Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Copper Wire

copper wire
250 feet of seven strand bare copper wire.

I use a lot of copper: copper pipe for chimes, heavy copper wire for hooks and loops and hanging stones, and slightly lighter copper wire for wrapping glass. I go through a spool as pictured above about every six months.

These spools hold 250 feet of seven strand, and I unwrap the strands giving me a total of 1750 feet.

I calculate over my wire wrapping career, I've wrapped well over 9 miles of wire!

You can see what I do with all this wire by visiting my website: Coast Chimes.

Friday, November 04, 2011

Wind Chime: Pacific Beach Stones. Naturally Beautiful!

Pacific Beach Stone Wind Chime

Recently I bought 100 high-speed diamond bits. As you can see from the picture, I have been busy with them! I love beach stone, and I am happy that my beach stone works are becoming increasingly popular.

Stone is a great choice. There is the beauty, and also the durability. When they get wet from the rain, they look even nicer!

You can find a selection of beach stone wind chimes on my website: Coast Chimes, Gallery Page.

They are also available on the arts and crafts website: Etsy

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Pacific Driftwood Large Wind Chime


Very large, and Very beautiful Pacific Driftwood Wind Chime
See it on my website: Coast Chimes

It's not so often that I find really gorgeous driftwood, and the piece shown above is truly special. As soon as I saw it, I new I could make an amazing wind chime with it. It worked out even better than I anticipated!

You can see larger pictures on my website driftwood page: Driftwood, Coast Chimes
Or find it on Etsy: Coast Chimes, Etsy

Monday, October 03, 2011

Suncatcher, Windowsill Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope Suncatcher
Perfect for a sunny windowsill.

I've been very busy making as many things as I can for the fast approaching holiday rush. One of my new designs is pictured above: I like it! When the sun comes out and shines through the glass, it really comes alive.

There are a number of these now on my website: Coast Chimes

They are also on Etsy.


Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Home Sweet Home

Click on the images to see them larger
Roberts Creek house with acreage for sale
3094 Grauman Rd., Roberts Creek, BC, for sale by owner

We've enjoyed 16 wonderful years in this beautiful home on fabulous acreage. But now, empty nesters, it is time to move on. It's a difficult thing, as this has been not only my home where so many sweet family memories were created, but also my work site— my artist studio is around the back. But I am a firm believer that change is a good thing, so here we go.

I am selling this house myself. At the same time, I am doing the marketing for my friend and neighbour, who also has a beautiful home on acreage just down the street.

I know these are each some of the nicest properties on the Sunshine Coast. Very peaceful and sunny.

See lots of pictures and read all about these two properties on the website: Sunshine Coast Homes for Sale.

Home for sale on the Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Framed Kaleidoscope Suncatcher

Framed glass with mosaic kaleidoscope section

I have been known to make a mistake or two with my business. Not being by nature the most organized person around, it is surprising I do not make even more. I try, I really try.

My latest mistake resulted in the creation of the above framed suncatcher. I had made a couple of that style back in late 2010, and a customer fell in love with one of them and asked if she could pay over several months. That was fine with me. Time went by, and she emailed that she was ready to make the final payment. That was great, except I discovered that somehow I had sold it to someone else-- I no longer had it! What a sad day for her, after saving and waiting. I felt terrible.

I offered a refund, or told her that I could try to make a similar one. She opted for the similar one, and I put together three, while I was at it. She was very happy with the replacement for her original one. And now I have two more in my Etsy shop, and on my website.

Happy ending to a sad story.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Beach Stones

Click on the image to see it larger.
Natural Pacific ocean beach stone and copper wind chime
Natural Pacific beach stone wind chime: Naturally beautiful!
For more information, or to purchase, please visit:

I love beach stones. I have incorporated them into my work for years. But recently I came up with a new design using these smooth, rounded, natural stones. I love suddenly dreaming up a brand new design, or a new technique. It keeps my job fresh; it keeps me eager to go out and work.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Coast Copper: Canadian Wind Chime Website

Below, part of the homepage for Coast Copper
a new Canadian website for wind chimes
image of the homepage of Coast Copper, a new Canadian website for handcrafted art wind chimes.
Coast Copper has a nice selection of my wind chimes. All prices are in Canadian dollars.

It has been too cold here these past several of days for me to go out and do much glass, metal and woodwork. So I used the time to finally get my Canadian website made and launched. It has a great selection of my large wind chimes, and all prices are in Canadian dollars. It is called Coast Copper.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Coast Chimes Customer Picture

wind chimes, Coast ChimesI love when customers go to the trouble of sending me a picture of my wind chime hanging at their home. Here is a picture recently sent to me of three of my wind chimes. I think they look wonderful! Beautiful yard, too.

See all my available wind chimes at my website: Coast Chimes.

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Bird Feeder Wind Chimes: Even Better!

Click on the picture to see it larger.
bird feeder, wind chime, copper, cedar, deluxe, handcrafted
Deluxe handcrafted red cedar bird feed with five antiqued copper chimes.
Visit my website, Coast Chimes, for more pictures and information.

I've made a lot of bird feeder wind chimes. I make them in series, usually for at a time. Each new series, I incorporate changes to improve them. Just yesterday, I finished my latest series, and these are the best ever.

They are a little larger than the last ones, and a little more elegant looking. They are also extremely well made. You can find them on Coast Chimes, and also on Etsy.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Back to Work, and Blogging

50 Diamond Bits
diamond drill bits, Dremel bits
50 new diamond bits. Lots of stone and glass cutting coming right up!

It's been a (l-o-n-g) while. Between a car accident that wrecked my back, and a winter break down in Mexico, time went by. But I am back, and back at work.

As shown in the picture, I just picked up 50 beautiful, new, diamond bits. I am excited to get out and cut a lot of beach stone, and soon, in the spring, lots of glass. I already got going on the stone. Here is a wonderful natural beach stone wind chime:

Natural Pacific Beach Stone Wind Chime
Beach Stone Wind Chime Handcrafted
Three gorgeous natural beach stones with hammered copper. Five antiqued copper chimes with a beach pebble clapper and a hammered copper windsail.

Isn't that a wonderful wind chime? And it is extremely well suited to year round outdoor use— in fact, it looks even better wet than dry! Find it on my website: Coast Chimes, or on Etsy: My Etsy Shop.