Welcome Y'all!

Welcome to the Sassy Seagull! We welcomed our first guests this weekend and I hope they are having a blast enjoying some Tybee Time! I want The Sassy Seagull to be appealing from the very first glance and when I found this artwork on Etsy I knew it had to go on the front porch...

The artist, Jackie Byrd, makes wonderful pallet art from her home in Athens, GA. Her shop is called ThatCraftyByrd--one word. I ordered the sign in a custom size and here it is at the entrance to the cottage...

Can't wait to invite you in!

Welcome Y'all!

"Sign" Me Up For Some Beach Therapy!

Leonard Miller has been at it again!  Remember me telling you about the local Savannah artist who is known at Tybee for his wonderful name signs for the cottages?  

Source: Jane Coslick

Well he has been busy at Doc Holiday Cottage! 

 When most people hear the name of the cottage they think of the movie by that name or the Wild West character.  But actually  I named the cottage in honor of my hard-working husband with a wink towards his profession--he is a doctor that needs a holiday:) 

When it was time to plan the name sign, it seemed most appropriate to carry out that same theme.  I googled all the cliches having to do with healthcare and made a list of favorites.  Then Jane Coslick, my go-to designer when it comes to beach cottages, and I met to brainstorm.

She suggested the sign resemble a prescription pad.  Love!

So I drew a rough draft...

And here we have it!

Source: Jane Coslick

Leonard has worked his magic again...

Source: Patricia McCoury

  

 I guess you could say we've hung out our shingle!

We're open for business!  "Sign" me up!

By the way,  if you need some beach therapy our little cottage is for rent.  Here's a link to our reservations!

  

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things!

 In working on Doc Holiday, our little beach cottage, my plan for the living/dining space was to try to squeeze as much out of the small space as possible.  I had learned from working with designer Jane Coslick on other projects that it would help to lighten up the dark paneled rooms with white paint--not only does it make the space seem brighter but it also makes it appear to be larger and gives a neutral backdrop for any color I want to introduce.

When it was time to select a sofa and upholstered chairs I chose white slipcovered pieces because they would blend in and take up less space visually plus the slipcovers make it easy to wash away the occasional spills of little (or big) people.  

I shopped IKEA because they specialize in small scale furniture and their goods have a nice design and reasonable price.  The only problem I had with IKEA was getting used to the strange names of the furniture!

Ektorp Sofa with Blekinge white slipcover

Ektorp Jennylund Chair with Blekinge white slipcover

Once I had a nice white backdrop it was time to put some color in the room--and that is where the exciting, nail-biting, rewarding, terrifying, thrilling, satisfying part of decorating comes in--the part where you give your room some personality!

I had to decide what kind of feeling my room should evoke when people walked in.  I wanted people to feel uplifted and say Ooooo--niiice and yet not feel intimidated because the room is too precious.  I wanted the room to welcome guests, invite them to relax and to have furnishings that delight them and make them feel happy as they look around. Also I wanted the room to say You're at the beach!!  without getting too cute and overly kitschy.

When I began to shop I tried to keep my objective in mind--to only buy things that met my goals.  I usually try to establish a color scheme fairly early in the game and pull the colors through the house to all the rooms to keep it cohesive.  But who am I kidding?    

My Most Important Rule:  Buy what you really love and skip the rest.

So today I want to show you some of my favorite things--things that made the cut because 

they say "happy" to me.  

This painting was my first purchase--it was my birthday/Christmas present from Henry. 

I blogged about the artist, Bellamy Murphy, way back in April when I visited her studio.  Her paintings make me smile and I'd been wanting one for several years.  The only problem was narrowing my choice down to just one...

After seeing "May Day" on Bellamy's blog I just knew.  I had found it.  The perfect painting to use as a focal point and inspiration for my bright and happy color scheme!

I love to shop for vintage pieces.  I've scored some great deals with Craig's List, eBay, and little local flea markets.  Some have needed do-overs like this cupboard I posted about here.  It now has a split personality since I separated the top and bottom, painted them, and made them into 

two pieces of furniture!   

These tables for each side of the sofa were also flea market finds.

The lamps and shades I bought to go on the side tables came from Target.  They were chosen to echo the yellow found in Bellamy's painting.

It's white, folks!  The picture makes it look sort of grey.

This little painting from Home Goods was left over from decorating a different cottage.  I liked it too much to return it and for now it has found a home above the sofa.

Then there is the matter of pillows...

A pair of these are on the sofa.

These are my faves!  I found them on Amazon but their price took my breath away.  No matter how much I loved them, I could not justify it with my tiny budget :( 

But hooray!  A few weeks later just in time to furnish Doc Holiday, one of my favorite flash sale sites, Joss and Main, offered them for less than half the Amazon price and I snagged a couple!  Sometimes it pays to wait! 

If you'd like to check out some of the great deals at Joss and Main please click my link and join up!  The deals change daily so if you don't find something you like and need today you may find it tomorrow!  At any rate, it's fun to window shop!

These are a few of my favorite things!  This post is getting long so I will wait til next week to show you a close-up of an absolutely fabulous seashell-encrusted mirror!  Then I want to put everything together and show you how it looks in the living room!

What about you?  Do you have any favorite finds or stores to share with us? 

