Snowy Wind Chimes and Suncatchers

Customer's Snowy Wind Chime Picture

I love when my customers send me pictures. However, it is always a slightly strange feeling to see my work in a foreign setting! This one especially struck me, as we have been enjoying spring-like weather here on the Sunshine Coast for several weeks, and one tends to forget that many other places are still mid-winter.

People often do not think of wind chimes and suncatchers in the winter. But look! They can really add a bright spot to your garden-- colour just when most needed. What a beautiful contrast! And Coast Chimes wind chimes and suncatchers are truly ideal, as being constructed from all glass, copper, first growth reclaimed red cedar, they are very durable. So add some wind chimes to your winter garden, and enjoy a splash of colour!

Photographing My Work

Blue Glass with Copper Wind Chime
available at Coast Chimes - inspired by nature

I am thinking of investing in an extra-large bottle of Advil. Photographing my work has never been easy for me. Back in our old house, after years I sort of figured it out. I took pictures in our solarium, which I could only do in the late afternoon for the best light. This made for a challenging time in the fall and winter, as we get a lot of rain and even more cloudy days during this period. Sometimes it would seem the sun would never shine again, as my fresh creations piled up, waiting for a little light for me to photograph them. At least when the sun did shine, I could (sometimes) get some pretty decent shots.

Then we sold the house and moved to a rental where it proved next to impossible to get any decent pictures. The light was always wrong. Also, the backdrop was not ideal. Fortunately, that only lasted for seven months.

Getting into our new place, for a while I happily, and naively, thought all my problems were solved, since I created a photo studio and invested in some quasi-professional lights. As is so often the case with my photographs, those early pictures that delighted me became turned out to be less than optimal, as my eyes began to see many issues. The backdrop sheets were drab. The light was not bright enough to really show off the glass. Those I put new backgrounds in, like the ocean, looked phoney. Sigh.

So I started taking pictures outside, where at least there would be bright sunlight to show the true beauty of my glass. Alas, my wife decided to get an early start on digging up the small yard, in anticipation of the amazing garden beds she would make in the spring. My picture taking space shrank, and shrank. Now I have one little corner-- happily, it turns out to be the best corner!

I found many of my images were not in focus. Time to read the camera instruction booklet, and check on photoblogs. (Ha, probably should have done that first thing-- but I'm not like that.) I learned some tricks, and wish I had read this stuff years ago! Live and learn.

Now I just have to learn a bunch more, wait for decent light, hope the constant breeze we get from being so close to the ocean dies down a little-- and then, maybe, just maybe, I will get a few decent pictures. That will certainly be when my wife builds the fence-- further diminishing the quality of my limited background opportunities! Oh well. I do the best I can.

Photographing my Work

Glass and Copper Kaleidoscope Wind Chime

Coast Chimes

Since moving from our old house, picture taking has been a major headache. It was always a challenge, but lately it has been a real problem. I moved inside to a photo studio, but the lighting was not nearly as nice as sunlight, especially for my glass pieces. Then outside again, which was okay, but I had to learn about the light on the new property. Then my wife started digging in the garden, which is very small, and I had to move again, and learn about the light, again.

I have a little corner with no dirt piles, an okay background, and on certain days, at certain times, decent light. However, we live on a hill with the ocean just below, and this, it turns out, creates interesting air currents (wind), and so it is a fun time trying to get a shot without the windsails flying around, the chimes twisting, the whole subject turning!

I have a ways to go, in my photo struggle. Right now, I am going out to struggle some more.

Wind Chime, Natural Beach Stone with Copper

Natural Pacific Beach Stone Wind Chime: Naturally Beautiful!

Beach Stones with Copper

Available at Coast Chimes

At our new home, we are only a minute from the beach. There is a walk which takes me down to the beach, along the beach, and then up back through a trail in the woods. I go several times a week.

It's an interesting walk, because one feels remote from civilization. There are several points where you do not see houses, or hear traffic. I like that a lot.

It is not the best beach combing on the Coast. There are not stones, such as those in the wind chime pictured above. Although there are plenty of stones, few are of the sort (smooth and rounded) that I like to use in my work. But that's okay. Other beaches with better stones are not far away. So this walk is for pleasure-- a break from my work. That's kind of a good thing, actually.

New House, New Workshop, New Website

New house, Coast Chimes

I haven't posted here since November 9, 2011-- how time does go by!

My excuse is simple: I've been too busy!

We sold our home and lived in a rental for seven months, while building a new one.

Above is a picture of our new house. The upstairs is living area; the downstairs is my workshop, and office / photo studio. It was a job and a half building it, but it is wonderful, now that it is (almost) done. Especially nice is having the entire ground floor as workshop, office, photo studio.

It was also a job trying to maintain my wind chime / suncatcher stock and sales, while all this was transpiring.

