Home and Garden Ready for Spring Outdoor Decor

Zen Natural Beach Stone Chime

$85 including postage at

Coast Chimes

This exceptional Zen style Pacific beach stone wind chime reflects a natural beauty that will captivate and delight you. The smooth rounded beach stones are carefully selected from the Pacific coastline; they add a touch of raw, organic, Zen charm to this beautiful piece. Below is a similar chime, but with a copper wire spiral piece of sea glass.

These are all unique works, completely handcrafted in Canada by an artist with over 30 years of wind chime design experience. Premium materials mean that these are all season outdoor chimes.

To see all the one-of-a-kind beautiful handmade wind chimes, visit Coast Chimes.

 

Copper Natural Beach Stone and Driftwood Wind Chimes

 

Driftwood and beach stones just go very nicely with Coast Chimes copper wind chimes. And they fit so nicely into any landscape: a gorgeous focal point!

It is a bonus that part of my job is to hike local beaches looking for exceptional driftwood and the perfect stones. This involves a lot of long walks, but they are so enjoyable, especially when I find good materials to work with!

To see all the original wind chimes, and to learn more, visit Coast Chimes now.

Wind Chimes, Beautiful and Built to Last

Beach stones make fantastic wind chimes. They are naturally smooth and rounded (such pleasant shapes!). They always look great, and then they look even better when it rains. When wet, they often get quite shiny, and more colours are revealed. So cool!

They are also durable, which is great, since my wind chimes are designed to last, and last, and...

All handcrafted copper hardware, no string, no nylon, no wearing out or breaking down from UV. They take a lot more time and skill to make than simply tying a knot in fishing line, but we should all push back against the throw-away society. You know, buy cheap, use a short time, toss to the landfill. Spend a little more, buy quality, enjoy for years.

See all my large copper wind chimes at Coast Chimes.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Beautiful Natural Beach Stones: the Zen of Wind Chimes

Beautiful Freshly Collected Pacific Beach Stones

 Above, gorgeous natural beach stone. Below, Zen chime made from such stones: simple elegance.

During the summer, any day with even a remotely bright sky has me heading either by foot or by bike down to the beach. My new favourite destination is about a 10 minutes bike ride down steep hills from my home. It's a good loafing beach, a good swimming beach, and a great beach stone collecting beach. I always come home with at least a few prize stones.

I am very fussy when it comes to stones for my work. They need to be smooth and rounded, and they are not as easy to find as you might think. But easier on some beaches than others. It's just a question of finding the right beach for the right stone. A rather pleasant part of my work!

Find all my beach stone creations at Coast Chimes. And don't worry: although most of these are very heavy, especially those large ones with five copper chimes, you never have to pay a dime in postage when you order from the USA or Canada. I pay the postage.

Zen Beach Stone Chime
$75 Free Shipping at Coast Chimes

Reducing Waste, Buying Responsibly

Natural Beach Stone Chime
Coast Chimes

Spending time on the local beaches is a great perk of my job. It fortunately takes a long time to find stones and driftwood acceptable for my needs, so I get to spend many hours walking along the Pacific Ocean. How lucky is that?

I am very conscious of our failing planet, the terrible price people pay for the convenience of plastic, or throw away poor quality stuff (yes, I see the plastic trash on the beach), and our high energy demands. It is with pride I invest so much thought and work into producing the very highest quality works I can, so that I know these will last for so many more years than typical garden and home decor. Further to that, I am pleased to have recently invested in a bike, and now I almost do not use our single car at all. I just ordered some high quality, made in Canada, panniers, not cringing (too much!) at the price, seeing as how many reviews mentioned the durability (again, avoid throw away stuff, no matter how cheap). With these, I will not only be able to do much of our grocery shopping, but I will also be able to go to the beach and bring home stones and driftwood without burning fossil fuels. I like that.

Below is the most recent collection of natural beach stones I found for use in my work. I just love beach stone. When they get wet from the rain or snow, they become even more beautiful!

See all my beach stone creations on my website: Coast Chimes

Recently Collect Beach Stones
from Roberts Creek, BC

Beach Combing, Part of My Job

Zen Natural Pacific Beach Stone Wind Chime
@ Coast Chimes

The plan today is to bicycle over to my daughter's place in Roberts Creek, and hit the beach down below her home for some beach stone and driftwood collecting. I absolutely love using these awesome natural resources in my works. It's a form of upcycling. The results are always something that seems so much in harmony with nature, perfect for any landscape.

