Beach Cleanup / Treasure Hunt / Scavanger Hunt

Years ago, we use to volunteer to clean the Town of Babylon beaches with the American Littoral Society every September. It started out as a Scout event but we eventually grew it to include much of the community.
One year we decided to make it a little interesting and see who would get bragging rights by bringing in the most amount of garbage in pounds. We added a few bonus point finds like tires and bottles. It became very interesting  to see such a  complete variety of  treasures make their way back to weigh in.
This gave me the idea to have a beach cleanup/scavenger hunt with my children and their friends and their parents.

Below is a check list of items to help you get started putting together your own scavenger hunt /beach clean up.

Printable List

I hope you have as much fun as we did back then .
The American Littoral Society is always looking for beach clean up Captains. Follow the link above and see who the captain is in your area. Join the clean up or start your own by becoming a Captain. Very Coastal. Very Bohemian. Very Environmentally Clean.
Michele Michael

Find me partying here all week, at these link parties, with some great bloggers.

If you are in Myrtle Beach come on down and visit us at the Coastal Bohemian Studio or Follow us out on Facebook, Pinterest , Instagram,Linkedin,  Bloglovin or Etsy .


coastalbohemian@gmail.com
www.coastalbohemian.net

Upcycled beachy plant stand /cake stand/ side table

I stole this idea from Pinterest. There, I said it. Of couse, I added  a  little coastal flair so really it's my idea.



1 tall vase (this is 20" tall)
 +
1 large plate preferrably a platter size (you could probably even pull off a plastic plate from a dollar      store)
+
 clear silicone(caulking)
+
seashells pearls, and driftwood
=

Add some weight to the top plate after caulking to ensure a tight adhesion. Make sure to let the caulk dry real well.  I had to let this dry for two full days but it may have been the humidity.

I hope you take time to make this easy project. You can tailor it to your style with rocks , pennies, sand or legos filling the glass vase.


Very Coastal Very Bohemian.

Holiday Coastal Garden

During the holidays I like to cut fresh evergreen boughs and holly and tuck them into my now flowerless planters. Tuck a few picks inside and add a bow and it always lifts the little tired areas in the garden or at the entry way.

This year, I walked the nearby woods for my evergreens and tied the whole beach theme together with other elements from the garden. I pulled in a architectural block from an old Manhattan church along with some shells and an outdoor candle lit lantern. Very Coastal. Very Bohemian.

                                                           Happy Coastal Holiday Decorating to you.

                                                                     Michele Michael

Seas the Day /Dream Vintage Shabby Silver DIY Upcyle decor

Carpe Diem-Seize the Day ...one of my favorite sayings, because I always look forward to what the new day brings to me and she brings to me, that girl bbbbrrrringgggs it. Glass half full and all, I expect that the new day has something creative  in store for me , or a new find is waiting to be discovered, or I may make a new connection to someone exciting.
 As a Coastal Bohemian , I prefer this spelling of the term Seas the Day , a clever play on words that means nothing more than Seize the Day.Yuck yuck :)

I picked up this silver plate at Goodwill Store for $1.00 and this silver bowl at Good will for $1.00.

Both got two coats of chalkboard paint and then I just draw in a few words.

I recommend getting a chalk pen from AC Moore  or Michael's or one of your favorite  craft stores.

You can download various style fonts specifically recommended for chalkboard art. Create your own sayings and print them out so they fit into your project. Next just take a solid piece of chalk and rub the chalk all over the back of your printed saying. Place it on the chalkboard, dusty chalk side down and trace the saying onto the project. Remove the paper and then it's very easy to take your chalk pen to fill in the design.

I added a few dots around the edge to
give it a little pizzazz, hot glued a ribbon and hung it up with a thumb tack that has a seashell hot glued to it. Easy ,easy little adorable charm.

                           Of  course , you need to continue to Dream while you Seas the Day.


                                                                   Michele Michael

Coastalbohemian@gmail.com

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Before and After Furniture 5 draw chest

Before 

                                    After 

Sorry these pictures are so bad, These are after we were hit by Hurricane Sandy.

I mixed up some of my own recipe for chalk paint using an aqua flat paint from Lowe's. Afterwards, I used Annie Sloan clear wax , then a coat of dark wax and then a coat of clear wax again.  I love to mix in other hardware when possible and so you can see here that I had salvaged two white porcelain handles from another project. So we have some repurposing and recycling here as well.

I have the recipe for DIY chalk pain that has worked really well for me. Email to me at Coastalbohemian@gmail.com and I will send you the recipe I use.


Keep up the fun projects.

Michele

Skipping Stones Collection Inspire a Record Breaking 65 skips

There are two different shorelines on Long Island,the North Shore which is a rocky shore with many cliffs and the South Shore which is flat and sandy. Both are beautiful but the North shore with it's abundant supply of stones is the perfect shore for skipping stones. I love skipping stones. I'm not very athletic so this works with  my skills and abilities.

