybe, even take a short holiday.

Thanks very much, all you supporters of handmade quality, enjoyers of art wind chimes. Best wishes for 2024!

Coast Chimes Fantastic Christmas Gifts

Kaleidoscope Wind Chime, Coast Chimes

Time flies, and now there is probably just a week left for shipping in time for the 25th. Maybe 10 days, with luck. The good news is that there still is time. More good news, there is still a great selection to choose from.

From Zen natural beach stone wind chimes to lovely sea glass chimes, there is something for every lover of beauty. All handmade in Canada with the highest quality materials, all with free, fast, expert shipping.

So head on over to Coast Chimes now, and pick up special things for your special people

 

Coast Chimes — Great Selection

Exceptional Christmas Gifts: Coast Chimes

Several of the many one-of-a-kind handcrafted wind chimes available at Coast Chimes. Free, fast, expert shipping to the USA and Canada.

Natural Beach Stones Zen Copper Wind Chime

See Beach Stone Wind Chimes

Kaleidoscope Chime

See Kaleidoscope Wind Chimes

Assorted Coast Chimes Wind Chimes

Visit Coast Chimes

One-of-a-kind Gifts, Designed to Last: Coast Chimes

 Kaleidoscope Copper Wind Chime

Artist-made Sea Glass

Available at Coast Chimes with Free Shipping

An abundance of unique, beautiful, handcrafted wind chimes at Coast Chimes, it's a great place to shop for all those on your list, but especially for those who seem to 'have everything'.

The best thing is that all the works are not just beautiful, but also extremely well made: designed to last. This is where you will find handmade copper hardware: no string or fishing line. 

attention to detail and quality, built into every piece

Below, a few examples of the diverse works available right now. Visit Coast Chimes to see many more.

Zen Natural Beach Stone Copper Wind Chime

see more natural beach stone creations

Driftwood Large Copper Wind Chime

see more driftwood wind chimes

Christmas: Give the Beautiful, the Unexpected, the Durable

 

Kaleidoscope Wind Chime, Artist-made Sea Glass, 5 or 7 Copper Chimes

Available at Coast Chimes

I like Christmas. I like the treats, the getting together, the pretty lights. I do not like the massive impulsive consumption. It's easy to get caught up in it. Easy to grab stuff just because stuff needs to be given. So much packaging, so much junk that is landfill bound in the near future. One thing about Coast Chimes: everything is designed to last and last.

Just one example. See the connections on the chimes in the detail section of the above picture? Those are handmade copper rings: no string, no fishing line, no anything that wears out or breaks. Your chimes will not fall off, ever, promise.

And one more example. See the chimes? Real copper. A metal that looks better and better over time. Almost all 'copper' chimes are powder coated aluminum, and, like all paint, that finish will wear off. Real copper will never wear off.

Consider giving something original, beautiful, and that will not be landfill bound in the near future. Visit Coast Chimes to see a wide selection for all budgets.

Rectangular Kaleidoscope Wind Chime 

Available with 5 or 7 Copper Chimes at Coast Chimes

Wind Chimes for Christmas

 

Natural Beach Stone Wind Chime

$200 including shipping 

Coast Chimes

Impossible that a Christmas Holiday Season is already fast approaching, again! I guess time does fly when you are having fun, and busy. It has been crazy busy going on two years for Coast Chimes, and so it is with somewhat reduced stock that I announce holiday shipping has commenced. It's okay, there are a lot of nice works (everything I make is nice!). I do recommend not putting off choosing, if a Coast Chimes wind chime is on your list.

From beach stone wind chimes to artist-made sea glass, there is something for everyone, and a wide range of prices. All are designed to last, and to be beautiful. Visit Coast Chimes and choose something that will amaze and bring enjoyment.

Kaleidoscope Wind Chime

$235 including shipping

Coast Chimes 

Something Beautiful, Something Durable: Gifts That Last

 

Too many gifts provide fleeting pleasure and end up soon discarded, broken, in the landfill. What a shame.

This year, consider a well designed, low impact, long lasting gift. Coast Chimes uses recycled / upcycled materials, natural materials, and materials that are valued by the recycling industry. 

Best of all, each item has been carefully designed to last a long time. For example, the large wind chimes have only copper (even handmade copper hardware), and a small amount of weather resistant cedar. There are customers still enjoying their wind chimes after 20 years!

Shop Coast Chimes for long lasting, beautiful, meaningful gifts.

Exceptional Christmas Gifts

Coast Chimes has a selection of high-quality beautiful wind chimes guaranteed to please everyone on your shopping list.

These skillfully designed one-of-a-kind works of art are built to last. It's a crime, all the junk that gives momentary pleasure only to end up in a landfill far too quickly. Not Coast Chimes. The large chimes have all handmade copper hardware (no nylon, string, cord) providing many, many years of enjoyment.

Visit Coast Chimes. Free, fast, expert shipping to the USA and Canada.

Kaleidoscope Copper Wind Chime

Cobalt Glass Beach Stone Chime

Glass and Copper Wind Chime

Everyone Loves Copper — Beautiful Gift!

