Creating a Coastal Headboard

In these tough economic times you can still do a lot to decorate your home with really 'big time' coastal appeal by using some very inexpensive items. To create a fantastic coastal 'headboard', start with some weathered old shutters. You can leave them very weathered or give them a coat of white, sage green or other stain color of your choice. Searching for old shutters can be a lot of fun - bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it!


Fasten enough panels together to approximate the width of your bed (there are several ways to fasten the panels but you might want to try small hinges). The joined shutters can then be affixed to the wall to form a 'headboard'.


You'll then want to decorate the shutters for a 'decked out' coastal look by hanging shell adorned wreaths, garlands, or other ornamental shell decorations from the shutters - but be careful, a little adornment goes a long way! You could opt to use something more 'Nantucket' like skinny Nantucket wall baskets filled with silk hydrangea hung from alternating shutter panels. Another option is to hang small 10" wreaths on every other panel for a stunning impact or opt for one 24" wreath and hang it in the center of your 'headboard'.





You can even go for a really simple look by hanging 6-7" finger starfish from the shutters with fishing line. Hang them at different lengths so you end up with touches of starfish here and there covering the shutters.


Be sure to visit Blue Barnacles - Nautical, Coastal and Tropical Decor for all your coastal, nautical and tropical decorating needs.

Featured Artist Derek McCrea

For all of you who love coastal, nautical or tropical artwork, we are featuring a new artist - Derek McCrea. We think his work is wonderful and we know you will too.

Right now we are carrying limited edition prints of his colorful watercolors.

If tropical is your style, you'll definitely want to check out his parrots and tropical florals.



Derek has a fabulous collection of colorful and detailed marina scenes. His marina scenes are some of our favorites.

He also has a number of beautiful lighthouse prints as well as seascapes.

One of our favorites is his St. Augustine Lighthouse print.

Be sure to check out his fabulous marinelife prints including this beautiful Sea Turtle print.

For all your nautical, coastal and tropical home decor needs visit Blue Barnacles at www.bluebarnacles.com.

Create a Coastal, Tropical or Nautical Look with Themed Pillows and Throws

Want to do something simple to add a coastal, tropical or nautical look to your room? We think a great place to start is with a gorgeous coastal or nautical tapestry throw draped over the back of a chair or sofa. Add a few coordinating throw pillows in coastal, tropical or nautical-inspired designs or colors and watch your room come to life! Regardless of your color scheme there are tapestry throws and pillows just right for your room.

Love sailboats? You'll definitely fall head over heels for these fabulous Coastal Breeze pillows by famous American artist Warren Kimble. A matching throw is also available.

But before making a final decision you'll want to check out Morning Sail and Fair Weather Sailing! These are some of our favorites and we think they'll be yours as well.

If shells are more your style, check out our popular Seashells tapestry throw in shades of pink. For a striking touch of deep, rich blue you won't need to look any further than our Shell Collection tapestry throw. For a more traditional look, Gifts from the Sea in sumptuous pastels is one of our most popular designs with both a tapestry throw and matching pillows available.

Want to add a touch of lively color to your room? For a colorful coastal-inspired design with a tropical flavor our Shells and Coral tapestry throw may be just the thing to add both color and that wonderful coastal accent to your room. This thow is magnificent with wicker and rattan seating, natural fibers, and rich woods.


For a room with whites, blues, and natural fabrics, Shore Birds is one of our favorite designs and we think it will be yours as well. Coordinating throw and pillows available, or complement the pillows with a pale blue, grey, white or tan throw or vice versa.

These are some of our choices to give your room a touch of coastal, tropical or nautical appeal. There are many more to choose from to complement your own personal style and decor.

For all your nautical, coastal and tropical home decor needs visit Blue Barnacles at www.bluebarnacles.com

Create a Shore Themed Bathroom

Creating a shore themed bathroom can range anywhere from adding touches of shells and delicate white finger starfish in a bathroom with blues or natural colors and fabrics to going 'all out' with a nautical or coastal themed collection of bath accessories. Whether you're doing a major renovation or just want to dress it up a bit, coastal decor and nautical decor themes are a wonderful choice for the bathroom.

Today's bath collections are undeniably beautiful in durable resins that will withstand the occasional drop from slippery hands onto a hard tile floor.

For a shell design, one of our favorites is Sea Breeze. It is unsurpassed for quality. The shower curtain and bath accessories feature a collection of shells and starfish in soft coastal colors.

We also LOVE the Ebb Tide collection. The towels are absolutely gorgeous and the mix of resin and wicker in the accessories gives this collection a fabulous 'beachy' appeal!

For a more rustic coastal look, you may want to consider the ever-popular East Harbor design where you can set your toothbrush in the claws of a resin crab!

Are you a lighthouse fan? If so, you'll want to see the brand new Harbor Lights designs. We think this will be one of the most popular nautical designs ever! It features gorgeous lighthouses against a map background - simply gorgeous!!

