Coral Wind Chime

Crafty mood is on! I had a rainy day and done with the accounting books that I'd been working since Friday. So, my idea of relaxation this afternoon was to create a wind chime for my beach inspired cottage. 

These coral fingers have been sitting on the table for two months since my last visit to the white island beaches of Sorsogon. Actually, I started working on these pieces into a nice and useful decor as soon as I came back from my trip. However, my materials were not complete so the project was postponed. This time though, I have all the materials with me...So, I started on it right away and had it done by the end of the day. 

Materials: Coral fingers (39 pcs), round-shaped base, twine and scissors

I begin threading the corals using the twine. After each coral, I tie a double knot to secure it's placement onto the cord. Approximately, the distance in between each coral is about 4 inches. With the 39 pieces coral fingers, I was able to make six cords. After all the threading part, I create a loop to hang my wind chime from.

                     

Wind chimes provide beautiful sounds and create beautiful decorations. Now, it is time to hang my simple coral wind chime and enjoy it's calming wind song on my deck. 

Project Complete! ;)

Farm Cottage Project: Accents and Furnitures

Deck with the rope railing design

To continue my blog on the cottage renovation, I want to share some photos of the furniture and accents that I personally designed. I got all my inspiration from Pinterest. This site has so many great ideas and photo collection from professional designers to do-it-yourself (DIY) homemakers. I am also fortunate enough to have a carpenter that can follow instructions and really do a superb job that makes my concept into a reality. I have a thing for old wood so most of my furnitures are recycled and refurbished. Creating beautiful things from a scrap is happiness. That is why I love every piece that I put in my farmhouse. 

So, let me first show you the interior accents and furnitures. 

Attic wood spindles made of Narra. These are surplus from my parents' house during the construction of our home almost 30 years ago (right). 

And to give it a more coastal look, I used Manila hemp stranded rope as a railing design (below). Manila hemp is a hard fiber obtained from the abaca, a plant of the banana family. 

Attic with the rope railing design 

Since Pinterest's awakened my craftiness, I decided to make a headboard and a sofa from scrap and old woods. The headboard is a recycled wood from our elf trucks’ flooring. These old wood have been sitting in our storage room for a while... I got lucky to salvage these gorgeous pieces. I also found a chunk of wood in our storage, I used it as a temporary bedside platform. The wood used for the pallet-like designed sofa were scrap from the deck's flooring. This pallet sofa is a multi-purpose piece of artwork - it can be used as a bed, a books/magazine shelf, a table, or a shoe rack...how cool is that?! hehe

Pretty headboard awaits for some art paint...

Pallet sofa

The 8-seater dining table and the entry tables are all made from recycled wood. The materials for tabletop were from the wood planks used in the pond gate before and old wood spindles again used for its table legs. 

   

Likewise, recycled materials were used for the wine and glass shelf. It is made from a combination of truck and deck's flooring scrap. This one also awaits some art paint.  

A nice vintage touch of a 1950's wood storage chest from my Grandma Adelfa adds up to the beach-inspired interior decoration. I am using it as a storage and a table at the same time.

For the exterior accent, a cottage cannot be complete without these pieces - a hammock and a swing bed. The swing bed is one of my favorites. It is also made from the trucks’ flooring and from an old staircase handle. The round center table is an old Narra wood that was once used as a target shooting board by my father. The hammock is a gift from my Mom, it is made of rattan material. 

             

Okay, I hope everyone has a hammock or any lounge chair where you can enjoy a nice weekend. 

Just a peek of what I am doing now for the cottage...I am inspired on working on the landscape. Wish me luck in creating a lovely garden. ;) 

P.S. 

Coastal-inspired decor frames, shells, stuff toys and nets were from my friends (Marian, Mayleine, Zarina) and my sister, Chona. Thank you for being thoughtful...I will always treasure them. 

Stoked Days

What is a coastal life blog without water sports activity, huh? Well, finally, after several months of an on and off surfing lessons, my friends were kind enough to take some pictures of me while riding the waves in our playground. Take a peek in my stoked days just last week…

Got a ride up to the shore, yey! ;)

A priceless smile of a newbie. ;)

Moon rise pose... need to take the shot. :D 

It was a fun weekend even with a mushy waves. As a beginner, I am not choosy on the kind of waves I must say...if there's a swell, I ride! However, I am also studying the waves and all the important points in surfing. What I like in surfing is that, every wave is a challenge, Mother Nature is your playmate. So, you really have to respect whatever wave she'll give to you. And our only control is how we will take and ride it. That is why, surfing is a lifelong process of learning, cultivating your skill and having fun at the same time.

It always feels good when I go out of the water. I feel charged up, and definitely, will have good days for the rest of the week. So, I hope everyone will have a great week as well. See you around!   

Untimely Harvest

After only 4 months, I had to drain the fishpond and harvest my milkfishes before the Brahminy Kite emptied the pond. I think it was a good call after all, since I only got 88% yield. I am a bit disappointed with my performance this time but what can I do when the bird circles and catches 3 fishes everyday! ...Nothing, right? I just admired this Kite when it swooped and caught its prey.

I hope next time it will be the same as my previous performance where I had a 97% yield...and I hope that I am not the only pond that have stocks on it when the Kite is hungry...and I hope I can design a gadget for the pond in such a way that it will scare the Brahminy Kite.

Farming, is indeed, a profession of hope. :)

Pond draining on-going

The only bangus weighing 500 grams...if only I could grow the fishes
at this rate, I will be a very happy farmer. 

Milkfishes ready to market