It’s starting to feel like spring…

The sky has actually been blue and the sun shining for parts of 3 days now…I’m hoping this is a trend. It’s starting to feel a little bit like spring. The sun feels so good…just walking the dogs feels awesome. It motivates me…maybe it’s the small dose of Vitamin D…or just the proverbial warmth that feels so good.

We’ve been pretty busy this month adding new items to our site. One page, in particular, we are just beginning to work on is our bedding page. Spring weather always makes me feel like new bedroom ideas and classic white beach bedding is the ultimate. I love fresh looks and have found some great new bedding trends, which we are in process of adding to the site. Our white shell matelasse collection evokes timeless white beach bedding and this photograph from Coastal Living exudes a very similar coastal lifestyle. Sometimes all you need is a new duvet or a balancing set of pillows and throws.

Check with us often this month as we are adding some fun new pieces…including our green shells bedding collection…we just love green. Inspiration is all you need this spring…and we hope to bring you a lot of stimulating ideas.

www.SeasideDG.com

Anchors away with SeasideDG.com!

Yesterday was one of those gorgeous days on the water…cold and
little breezy, but so incredibly inspiring! Somehow the magical combination of being out on the boat, gazing into the sparkling ocean waters and the beautiful sea breeze blowing… together…it’s the most relaxing combination and does wonders to relieve your stress. I say, Anchors Away, to everyone out there with the hope and wish for a great year.

As for anchors and all things nautical…we have found some of the most exciting and fun new nautical pillows and nautical gifts for your coastal décor. Of course we, specialize in pillows and some of our newest finds, including these great nautical pillows…coming to our site this week.

We’ve also found some great inspiration in searching through the web…what a terrific place to find remarkable insights. This week we have two blogs definitely worth their mention. In particular, Nautical by Nature, writes a great blog we just love! Not only is her site visually appealing, Kate seems to be amazing at finding the very fashionable and the newest enviable current nautical things. She even has this delightful “Anchor of the Week” section, where anyone can send her photo’s of a new found anchor for her segment. We are a follower and will be keeping our eyes on this blog.

Another great site for coastal ideas is Completely Coastal. This site is chock full of ideas for your home, cooking ideas, and project planning. Maya has such a keen sense of coastal iving. She brings together amazing things, new finds, and great coastal artists. We are a happy follower of her as well, and look forward to reading her blog each week.

Remember to visit us at SeasideDG.com, as we will be adding some exciting new home accents and nautical bedding to the site right away.

It’s Gasparilla!! Arrrrrgh…ye mateys!

Its been a busy week here in Tampa, with our annual Gasparilla Invasion. I love this time of year and our famous Gasparilla pirate parade…a tradition since 1904.

Each year, the pirates of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla invade our waters and reclaim their victory over the City of Tampa, as was the legend of Jose Gaspar, “the last of the Buccaneers” and his band of marauding and pillaging pirates. Hundreds of these bandits take over our city and then parade through the streets, imbibing a bit of rum along the way. We just love the mayhem and excitement of the day, including the flotilla that follows the tall ship, the Jose Gaspar, which is filled to each crow’s nest with ravenous pirates. And, of course, we all love the bead throwing and doubloons. You can’t help but be caught up in the Invasion!!

As for work at Seaside this week…we Seahag’s were busy planning our pirate parties and didn’t get much work done…I guess it’s a walk of the plank for us mates! We’ll get back on duty…but remember to visit us at www.SeasideDG.com... for many new treasures…we’ll be busy all week adding more coastal décor to the site again.

Out with the old...in with the new...at SeasideDG.com

It’s that time of year when you start thinking about changes you want to make to your home and what you are willing to take on in this new year…creating a garden retreat, painting the guest room, changing out a sofa, or adding a little punch to your current tropical décor….and then ideas, ideas, ideas. What’s new…what’s exciting…I find the old adage, don’t re-create the wheel, definitely applies here. Magazines like Coastal Living and House Beautiful, two of my favorites, are outstanding at presenting new ideas and helping readers bring those plans to fruition.

I especially love the way House Beautiful will present the look of a makeover room and then dissect all of the stages for you…from wallpaper and paints to furnishings, textiles, lighting, and those great little accents. Their February issue is bursting with ideas for every room. We at SeasideDG.com try very hard to find those exciting accents, whether it’s a little something to add to a coffee table or a grand accent piece for your front entryway. You can see some of our latest home accents in the coastal décor category here.

