Celebrate the Opening of Coastal Bohemian Boutique

 As of March 1st Coastal bohemian has opened a small boutique in Myrtle Beach, SC. To be more precise the boutique is in The Best of Everything in Little River , SC. Stopdown and see some of the art and talent at The Best of Everything and many other beautiful finds from the other shops. Here's a link to The Best of Everything for address , directions and hours.

Whale Table - Ink Sealer Trick for Decoupage

Here's a new piece of furniture that grew slowly into a story piece.A furniture art story piece.

 Most of the time I never know what a piece will become  by the time I feel it's completed. I started out with the shabby blue chalk paint and then sat around a bit  until I saw this whale image at www.graphicsfairy.com +graphicsfairy. I knew the whale would take me further so after a while I had this old scroll or map idea in my head and came up with the idea of creating a whaling company.

My name is Michele and my fiance is Jason and together I created Jaselle, it's also the name of our kitchen.  It's fun and a recurring theme and I'm pretty sure Jason could care less, however I think it's sweet.

 Anyway, I designed some lettering and cut out the whale and the lettering that had been printed on ordinary printing paper. (I bring this up for a reason. ) Using Fiddes Dark Waxes and a chip brush I applied a quick coat of wax to the top of my paper images. As soon as you do this you'll need to remove the excess wax with a soft lint free cloth and then buff it. Yes , you are buffing the paper. Next you apply Flat Finish Mod Podge to the images and apply them to the piece of furniture. Here's the thing , as soon as I did this the ink should have started to bleed, this was printed on an inkjet printer which will allow your ink to bleed from the prints when you try to decoupage. Ah but here's the thing, my images were sealed, waxed and buffed, essentially SEALED. I had inadvertently discovered a great trick . Traditionally when I have specialty images I want to apply to pieces I need to have them printed at the printer or OfficeMax, (think more costly), where they use Laser printers that use toner for printing and toner won't smear the ink when I decoupage.
I used an ink pad and a scroll stamp to add some detail to the corners. I finish off the piece by adding some rope around the legs for a more nautical effect.

It a great little entryway piece, it's whimsical and sets the mood for the condo by the beach.

Here's my newest video to show you more.




Dont forget to share the love by liking and subscribing. Thanks for your support . Keep DIYing.

With love and gratitude
Michele
Coastal Bohemian
Find me doing the blog hop here all week.

If you are in Myrtle Beach come on down and visit us at the Coastal Bohemian Studio or check us out on Facebook, Pinterest , Instagram, or  G+ .

Vintage Suitcase Stand Completed

Hi Everyone ,

I finished up my suitcase stand and took the advise of the young man at the hardware store who thought it looked best in it's natural colors. I'm thrilled with the way this project took shape and how much fun this will be for someone to display in their home  or to showcase their plants and it has storage. Who doesn't need more storage?

From this .....to this.

 I used a vintage french school book to line the inside and added a bit of charm with some postcard stickers, a bow and some twine.

 Darling

Sorry for the mess in the background here but I was in the creative flow.

Here's the top with some vintage stickers I printed out from www.graphicsfairy.com 

This piece is for sale for $169.00 . To purchase please email me at coastalbohemian@gmail.com 

Thanks again for stopping by to see what's going on at Coastal Bohemian
Michele Michael 

Daydreaming is good for the mind. And I have beach bonfires on my mind.

Daydreaming is good for the mind.
5 Reasons Daydreaming is Good for You  by Carla Samuels, a great article about the benefits of the wandering mind.
1. It Improves your Working Memory
2. It Helps You to Relax
3. It Helps You to Create and Achieve Goals
4. It Strenghtens Your Relationship
5. It Allows Complex Thought to Take Place

 I'm daydreaming of a beach bonfire. We have always had them out in Montauk NY, on the beach where they still allow folks to have a bonfire.
Below is a pic of a bonfire we made and decided to cook fresh, local, Long Island mussels in red sauce. It was one of my most favorite times and spent with great friends laughing and fumbling through getting our fire just right for the kettle.

Here's James Blunt's "Bonfire Heart" to help create a little mood for you.

What are you daydreaming about today? Make it a good one.I'd love for you to post your daydreams with me below.

Happy Daydreaming

Michele 

Vintage Suitcase Stand Help Me Decide

Before- Two pieces that I plan to marry. I'm not sure how to dress the bride and groom.Please send me your suggestions. I need to unleash my creative block on this puppy. I tend to go the route of white linen/ creamy shabby chic and I am considering an old travel destination or vintage nautical sales image for the top, however the wood on this base is so gorgeous that I could see a more traditional home purchasing this unique piece for a plant stand or small entryway table...if I were to stain the whole piece and and antique it in the natural wood color.

Thanks for all your support. I cherish your interaction.

Michele 

Sailing- An upcycled reimagined piece

I had so much fun with this piece. It just developed into a story piece. It was this vinatge old brown drab and boring thing to the right and bottom of this pic. I started out with a cream colored chalk paint ,sanded down my edges and then used a brown wax to give it a fresh vintage look. Next I had this fish that I painted to match and then the book pages from an old sailing book. The pages are perfectedly torn and feathered and aged. I love this little character. You can see him down at the Coastal Bohemian boutique down in A Bit of Everything in Little River , SC. He is ready to go home with someone for $149.00. If interested I can manage to arrange for shipping for an additional price.  

You may want to call this a laptop desk.

Thanks for stopping by.

Michele