The thing about copper is that it is beautiful. Other metals are often treated with paint or a powder coating to make them look nice, but that is a temporary finish that will flake off, fade, crack. Over time, copper just looks better and better. That's one reason Coast Chimes' wind chimes are a great choice. They won't be headed for the landfill in a few years.

Coast Chimes' wind chimes are designed for beauty, for sound, and for durability. All the hardware is handmade from copper: the rings that attach the chimes to the cedar roundel, the hooklets, even the wire that holds the beach stone clapper.

When looking for the perfect gift, consider something that will last, that is unique, that is clearly built with attention to detail and great care.

Go to Coast Chimes to see the selection. As of today, there are 113 items, but that count will be going down fast, and production is pretty much finished for 2021. For the best selection, don't delay.

Natural Pacific Zen Beach Stone Wind Chime

Kaleidoscope Artist-made Sea Glass Wind Chime

Beach Zen Stone & Driftwood Wind Chime

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.

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.

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.

Thank You, Fans of Handmade!

A Few of the Boxes Shipped for
Christmas, 2017, Coast Chimes

A huge THANK YOU to all the fans of handmade, the fans of wind chimes, the fans of quality. The Christmas shopping season is traditionally the most important, or nearly the most important, period of the year for gaining the income I need to continue the work I do, and this year was the best ever! There will be a lot of smiles as people open their gifts this year, and find a beautiful one-of-a-kind wind chime or suncatcher!

I'll be taking a short break, catching my breath from all the packing and all the hiking boxes down to the post office. And then, early in 2018, I will be setting my workshop back up (it has been stored in a back room ever since out mid-October Sunshine Coast Art Crawl), and returning to serious work to replenish my stock.

I wish you all a splendid holiday season, and a most happy new years!

Perfect Christmas Gifts

Still Time For Christmas Delivery
But Order Soon!

Find the Perfect Gift at Coast Chimes

The shops are going to get crazier and crazier. Why not relax at home and browse Coast Chimes for the perfect gifts for the special people in your life? Handcrafted, high-quality, original one-of-a-kind wind chimes and suncatchers, art for the home and garden, and everything now has FREE shipping!

Today is the 11 of December, and that means there is still time to have your order delivered in time for the 25th. But not a lot of time! The postal deliveries have so far been excellent: very fast! But I would defiantly not wait too much longer before ordering.

The Perfect Christmas Gift: Coast Chimes

Maybe Shop from Home?
Coast Chimes: Awesome Gifts
From $58 with Free Shipping

Give the unexpected. Give the delightful. Give the long lasting. Give Coast Chimes!

From small suncatchers to large wind chimes, Coast Chimes has something for everyone. The surprise is assured, and there will be long lasting joy, because everything at Coast Chimes is built to last.

Beauty. Durability. Awesome gifts. Visit Coast Chimes now.

Large Outdoor Glass and Copper Wind Chime
Find it at Coast Chimes

Original, High-Quality Gifts, Wind Chimes and Suncatchers

SOLD

Stock is Depleting
But Still Lots of Awesome Wind Chimes
and Suncatchers

No New Stock Until 2018

Visit Coast Chimes Now for the Best Selection

Every spring and summer, I work really hard to prepare as much stock as possible for the annual Sunshine Coast Art Crawl. Just before the Art Crawl, I put away all my tools to more than double my gallery space. After the Art Crawl, I now no longer immediately put my workshop back together, instead concentrating on internet sales, packing, shipping, and also keeping the gallery space for locals who drop by for holiday shopping.

This is great, except that my stock goes from relatively huge to dwindling pretty fast. I try to let all my customers know that they really need to order early to get a great selection. Also, it's a great idea to order early because although I pack and ship fast, closer to Christmas I can get backed up with the packing, and the border services / post office can also get overwhelmed somewhat.

So the message is clear: order sooner rather than later. Visit Coast Chimes now, or view my work on Etsy.

Boxing Day Hike Cures the Christmas Feast Fuzziness

Looking Towards Gibsons, BC
From the Top of Soames Hill, Boxing Day

There are few things I like better than the traditional Christmas feast, and this year was no exception. Such excellent food, drink, and family warmth. But the morning after, one certainly feels a little plump and fuzzy. The very best cure for that is a vigorous hike, and since there were more than could fit in our little car, we marched along to the nearby Soames Hill (going up the steep grade and handling the many, many steps, I could swear this should be called Soames Mountain!).

It is a steep climb, but not terribly long, The view from the summit is more than worth the struggle. While we were up there on Boxing Day, there was snow falling, and the traditional West Coast grey is so soothing to the eyes. I really loved being up there!

Now another day of taking it easy. Then I need to get serious about making wind chimes and sun catchers, as it was a fabulous Christmas season, with many sales depleting my stock significantly. I am looking forward to getting creative: expect many wonderful new wind chimes and suncatchers  in the coming days and weeks to appear on my website: Coast Chimes

More Snow Pacific North West

An updated picture from my last posting, which showed the start of the snow. There is more on the way today. According to the forecast, it looks like we will be enjoying a rare, white Christmas on the Sunshine Coast.

Below, some pretty early morning sunlight illuminating the trees. The clouds are rolling in, and the snow looks to start soon. I'm heading out to turn the heater on in my workshop, as I need to finish some copper chimes before taking a couple of days off.

To all my friends and customers, Season's Greetings!