Things are finally settling down. I look forward to a calmer year.

I had time lately to completely redo my website: Coast Chimes. It is much easier to navigate, much faster, and it has a better shopping cart.

Below, a screenshot of the homepage of my new website. I hope you will have time to visit it, and enjoy the new layout.

Picture of the new homepage of Coast Chimes

Copper Wire

250 feet of seven strand bare copper wire.

I use a lot of copper: copper pipe for chimes, heavy copper wire for hooks and loops and hanging stones, and slightly lighter copper wire for wrapping glass. I go through a spool as pictured above about every six months.

These spools hold 250 feet of seven strand, and I unwrap the strands giving me a total of 1750 feet.

I calculate over my wire wrapping career, I've wrapped well over 9 miles of wire!

You can see what I do with all this wire by visiting my website: Coast Chimes.

Wind Chime: Pacific Beach Stones. Naturally Beautiful!

Pacific Beach Stone Wind Chime

Recently I bought 100 high-speed diamond bits. As you can see from the picture, I have been busy with them! I love beach stone, and I am happy that my beach stone works are becoming increasingly popular.

Stone is a great choice. There is the beauty, and also the durability. When they get wet from the rain, they look even nicer!

You can find a selection of beach stone wind chimes on my website: Coast Chimes, Gallery Page.

They are also available on the arts and crafts website: Etsy

Pacific Driftwood Large Wind Chime

Very large, and Very beautiful Pacific Driftwood Wind Chime

See it on my website: Coast Chimes

It's not so often that I find really gorgeous driftwood, and the piece shown above is truly special. As soon as I saw it, I new I could make an amazing wind chime with it. It worked out even better than I anticipated!

You can see larger pictures on my website driftwood page: Driftwood, Coast Chimes

Or find it on Etsy: Coast Chimes, Etsy

Suncatcher, Windowsill Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope Suncatcher

Perfect for a sunny windowsill.

I've been very busy making as many things as I can for the fast approaching holiday rush. One of my new designs is pictured above: I like it! When the sun comes out and shines through the glass, it really comes alive.

There are a number of these now on my website: Coast Chimes

They are also on Etsy.

Home Sweet Home

Click on the images to see them larger

3094 Grauman Rd., Roberts Creek, BC, for sale by owner

We've enjoyed 16 wonderful years in this beautiful home on fabulous acreage. But now, empty nesters, it is time to move on. It's a difficult thing, as this has been not only my home where so many sweet family memories were created, but also my work site— my artist studio is around the back. But I am a firm believer that change is a good thing, so here we go.

I am selling this house myself. At the same time, I am doing the marketing for my friend and neighbour, who also has a beautiful home on acreage just down the street.

I know these are each some of the nicest properties on the Sunshine Coast. Very peaceful and sunny.

See lots of pictures and read all about these two properties on the website: Sunshine Coast Homes for Sale.

Framed Kaleidoscope Suncatcher

Framed glass with mosaic kaleidoscope section

I have been known to make a mistake or two with my business. Not being by nature the most organized person around, it is surprising I do not make even more. I try, I really try.

My latest mistake resulted in the creation of the above framed suncatcher. I had made a couple of that style back in late 2010, and a customer fell in love with one of them and asked if she could pay over several months. That was fine with me. Time went by, and she emailed that she was ready to make the final payment. That was great, except I discovered that somehow I had sold it to someone else-- I no longer had it! What a sad day for her, after saving and waiting. I felt terrible.

I offered a refund, or told her that I could try to make a similar one. She opted for the similar one, and I put together three, while I was at it. She was very happy with the replacement for her original one. And now I have two more in my Etsy shop, and on my website.

Happy ending to a sad story.

Beach Stones

Click on the image to see it larger.

Natural Pacific beach stone wind chime: Naturally beautiful!

For more information, or to purchase, please visit:

Etsy

Coast Chimes

I love beach stones. I have incorporated them into my work for years. But recently I came up with a new design using these smooth, rounded, natural stones. I love suddenly dreaming up a brand new design, or a new technique. It keeps my job fresh; it keeps me eager to go out and work.

Coast Copper: Canadian Wind Chime Website

Below, part of the homepage for Coast Copper—

a new Canadian website for wind chimes

Coast Copper has a nice selection of my wind chimes. All prices are in Canadian dollars.

It has been too cold here these past several of days for me to go out and do much glass, metal and woodwork. So I used the time to finally get my Canadian website made and launched. It has a great selection of my large wind chimes, and all prices are in Canadian dollars. It is called Coast Copper.

Coast Chimes Customer Picture

I love when customers go to the trouble of sending me a picture of my wind chime hanging at their home. Here is a picture recently sent to me of three of my wind chimes. I think they look wonderful! Beautiful yard, too.

See all my available wind chimes at my website: Coast Chimes.