Seasons of Light is also a very popular design for lighthouse enthusiasts. We just adore the toothbrush holder shaped like a lighthouse!

Want to create an underwater world in your bathroom? Check out Blue Lagoon and Deep Blue. Both designs feature gorgeous colors and realistic underwater scenes you're sure to enjoy.

For all your nautical, coastal and tropical home decor needs visit Blue Barnacles at www.bluebarnacles.com

Weathervanes as a Tabletop Accent!

Want to find something gorgeous and really unique as a tabletop accent for your coastal decor or nautical decor? Something that will be an eye-catching focal point for your room? Create a stunning tabletop accent with a full size weathervane by using a mantel base especially made for displaying full size weathervanes on a mantel or tabletop.




Weathervanes are available in several finishes with polished copper and antiqued finishes being the most popular.


Nautical and coastal designs are plentiful - featuring sailboats, shore birds, lighthouses, fish and other marinelife designs.

Regardless of your decorating style you're sure to find a weathervane that will offer a stunning accent for your room. Designs are available from equine to wildlife, country designs, airplanes, and many, many more...

For all your nautical, coastal and tropical home decor needs visit Blue Barnacles at www.bluebarnacles.com

Outdoor Entertaining with a Nautical, Coastal or Tropical Flair

So much of our time is spent out of doors in the warm summer months, it just makes sense to treat yourself and your guests to a wonderful array of tableware that you can enjoy all season. There are more choices available today than ever before to help you create a traditional nautical look, serene coastal feel, lively and colorful beach-inspired setting, or luxurious tropical design.

Melamine and acrylic are wonderful choices because of their light weight and durability. Many of the melamine choices today are not only wonderful for outdoor dining, but they are available with non-skid rings and are dishwasher safe. Some are even microwaveable for up to 1 minute. Several new designer series of enamelware are also a fabulous choice for outdoor entertaining.


For a classic nautical look there are a number of designs to choose from.

Pair these up with our 'anchor' adorned flatware or our popular 'fishsticks' design flatware.

If your style leans more toward the serene shell adorned coastal look you might want to check out Seaside Retreat or Island Shells. Antiquities is also a fabulous upscale coastal design with accents of starfish and coral amongst richly colored florals and antique objects.








Ocean's Breeze is a design that has both a coastal and nautical feel all wrapped up in one GORGEOUS design! This is one of our favorites. In blue, white and aqua, it sports a nautical map background on many of the pieces while each piece is also adorned with starfish, shells, and sand dollars. This design also works well with our anchor adorned flatware.




For a colorful beach-inspired setting, you might want to try Ocean Breeze melamine (this is a different design than Ocean's Breeze ! - confusing, huh?). Or accent your table setting with bright solid colored melamine dinnerware.

If seafood is a family favorite, try a crab or lobster design in either melamine or enamelware. Many of these designs come with a variety of kitchen accessories and cookware.

If tropical decor is your look, you're sure to LOVE our new Havana collection. High quality products in a truly classy tropical-inspired design, featuring rich greens and warm browns. This is one of the best designs we've seen in tropical kitchen accessories and will go superbly with wicker, rattan, and natural fabrics.

Add in some outdoor tropical lighting and your look will be complete.

For all your nautical, coastal and tropical home decor needs visit Blue Barnacles at www.bluebarnacles.com

Create a Shoreline Garden

In creating a shoreline-inspired garden you will want to start with a variety of grasses. You might want to try grasses with a bluish or grayish hue such as Blue Lymegrass, Japanese Silver Grass, Perennial Fountain Grass or Blue Fescue.

We think one of the best choices is Feather Reed Grass which has an appearance similar to beach grasses - but be careful where you plant it as it grows 3' - 5' tall.

If you're lucky enough to live by the shore and are able to find a piece of drift wood that's not too big, it will provide, compliments of Mother Nature, a fantastic coastal accent to your garden!

The addition of garden stones with shoreline or coastal designs will add interest. Be sure to place garden stones where they will not be hidden or overpowered by very large or tall plants.



Lawn lighthouses are also a wonderful choice for your shoreline garden. We suggest a 3' to 4' size rather than 5' or larger as the larger sizes may overpower your garden. Lawn lighthouses that replicate actual lighthouses can be found and are frequently made of stucco for longlasting wear. Accessories feature revolving beacons, solar beacons, low voltage lights, blinking lights, LED light-up windows, remote control switches and timers, foghorns, and even rock bases to anchor your lighthouse on. Another fabulous choice for your shoreline garden is a lawn buoy.

Add a unique touch to your shoreline garden with a weathervane in a coastal or nautical motif. Many weathervanes are available in antiqued or polished copper finish. The smaller 'cottage' size weathervane is a good choice for your garden. Special mounts are available for mounting your weathervane in your garden.

And finally, the ever popular garden flag is available in a variety of colors and designs to add a splash of color to your garden.

Have fun creating your shoreline-inspired garden, then relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

For all your nautical, coastal and tropical home decor needs visit Blue Barnacles at www.bluebarnacles.com