NAUTICAL GIFTS IN GLASSWARE

We've got a new glassware design in a fabulous starfish pattern! I am particularly smitten with the wine glasses, as they have extra design details to them - the front of the wineglass has a large lovely etched starfish with some sea or sand waves underneath and the back has a little kelp and bubbles! The etched starfish wineglasses are a multi purpose and oversized 19 oz size - made entirely in the USA. ($66 for a boxed set of 4) I will upload a photo when I get a chance. I also have in stock double old fashioned's (just the starfish on the front) in a boxed set of 4 and a margarita pitcher with stirrer, not yet posted to website. They make a great nautical gift for beach and boat lovers!

FREE BLOG & WEBSITE GIVEAWAY ! Win A Gorgeous Beach Glass Necklace

I'm very excited to announce a Seafarer Gift Shop GIVEAWAY contest! Enter for your chance to win one of our beautiful handmade sterling silver and beach glass necklaces. It is FREE to enter, no strings, no catch. Enter as often and many times as you'd like by just signing our website's guestbook http://www.seafarergiftshop.com/guestbook.html June 30th, 2010 is the last day. Winner to be drawn at random. Good luck! :o) Feel free to share, repost, tweet or link to this info. The Seafarer Gift Shop has fabulous nautical gifts, beach decor, jewelry, and more and carries hand made sterling silver beach glass jewelry.

New Beach Glass Jewelry Just In!

Here's some pics of our new sea glass jewelry shipment, made by our artisans! Just in to the store, each is a one of a kind hand made creation! What a great nautical gift. Like one? Contact us to inquire.

These stacked trios above are gorgeous! (I am wearing mine right now...) each has a Swarovski crystal at the top that is the same color as the top piece of beach glass. Sterling silver, with a 17.75" chain. $48 each. See matching earrings down below!

These cluster pendants are fun - each has a different sort of extra on the chain. Love em! Most are $50 each.

sterling earrings below.... Match the stacked trios above. French wires are $46 (Aqua, Peachy Pink, Lavender), Hoops are $48 (Cobalt, Aqua, Lavender)

bracelets below: the green is sterling silver $50 the white with toggle is silverplate $30. bracelets below: all have sterling silver toggle closures, Swarovski crystals, and either sterling round beads or round pearls. $62

These sterling wire wrapped pendants below feature a sparkly Swarovski crystal.Lt. Green, Peachy Pink, Aqua,Lavender, Aqua, Lavender. $50

These sterling silver double drop pendants below are light and lovely - Peachy Pink, Aqua, Seafoam, Lavender. $50

Mermaids are Great for Nautical Gifts & Beach Decor!

We adore mermaids here at the Seafarer, and not just any old mermaid.... We love the Nantucket style (as opposed to the fantasy type you see in paintings, cards and figurines) which is so hard to find - so when we find some, we celebrate~!

Here's a new find, she's a beauty... Painted dimensional metal - just $44. A perfect nautical gift for someone special or for your own beach decor! http://seafarergiftshop.com/mermaids.html

Artist in Residence - Storm Buoy day

Will be painting in the window again today, on the agenda is my Storm Buoy series... What are Storm Buoys, you ask? I started painting on buoys years and years ago when seeking painting surfaces. Being from a seashore community, I considered and tried painting on abandoned lobster pot buoys that had washed ashore during storms, hence the name, Storm Buoys! They had charachter - they were ripped and scraped, and barnacled....I started painting boat portraits on them, and have been selling stock designs and custom boat portraits on them for ages. I have exhibited them at the Greenport Maritime Festival in Greenport, the Long Island Seafood Festival at the West Sayville Maritime Museum, and the Apple Festival in Sayville, and a few others. Now I sell them here at my gift shop, the Seafarer Gift Shop, in Sayville.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE! PAINTING NAUTICAL GIFTS & SOUVENIRS

Well, now that the kids are in kindergarten I can paint in the store! I did on occasion, but there was always a toddler on my lap trying to "steer" away the paint brush, so with twin toddlers in the store with me and customers I wasn't too productive during the day with projects, and at night there was never enough hours at my home studio... I have now set myself up painting in the front window of the store during the day, and it's creating some interest for walkers and traffic passing by - what's she doing in the Seafarer Gift Shop window?

I've been painting custom pictures and signs professionally for over 18 years, in addition to murals and faux finishes in homes.

What was I painting today? Today I was working on some wooden town signs, always popular! I have two for "Sayville" and one for "Blue Point" in the works over a seascape, and a series of wooden magnets in a miniature style of my famous Storm Buoys.

New Items Coming Soon - Nautical Gifts & Sea Glass Jewelry!

Just met a new rep with a line of coastal home decor I was unaware of (always exciting to discover something new), here's a teensy weensy preview of that line (clocks, plaques, prints on canvas, candle holders, seagrass balls, vases, and more) and some pretty new handmade sea glass designs by a New England artisan, coming to the gift shop soon!

LIGHTHOUSE CANDLE HOLDER
POLYRESIN SEASHELL PLANTERS

STERLING & SEA GLASS JEWLERY

New Prints in by D. Elias!

I LOVE these lovely framed prints I just got in today! This North American Artist has wonderfully colorful watercolor paintings of seaside beach scenes. This one is called Beach House & Bouys! They are matted and are framed with whitewashed hardwood frames - very good quality. My favorite is her lighthouse paintings on nautical charts! I have the Fire Island Lighthouse painted on a chart, available as a matted print or framed matted print with a driftwood and rope style frame. Gorgeous! The prices are fantastic and larger sizes can be ordered. I have a panoramic framed print in the store right this second of a beach scene with a bicycle, beach umbrella, & chairs, sand, sea that is hand signed by the artist that makes me sooo happy every time I look at it - so pretty and serene. It may be following me home if you don't get it first....

Welcome to the Seafarer Gift Shop's Blog!

My very first blog post.....

Let's get started with introductions. About me: my name is Barbara Whitbread, and I own the fabulous Seafarer Gift Shop, an actual downtown bricks & mortar store. I am married and have 4 1/2 year old twins. I opened the shop about 3 1/2 years ago in the seaside town of Sayville, New York. Yes, with 1 year old twins. With me. In the store. I know, insane. Seemed completely rational at the time, but what can I say. Anyway, Sayville is on the south shore of Long Island, east of NYC by about 35 miles.

I grew up working on my family's boats and commercial fishing docks. I have gift shop experience, and lots of creativity... I am a professional artist and I create all sorts of things for the shop, as you'll see.

I am feeling really techie these days - I just finished creating the first phase of my gift shop's website and went live with it http://www.seafarergiftshop.com/ but that is just the start of it, as now I'll be adding tons more product but the tricky part is done. Then, I put the store on Facebook, (just enter SEAFARER GIFT SHOP) and now - Ta DA! The Seafarer Gift Shop has an official blog! Well, a few, actually... but more about that later.

This is where I will write about all that is going on in the store, all the great items, new vendors, and creations. New sealife and sea glass jewelry, beach house decor, ships, gifts, artisans, driftwood, seashells, starfish, corals... We have everything beachy for coastal decorating! All the blues, aquas, greens, sand tones, and whites... from vintage shabby styles to upscale styles. Love it!

It is a pleasure to meet you all, and I hope you enjoy and comment on my blog and follow my journey...