Inspiration comes when you least expect it

I was eating sunflower seeds this evening and as I looked at some of the seed halves I saw tiny little canoes. The natural shading on the shells looked like aged paint. I used Sharpie markers to color two of the shells to make decorative canoes for the beach house.
They are displayed on the window sill. I think you could add a paper or cloth sail to make a tiny sailboat. They are really cute, don't you think?

I keep thinking it's done, really

I worked some more on the lighthouse and I really like it now. The room doesn't have electricity so I made it look as though the light works by putting a faceted gold bead in for the light. I also added this Chrysnbon rocker. The room looks really cozy now, I think.

I just had to do it

I wasn't completely happy with my tables before but now I love them. I had the hemp cord out to make the glass float and got inspired to add it to the table legs and the lamp. After all, you can't have too much rope in a nautically themed room, right? In the porch picture you can see the glass float hanging from the porch rail.

Now if I can just figure out what to do with that lighthouse so that I like it...It still looks like it needs "something" but I'm not sure what. Any suggestions?

Well I thought it was finished....

I just added a few small details really. On the porch I added the light beside the door. It has a nice patina from exposure to the sea air. I also added a hook to hold the "real" life preserver so it's handy for those trips in the boat.

I made a braided rug for the living room. I like it much better than the original fabric one I had in here. There's also an oversized mug of tea on the coffee table. I'm thinking I should add a pair of shoes on the floor as if they've been kicked off before getting comfy on the couch with a book.

I have all the major elements in place but it's fun to add all of the little details that make it look like someone really lives there.

There's furniture!

It's finished...I think. There's still room for a few small accessories. At least a cup of tea next to the book on the coffee table. The tall lighthouse next to the door wasn't quite finished when I took the photos but I wanted to see how it was going to look.

The fireplace and blanket chest were made from a dismantled Michael's hutch - you gotta love those things! I made the sofa from scratch with cardboard, balsa, batting and fabric. I wanted it to look like it was slipcovered and I think I achieved that. This project makes me want to head to the beach. Vacation anyone?

A beach cottage

I finally had some time to play today! The Small World forum just had a nautical swap and I got some beautiful things. I wanted a beach cottage to display everything and I challenged myself to use what I had on hand today to make it. This is actually just the living room and front porch of the house. The porch and siding are weather worn but welcoming. The painted wood floor in the living room is also a bit worn. You can see the beach through the windows. The little cottage is very well accessorized but I'm going to have to make some living room furniture. That will be the weekend project, I hope.

Didn't I get some lovely things? I have some very talented friends and it's so fun to display everything together.

PS Can you tell that the cottage started life as a plain, old cardboard box? I hope not!