Obviously, the final products are also extremely durable. How long will those stones last? Long!

These natural beach materials also seem to mesh so nicely with my copper and antiqued brass chimes. Like they were made for each other!

Oddly enough, even though there are plenty of beaches here made up entirely of beach stones with lots of driftwood, it is not all that easy to find those that are acceptable to me. They have to be the right size, and nicely rounded, smooth, etc. I'm fussy! But that does not matter too much, as what could be more enjoyable then a few hours hiking up and down a beach? Not a bad job!

See all my beach stone wind chimes on my website: Coast Chimes Beach Stones

Driftwood, Beach Stone, Glass, Balanced.

Cobalt Glass, Beach Stone, Driftwood Wind Chime
$95 with free shipping @ Coast Chimes

I love when everything just clicks, and I end up with a work I feel is so balanced, such as the wind chime pictured above. A little of everything, and it just works.

I particularly like this piece of driftwood. I found a few in this shape this year, and it took me a little while to figure it out. This is the 'in the tree' part of a branch— what would be a knot in a board. The tree part is softer wood, so the ocean washes / abrades the tree away, leaving this interesting, hard, piece of inner branch. Pretty cool!

See all my wind chimes and sun catchers at Coast Chimes.

Zen Garden, Beach Stones, Sea Glass

Zen Outdoor Beach Stone and Sea Glass Wind Chime
by Coast Chimes, $87 with Free Shipping

Love, love, love beach stones! Smooth, rounded, cool! And somehow they just compliment the copper wrapped artist-made sea glass perfectly. Interesting, soothing, peaceful.

The chimes are hand cut brass, polished, treated with a reactive that will never peel or flake. They are suspended from a handcrafted copper hanger with 21 strand nylon coated stainless steel and sterling silver crimps: Quality! Made to last!

See this, and many other exceptional wind chimes and suncatchers at Coast Chimes.

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

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.

Outdoor Natural Beach Stone Wind Chime, Copper Wind Chime

Natural Pacific Beach Stone Wind Chime
Five Copper Chimes
Beach Stone Clapper
$175 at Coast Chimes

This has been an extremely busy past few weeks, as I work hard preparing for the annual Sunshine Coast Art Crawl (October 20-22, 2017). This will be my 3rd year participating, and if past years hold true, I can expect north of 500 visitors to my studio gallery. It is very enjoyable to see people meeting my wind chimes and suncatchers face-to-face (face-to-chime?), as they typically seem to love what I do.

As I make extra stock for the art crawl, I also photograph most of it, and place them on my website (Coast Chimes), and in my Etsy Shop.

This means I will hopefully be in good shape for the Christmas rush, too, which will allow for more time to promote on line (blog, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.). The only trick is to remember to photograph each item that sells during the art crawl, so I can remove it from my online sites. I really try hard to keep things accurate, because I know how frustrating it is to invest time choosing something online, only to be told it is no longer available. Not good!

Beach Stones Naturally Beautiful Wind Chimes

Natural Pacific Beach Stone Wind Chime
Five Copper Chimes
$175 at Coast Chimes

Beach stones are awesome. One of the cool things about them is that they look even better when they are wet (like from the tide going out), and this copper wind chime is not afraid of the rain. So hang this up, enjoy it all year round, and have a good look at the intensified colours and shininess of the smooth rounded beach stones when it rains.

Visit the beach stone section of Coast Chimes to see lots of different stone wind chimes: Beach Stones.

Driftwood and Beach Stone West Coast Nature Wind Chimes

West Coast Nature Wind Chime
Driftwood and Beach Stones
Five Copper Chimes
$275 Available at Coast Chimes

I really like to use as many natural, local, materials as possible in my wind chime designs. The style pictured here takes that to the maximum, with the awesome collection from the beach.

I have a number of this style on my website, including some much smaller ones for $85.

Whether big or small, all ship anywhere in the USA or Canada for a flat $10.

The chimes and windsail are pure copper, by the way: gorgeous! The beach stone clapper, or striker, creates a soothing, lovely sound against the antiqued copper chimes.

Visit Coast Chimes now, to see all the amazing designs.