Both of these magazines have incredible websites, as well…and include photo journals of many of their latest makeover projects. This “Colorful Cabana” is an idea plotter itself. Linked from the House Beautiful website, the designer and holder of this exclusive home, Moises Esquenazi, has brought his interior colors by way of his outdoor oasis, through the use of gorgeous color blocked pillows, textured throws and fresh outdoor lighting. (Photograph by Reed Davis). Challenge yourself on your next project but remember you aren’t alone…these sites have some great tools to get your mind processing your designs…and, possibly, check us out for some great new tropical pillows and coastal accents.

Spring begins with Coastal Pillows from SeasideDG.com!

We’ve just arrived home from Spring Market, which I must say was fantastic! I just love this part of the year…new beginnings…fresh things…all new colors! We’ll be having so much added to the site in coming weeks…we are very excited to bring new seaside items to your life. I’ve added a couple of pictures here for your preview of 2010 and hopefully some inspiration for these early planning days.

Each showroom full of wonderful new shades of spring brought out the best of our coastal blues, tropical greens and yellows…even purple and magenta, which remind me of our gorgeous orchids in bloom. This season is going to be as fun as ever. It was all so fabulous.

Of course, pillows are one of the best ways to start your spring change. Just think about your home and lovely furniture with a new set of nautical pillows, some of our coastal pillows or our beach throw pillows…a big change in a small package…part of our change as well. We’ve been shopping around to bring some great new ideas to our website, www.SeasideDG.com, and we are so thrilled to show them off. Check back to our site, often, as we will be adding new items each week, as they arrive.

We’ve also brought in some fresh new bedding for spring, all of which will be added in the coming days and weeks. It’s amazing what a set of new sheets and a new quilt will do to add a fresh appeal to your bedroom. And, such an easy change! We know you’ll fall in love with our coastal bedding… See you soon.

Creating an exciting dinner table…

So you’re planning your next casual dinner party, your entertaining a group of friends, and now the stress begins. It’s not just the menu choices and the guest list that causes anxiety…it’s all of the little “extras” in planning this small event. You just need to make it a little more fun by adding some excitement to the planning stage itself.

One thing you might try is to create a unique look to your dinner table for your guests…and that task itself does not have to be an event of epic proportions. Think of just adding one or two additional items to your setting. A set of votive candle holders along the centerline of your table will create a warm and welcoming tone to the evening or use them as smaller vase holders across the table in lieu of a larger arrangement. You may also want to add a table enhancer like our Clear Glass Shaped Sea Shells or our Silver Sea Stars. These accessories can be “sprinkled” around the table to add a little seaside flare to your evening festivities. When the party is over, our Silver Sea Stars make a perfect accent to your nautical décor…just set them on your coffee table or around a bookcase. They even look fabulous in a large Hurricane candle holder as an everyday centerpiece. Our clear glass sea shells, while they look fantastic scattered about a dinner table, are a great stabilizer for fresh cut flowers in a clear glass vase…something different than the regular everyday glass pebbles. You can’t help but notice their cute designs. You can view all of these products and more at http://www.seasidedg.com/

Another resource you may want to try…Coastal Living magazine offers an online Slide Show with some great ideas on creating an exciting table setting for your guests and offers great pictures too. Try researching “Seaside Settings” in their search box or just click here.

Adding touches with accent pillows…

Accent pillows are one of the easiest ways to change the look of a room. They are fun and are easy to experiment with fabric changes, as well as complete color transformations. Pillows can be all you need to update the look of your room. Whether on a favorite couch, draped across your bed, sitting on your floor or cuddling your favorite pet, pillows add depth and texture to a room. They are wonderful for introducing additional colors and lines to your room’s palette. Take for instance our nautical shell hooked pillows, as seen above…they really add the perfect finishing touch to this yacht’s sitting area. The golden yellow tones outlining the shells on these nautical accent pillows truly complement the soft buttery leather of this couch. When decorating and adding finishing touches to your room, a pillow can introduce all of the flair you need. Don’t be afraid to experiment with pillows…have fun with them. Browse through more of our nautical accent pillows at www.seasidedg.com/catalog/Pillows-27-1.html. You may also want to subscribe to our e-newsletter on the front page of our website, which is a great forum for some of our newest items and special promotions. Sign up at www.SeasideDG.com.