Life by the SEA in Seattle, WA

Pictures of the Pudget Sound, Enjoy!

photos, J Bevin

 Gig Harbor,WA

 Gig Harbor, WA

 Gig Harbor,  WA

 Olympia, WA 

 Port Townsend, WA

Port Townsend, WA

My latest obsession = ship paintings

The Coast is Clear

My dear friend Corena has inspired my new love of ship paintings and everything nautical. Most of her finds have been purchased at estate sales or antique shops in the Gig Harbor, WA / Seattle area. www.Estatesales.net is a great place to begin finding spots to hunt for treasures in your area of the country. Above are Corena's beautifully hung nautical frames. The black anchor is one of my favorites!

Above are the beginnings of my 'ships at sea' wall collage. I am very particular about how each frame is hung :) My eyes are soooo very very sensitive to the spacing between each frame, the color of the frames and of course the size of the frame :) It is very hard and time consuming to get them to look right. The 'empty' space to the right of my new clock, oh... it definitely needs a horizontal SHIP piece to fill that space. Pardon the iron railing that is blocking your view....

This is a close-up of one of my paintings. Most of these were purchased for less than $40:)

The painting above is gorgeous and I really want it though it's around $200 - yikes.

I found this sailboat painting at a marine store in Gig Harbor, WA called Ship to Shore Marine. This store is a yachtsman's paradise. 

Crane Stationery - my thank you notes

 100% cotton     Made in the USA     Embossed, Engraved with an ANCHOR 

Art Dept. -  ceramic tree ornament and frame

Jeannie just sent me this photo..... wow so many moons ago. Oh and I wish I had not given that fur coat away! 

I have a tradition of purchasing Crane Stationery the day after Christmas for 50% off on  www.crane.com . Above is what I purchased this year to use as thank you notes.  There is no shopping ahead of time , I just go on the Crane site and whatever speaks to me 'I buy it'. There is quite a collection going in my secretary...... above is a photo:) 

Foxglove and Smythson of Bond Street are some of the fancy stationery brands in my collection. My Maine girlfriend, Laura introduced me to Smythson. She is quite a stationery snob. She pointed out to me that it is the 'Queen's stationery'. I said to myself, 'how ever will I find this?' Well, a few years back, my dear girlfriend Jeannie used to work in the photo studio at Tiffany & Co. on Madison Avenue & 5th in New York City. You guessed, Smythson was their neighbor. So the day after Christmas upon returning to work, Jeannie would go to the SALE section of Smythson and buy for me a glorious boxes of fine stationery. Thank you Jean!

Mirror mirror on the wall.....

So the story behind 'the mirrors' goes like this. Erin and I grew up together, south of Rochester, NY. Erin lived in Mendon, NY and I in Lima, NY. We met in 1987 and have been best friends ever since. 

Erin's parents recently purchased a home in Ithaca, NY and over the holidays she went to visit them. She has always been a treasure hunter, art lover and antique collector. We are definitely 'two peas in a pod'.

My phone 'beeps' and there is a text from Erin with 'mirror photos'. She's found this magnificent mirror in an antique shop for $65. She texted me to see if she should buy it, 'YES - most definitely buy it', was my text back, and she did!

Above is my $15 mirror found at an estate sale in University Place, WA

photos, j bevin

The neatest part of this whole story is that we found our mirrors the same day  and exchanged stories in utter amazement. We definitely BOTH have 'heirloom taste' and a passion for decor. 

And might I add that Erin is extremely photogenic. I have mentioned to her many times that when she decides to retire from her 'engineering day job', she should pursue modeling! Don't you agree? 

Cheers to our 17 year friendship Erin!

There is light at the end of the tunnel....

GIG HARBOR, WA

photos, j bevin

God is our ANCHOR - even in the darkest of days!

Coffee - put a little 'pep' in your step

 coffee FOAM by a few 'professional Seattle baristas'

Satellite coffee - Tacoma, WA - <above>

Corina Bakery - Tacoma, WA - <above> a TOP bakery in Tacoma

My very dear friend Corena who has helped me navigate my 'new life' out here in the fine state of WA:). She was the first to introduce me to Corina Bakery and WOW, I am so happy that she did. We ordered a MOST delicious hot latte, and while you wait, the barista explains the coffee grinding, steaming and pouring process! What a MASTER!

Oh, I must mention that Starbucks it is still the 'closest coffee' to my heart! With 10-15 moves under my belt, we will always have a very close relationship! 

  ~Cheers to their unbelievable customer service and consistently delicious~

'double short 1 pump carmel latte'

Metropolitan Market is located in Tacoma, WA and is very similar to Fresh Market on the East coast. I hunted it down as soon as we moved out here from Wilmington, NC a few years ago and have been very happy customer ever since. They even sell Black Cod.....

Anchors Aweigh

"Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy.

A most magnificent store in Tacoma, WA - Bella Balls - go if you can, you'll be hooked!

A Christmas gifty from my dear friend Laura. She hunted high and low in the Brunswick, Maine antique shops for me and found an Anchor brand horse comb. 

Thank you,
 Auntie Lola!

Laura + I at the Porlandia, Oregon airport.

Only Corena (above) could pull this latte themed anchor off, how did she do it? - well maybe because she used to work on a tall ship! Or maybe because she lives by the sea?

Shell shots inside my house for you to SEA

 photos,  J Bevin

~Sand on a Shelf~

My sand collection in the small canning jars were

inspired by a Coastal Living article, my favorite magazine of all time!

The ivory tray was found at Tjmaxx in Tacoma, WA. The antique measuring tapes, coral and glass box are all estate finds. My son and I went beachcombing and found the crab shells at Chambers Bay Golf Course in Tacoma, WA:) To my brother Chris, the 2015 U.S. Open Golf Championship is scheduled to take place here!