Bird Feeder Wind Chimes: Even Better!

Click on the picture to see it larger.

Deluxe handcrafted red cedar bird feed with five antiqued copper chimes.

Visit my website, Coast Chimes, for more pictures and information.

I've made a lot of bird feeder wind chimes. I make them in series, usually for at a time. Each new series, I incorporate changes to improve them. Just yesterday, I finished my latest series, and these are the best ever.

They are a little larger than the last ones, and a little more elegant looking. They are also extremely well made. You can find them on Coast Chimes, and also on Etsy.

Back to Work, and Blogging

50 Diamond Bits

50 new diamond bits. Lots of stone and glass cutting coming right up!

It's been a (l-o-n-g) while. Between a car accident that wrecked my back, and a winter break down in Mexico, time went by. But I am back, and back at work.

As shown in the picture, I just picked up 50 beautiful, new, diamond bits. I am excited to get out and cut a lot of beach stone, and soon, in the spring, lots of glass. I already got going on the stone. Here is a wonderful natural beach stone wind chime:

Natural Pacific Beach Stone Wind Chime

Three gorgeous natural beach stones with hammered copper. Five antiqued copper chimes with a beach pebble clapper and a hammered copper windsail.

Isn't that a wonderful wind chime? And it is extremely well suited to year round outdoor use— in fact, it looks even better wet than dry! Find it on my website: Coast Chimes, or on Etsy: My Etsy Shop.

Sun Catcher Chimes, Fancy

Fancy Sun Catcher Chime

Beach Glass Inspired

Visit the 'Under $100' page of my website to see more.

Sometimes I need to go into our solarium, where I take the pictures of my work, and where it hangs until sold, and have a good look around. This is what I did late last week, and I realized that there were no more fancy sun catcher chimes! I have no idea how long I have been sold out of this style, but I got busy right away and made five new ones.

Sometimes I also find it useful and interesting to go back and look at pictures of my work from past years. I often see something that I used to make, and like, and have not made for a long time. So inspiration can also come from the past, if you keep a record.

Now there are some really nice, new fancy sun catcher chimes available on my website and on Etsy.

Framed Glass

Click on the image to see it larger

Framed glass with natural Pacific driftwood

Visit my website, Coast Chimes, for more pictures and frame styles

It's been awhile. I used to make many frames, as there was a good store in Vancouver where they sold well. After making so many, I got tired and gave it a break.

After two years, I suddenly got the urge to make some frames. With renewed vigor, and perhaps improved skills, I have completed four, all of different styles. I even have one with a box of kaleidoscope mosaic glass imbedded!

I'm very pleased all four frames. You can see them on the Gallery Page of my website, or on Etsy.

Freestanding Large Double Wind Chimes

Four new large double freestanding wind chimes

See them on my website, Coast Chimes, or on Etsy.

I enjoy the challenge of making large works, and only wish that Canada Post would allow even bigger items to ship. It is easy to get carried away and go beyond the maximum size or weight for shipping. How I would love to make a truly giant sculpture!

Well, these most recent works are pretty big. One of the beach stone bases is still downstairs cluttering up our living room, as I just have not felt like lugging it upstairs. At fifty pounds, it's an armful!

Although there are beaches here with many, many stones, it is surprisingly difficult to find a stone that works well as a base. If I wanted to cheat, I could take any nice large stone over to my friend's place, and have him cut the bottom off so it lies flat and stable. But I prefer to keep it all natural, so I search, and I search, and eventually I find an attractive stone that works.

Bending the copper is also tricky. I find this is one job where I truly have to be in an excellent frame of mind: relaxed, feeling good and confident. It's easy to kink the copper, or to end up with a mess.

As always with these large works, I offer free shipping to anywhere in the USA or Canada. I bet some of these will cost around $150 in postage, so that is quite a good deal. The postage is only a part of it, of course, as packing these tends to be a half a day job, at least.

Why not take a few minutes and check these out on my website's Large Works page, or on Etsy? Also, if you click on the picture above, you can see them a bit bigger.

Bird Feeder Wind Chime: New Design

Click on the image to see it larger.

Deluxe Red Cedar Bird Feeder Wind Chime

I stopped making bird feeders for a while, as they were so time consuming and I had to charge so much even to make a minimal hourly wage. But they were beautiful, and I was proud of them.

Recently, I decided to simplify the design somewhat, but keep all the beauty. So instead of a four-sided feeder I am now making a two sided one. It still looks amazing, and it is in fact better, as it is much more solid. Best of all, I could reduce the price, since these are a little faster to make.

You can see them on my website, with more pictures, or on Etsy.

One of the neatest things about this bird feeder (aside from the super cool design!), is that when birds land or take off the chimes will chime alerting you to the feeding birds. The birds do not seem to mind the chimes at all. Who knows, maybe they enjoy them.