Where do you like to shop?  Are you a flea market enthusiast or do you prefer the

fancier stores?

Big, Bold, Colorful and Happy--Thanks Bellamy!

Don't you love beautiful art?  My mom started our art collection when she painted a picture for me and my husband as a wedding present.  

Through the years we have purchased paintings when traveling as a special remembrance of a wonderful trip and we also have collected paintings of our hometown of Savannah.  It always gives me a little lift when I look around my home and see them!

 Back in October when my husband asked what I wanted for my birthday I said I wanted a Bellamy Murphy painting.  I'd been checking her blog, looking at her website and admiring her work for a while and she had become a favorite artist of mine--her work makes me feel good and it evokes such strong feelings in me of growing up along the coast!

Here are a few images used with Bellamy's permission from her blog--pictures of 
her paintings...

"Marsh Near The Isle of Hope"

"Snapper and All"

"Oyster"

All of her work "speaks" to me so I had a difficult time making a choice but I finally decided 
to go with this painting....

"May Day"

Bellamy had painted a smaller version of "May Day" that was on display in her studio and it was perfect for us (mine is 40" x 50"--a good size for our cottage). 

Here's a photo of my birthday present standing on her easel...

The yellow chair in front of the painting is the style we are planning to use at the dining table.

This painting will be the focal point across the room when you walk in the front door.  I wanted it to be big, bold, colorful and happy--with all the beachy colors I want to use in the cottage.  

I think I chose well!  How do you like it?

 

Gorgeous Art--So Hard to Choose!

I grew up in a home where photography and art and design were considered to be necessities, not luxuries.  Mom and Daddy both painted as a hobby and I am a beneficiary of their creative efforts with several of their paintings gracing my walls.  They are a treasured reminder of two wonderful people who have now gone to heaven.

Bill and Dorothy Griffin at Tybee circa 1955

I love beautiful paintings so last October when my husband asked me what I would like for my birthday I said "I want a Bellamy painting for our cottage."  

Bellamy Murphy is a Savannah artist whose work has captured the attention of many of the shelter magazines and is collected by many folks around the world (including the rich and famous) and now by little ole me!

I met Bellamy when Isle of Hope (a charming neighborhood along Savannah's Skidaway River) held an arts festival featuring local musicians and artists.  

This painting looks like it could be a view from the bluff at Isle of Hope.

 There were a number of artists in the park but Bellamy's booth was particularly crowded with admirers.  I loved everything she had and could not make up my mind--I wanted them all!

  I left, unable to make a decision, and decided to visit her studio in the near future.

 A few weeks later when I stopped by, Bellamy was busy doing commissioned work and was working hard to fill her Christmas orders.  I was somewhat relieved that I had more time to make up my mind--saying yes to one painting meant saying no to the others and I just wasn't able to narrow my choice down yet.  It was fun to get to go to her studio, meet her little puppies and see where all the magic happened though!

Well--this week I decided it was time to claim my birthday present!  I looked at Bellamy's website and once again coveted (sorry but I have to be honest) them all but I saw one painting that had all the colors I would like to use in our beach cottage and felt ready to commit!

So I called and arranged to go by the studio while I was in Savannah last week and I am thrilled to say I now own my first Bellamy painting!  I'll show it to you next time!

From Trash to Treasure--and I Do Mean Treasure!

Leonard Miller, sign painter extraordinaire, paid a call on The Coral Cottage several weeks ago to paint her name sign. 

Source for pictures in this post:  Jane Coslick

While Leonard was working, our designer, Jane Coslick asked him to paint a little surprise for us.  When the windows were replaced at the cottage she saved them and Leonard painted our surprise on one of them--the ultimate trash to treasure project!

And I do mean treasure!

Didn't Leonard do a good job?  Thanks Jane!  We love it!

It Must Be A Sign!

The Coral Cottage is getting all gussied up with shutters and a beautiful new sign.  Last week Leonard Miller paid a visit to the CC to create a sign for her.  I blogged about Leonard last week in this post.  Here he is--paint buckets in hand ready to get down to work.

Jane Coslick (who provided all these pictures--to see her blog click here)  also has him working on a surprise for us--here he is at work on it--can't wait to see it all finished. I love surprises!

Leonard has painted many cottage name signs at Tybee.  To see some other examples of his work click here.  He is so talented at lettering--doing everything freehand!  And now drum roll please....May I present.....

It's going to look like such a happy cottage!

Someone Who's Artsy Smartsy

I promised you a peek at the Coral Cottage with the shutters hung.  Here is one with just the pair on the left hung.  It was such a sunny, warm day that the picture looks a little faded--sorry but it was lovely to enjoy a day in the 80's at the end of October!

I'm saving the other pictures until after I introduce you to the handiwork of Leonard Miller, an artist who is renowned at Tybee Island for making beautiful signs for many of the cottages.  Here are a few examples from other cottages with thanks to Jane Coslick for allowing me to use her images:

y

You can see more of Jane's projects here and here.

 I first became acquainted with Leonard's art when I saw it painted on the dining room wall at a different cottage.  Here is that painting of the Tybee lighthouse:

Recently Leonard paid a call on The Coral Cottage to create a sign for her.  It turned out so well!  We've hung it on the front of the cottage and it looks great!   I'll show it to you soon!