My home before Hurricane Sandy , had on display a big jar with a fancy topper and inside was my collection of skipping stones.

Think along these lines filled with skipping stones.

              It's time to replace my skipping stones collection.

 I'll make all the visitors to the beach house in charge of bringing back skipping stones too. Hahaha Wink.

What's left of the Skipping Stone Collection

I imagine taking the collection down to the ocean one night and having a skip off contest at the beach. How much fun with friends as we skip along and maybe cast some wishes to the sea.

Wonder if Maxwell Steiner who holds the world record of 65 skips had a skipping jar?
Read more about Maxwell below.

Grosse Pointe Woods man sets Guinness record for stone-skipping 

 Skipping stone lessons may be in order.

13 tips to become a better stone skipper ....in case they make it an Olympic event.

13-tips-to-becoming-a-better-stone-skipper

OK ,off to start my new collection and find a cool new jar. I think it needs a pretty chalk board label like these from Etsy shop Mega Boards.

Tell me how many skips you've got in your arsenal.

My max is three.

Michele 

Upcycled Nautical Bathroom Decor -Crab Seahorse Fish

My son buys storage units and one day I met up with him and asked to check out his latest buy.He had 8 of these 8" x 8 " squares.....we still have no idea what they were. I grabbed them knowing they were getting upcycled into something.

                                                       Out the gate, I painted them white.

 I knew they could showcase something in the middle. I finally found some nautical unfinished wooden cutouts at a craft store and traced them inside of each one .

Unfinished wooden cutouts

                                      These pics were  found the online at  Factory Direct Craft.

Afterwards, I painted inside the tracing with my teal blue and mounted them in my beach bathroom above my driftwood towel rack.

Consider upcycled decor into your next home design. Take a look at something that is about to become trash and hold back on it for a few days and let the ideas flow.

It is Written in the Sand

Take a walk on the beach, pick up a piece of driftwood (of course)and write in the sand. Tell the world that you are in love or that you catch big fish or life is beautiful or as I was famous for writing in the sand, "Have your cake and eat it too." I wanted to have my cake and eat it too.

Don't forget to take photos to decorate the that nautical , beachy, coastal home.

Take a friend , a spouse,  a child and make memories in the sand. Leave messages for others that may happen upon the writing. I used to draw roses in the sand and leave a mound of seashells for anyone that happened upon my notes and I always hoped it would make them smile to find my little gifts.

This is a fun thing to free your spirit and  dream out loud. For those who are more reserved and less inclined to actually do this.....the colder months are perfect for your first message to the sea gods. In the colder weather less people travel the shoreline and are less likely to catch you exploring outside of your the box. 
Maybe you have something inside that needs to be released  or something that is stressing your mind. Take it to the sand  and write out your rants and then watch them wash away on the shoreline and feel them wash away from your shoulders. Then breathe again. 

See you at the shoreline.

Michele Michael

Beware of the Giant Octopus

With a new round blank canvas table sitting around dying for attention, I was working out the  next nautical themed project. I spend a lot of time scouring the pages of printables at www.graphicsfairy.com and decided I was intrigued by this vintage Octopus.

He would be cool with his tentacles hanging over the sides in a death grip eating the table. YES

I printed him out in 4 pages on waterslide/decal paper in reverse. When I installed him I destroyed the first half of him and was left with half an Octopus. Wah.

 Now, half an Octopus lie around waiting to become something.

I went and translated the warning "Beware of the Giant Octopus" in Italian and then it was game on.

Guardatevi Il Polpo Gigante

.....and I downloaded a lacey tattoo style font on Dafont.com  named "  Ginga.

This was all decoupaged onto the surface and then  top coated with the same matte finish  mod podge .

Here is the new focal piece at the beach house.

Have fun and Guardatevi Il Polpo Gigante.

Michele 

Very Coastal. Very Bohemian.

Fishing Lessons? Where's a girl to go?

I live on an Island! How can there be no readily available outlets for fishing lessons!!!!I'm not going to repeat that for affect... just read it again for me .


At 40  years old I met my fisherman/boyfriend. My initial attraction was hearing he was a fisherman, I thought-----  insert thought bubble----he's probably a real down to earth kind of guy.

Marlin  6 Princess out of Montauk NY

I explained that I always liked fishing and crabbing and really wanted to learn more about fishing. Take me take me ...PLEEEEAAASSSE. And  over the years he has taken me fishing and it is one of the things we incorporate into all our vacations. (We are headed to the Keys in December, I want to catch a Mahi. We'll be fishing in Islamorada and looking for recommendations for party boats.) Please email me at coastalbohemian@gmail.com

Our first fishing experience together was out of Montauk, NY on the Marlin 6 Princess with *Capt Eddie, who now Captain's the Montauk Star out of Star Island Marina.We were Fluke fishing. Let me just make something clear here..I am not a liar, so when I tell you this don't chalk it up to an exaggerated fishing tale.

On that day, my boyfriend lowered the bait into the water and handed me my pole. Immediately,  I could feel the bottom wiggle around on the floor bottom.I thought I had a fish...just as I always did when I was a little girl. I had that feeling in my stomach as if this could be the real deal here.
In the 5 seconds that the bait was on the bottom and I felt this, my boyfriend looked back at me and saw my face. "What's up? You got a fish?" Cool as all hell I said "Nah it's just the feeling,  I always think I have a fish" At this point he grabs the pole and smiles, {{{{Reel it up you have a fish}}}}.

Seriously,I had a fish and it was big . Dude, I caught a giant fish and another and another and another , all day long. We actually had the following conversation on this day....."Babe, look this fish is about 8 lbs, are you sure you want to keep it? We've been pulling up doormats all day, you should throw him back and go for one of the bigger fish." He wanted me to win the pool fish. Jason doesn't have any children and so I think on this day I was the extension of himself , that pride you see when you look at your children when they do something special that came as a direct result of your influence. We were surrounded by all his friends and his smile was unforgettable. He tells this story all the time and I love it every time.

This is us on another trip.

This was that special day.

BTW ...If you are reading this and have no experience fishing, this type of fishing is not often the case....non stop, big fish , all day long. All the fisherman schooled me after the telling of our tale, "Don't get used to that kind of fishing, that crazy sh!t is a  rarity, doesn't happen like that all the time Michele.."
                                               
                                                   Don't hate on me because I can fish!

Cancun, Mexico

 Here I would like you to imagine me twirling around shaking and pointing  my fingers at you and nodding my head and smiling at you like Oh yeah .

Now back to the subject of this post...why did it take 40 years for me to learn to fish? Why aren't there any fishing lessons readily available on Long Island? I have two children and they were both in scouts. I would have taken them and their friends and the entire cub scout pack for fishing lessons. Return to the first line of this post.

So I propose to all the fisherman out their to teach a kid to fish, girl or boy , your child or someone else's. Take them from a shore , a dock, a pier, a beach or  a boat. Reach out to organizations with your skills and share your knowledge. Help people find fishing lessons on Long Island.How can you call yourself a Long Islander and not promote the sport and preservation.You may just  change the world for one person. Isn't that enough?

I know you have the connections out there to make this more mainstream.

Catch "em Up

Michele


* Captain Eddie is a great guy and we have loyally fished with him over the years. he enjoys his passengers and most know him as if they are family. If you ever get out to Montauk to fish check in with Capt Eddie and tell him Michele and Jason said hello.

Driftwood Art

It has become apparent that I have a love for driftwood. Sometimes I can stand back from a piece and see it as if someone had created it by hand or had sculpted it from clay. It becomes mesmerizing to look at and imagine how it has taken form , what kind of path has it been on, where has it traveled and how did it get to this shore?
This is truly a conversation piece and in my world it is pure art....art that I would eagerly visit at an art gallery exhibit titled Mother Nature a True Artist




This piece was found on Sunken Meadow Beach on the North Shore of Long Island ,New York.

                                      It's just a swim  across the Sound from Connecticut.

Decide to bring some driftwood art into your home and make a day of it by visiting beaches , walking and hunting and picnicking. There is almost no cost involved , you'll decorate your home, breathe fresh air, exercise and hopefully find a decorative treasure for your home.

                             I hope you have a great day and plan a driftwood hunt real soon.

                                                                 Michele Michael

39' Sandcastle- #DaddyCanYouBuildmeOne ?

Now every kid is going to want one of these.

What's a parent to do?


I'm sorry this footage does not describe the height , however the news report I saw on TV said it was measured at 39'



Happy Shore Day.

Michele

Driftwood Sign with Barnacles

Scouring  the beach again I found this piece of driftwood wash up on the North Shore of Long Island NY.

It had barnacles in all the right places. I was crazy for this driftwood. (Side note .......I get very attached to my driftwood. I know each one's shape and texture and curves and weight . I should name them at this point.) Too weird? You can leave the blog now.

It was obviously, screaming to be a sign.

I took some $1.00 store twine ....from Dollar Tree...

   ....braided  for  a hanger .... stapled it to the back.

I dug around in my findings and came up with this "Ahoy" that I had picked out of a Michael's bin two years prior.









The Ahoy had a fabric print that I simply painted over and hot  glued to the front.

                        Look at that barnacle. 





So simple . Great beach house sign , or for the boat.

The thing is, this is  something  adorable to treasure and so easy it can be done for fun with your children, grandchildren , scouts etc.


 Who on Fire Island wouldn't want this as a gift?

Or hanging on the dock as guests board the sailboat in  San Diego?

                 Have a beautiful day . I hope you"ll find some driftwood screaming to be a sign.

                                                                    Michele Michael

P.S. I'm probably going to make my trident from driftwood. It's only fitting. 

Refer to my " I want a Trident" Blog