COAST TO COAST

Yes, I know it's been awhile, but before I explain why I haven't been blogging lately. I'd like to share some exciting book sightings.

ROCKLAND, MAINE
Just before Labor Day, my friend Judith was vacationing in Maine and went into a cute shop called SEAGULL COTTAGES.

She was so thrilled to see Waterside Cottages on display that Jim Stewart, the shopkeeper, came over to see what was going on. She asked Jim if she could snap a few photos. He asked if I'd be willing to do a book signing in Spring. Maine, here I come!

Judith already has an autographed copy of my book but she reportedly left with several shopping bags overflowing with gifts from the sea.

Visitors and Mainers can stop by the Rockland shop for coastal home decor or visit its sister location in Warren, Maine. There are also outposts in Pompano Beach and Sarasota, Florida. And no matter where you live, you can visit online at www.maineseagullcottage.com.

MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIFORNIA
Clear across the country, last Sunday, I spied Waterside Cottages in the window of A Summer Place (1401 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA).

I was on my way from the Inn at Playa del Rey to an Arts Festival in Hermosa Beach. I looked out the car window and shouted, "Stop the car!" There in the window was Waterside Cottages.
When I introduced myself, coastal maven Sue Keporos was as excited as I was.

I snapped a few photos of this special shop. Enjoy the tour!

Make a free digital slideshow

Now, for the explanation of my vanishing act. I'm sorry for the long silence but it has been a demanding summer. I spent much of it nursing Samantha, my wounded chick back to health (see July 2nd post), and helping my mom while she recuperated from a broken knee.

For all of you who sent Samantha get well wishes, she says THANKS. She's now back in the coop with her friends but misses being hand fed and hanging out with me on the porch.

And for all of you who wrote, called, emailed and dropped by to cheer Mom and me on,
THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH!

Tomorrow morning, I'm off to do a book signing at My Island Cottage in Chincoteague, Virginia.

Barbara

P.S. I plan to jump back in where I left off. I'll be sharing some wonderful sea glass finds plus my musings and photos from England and Scotland in the very near future.

I HATE COMPUTERS

Imagine you log in to a Live Chat and for some mysterious reason,'acess is denied'. Pretty frustrating, right?

Now imagine the same thing happens when you are the Live Chat's guest and you are one of the two folks who are supposed to be ready to help moderate the chat and answer questions. My ship was sailing and I wasn't on it. XX#&~!@#$%^&*()_+!!

There I was sitting with my Mac, my laptop, my friend's laptop, paint color fans and a few favorite sources of inspiration and for 20 minutes I couldn't get online.
I could read all of the questions coming in ...but I couldn't answer. My office was not a pretty place to be from 11 AM to 11:20! Words that normally don't cross my lips came spewing out.
Then, thanks to the savvy tech crew at The Post, a lifesaver was found, and it worked!
I could publish my answers instead of just thinking about them. It was fun after all.
A great big thank you to everyone who participated in the Washington Post's Live Chat -- and to those who posted, re-posted, re-twitted and spread the word.

There were so many questions and comments that Washington Post editor Liz Seymour couldn't post even half of them in our allotted time!

Please accept my apologies if you were left out. If the Washington Post doesn't mind, I'll try to answer some of the coastal related in future posts.

If you missed the chat and want to read it online the perma-link is:
http://live.washingtonpost.com/home-front-07-08-10.html

For now, I'm going to brew up a pitcher of iced tea and try to stay cool. It's another scorcher here today. I photographed the gull and ship murals at the fabulous train museum in York, England. If anyone knows who painted them please let me know. I'd like to credit their creator.

*** BLOG DU JOUR ***

I'd be remiss if I didn't share this great European ruffled table linens giveaway from Lidy at French Garden House. I know it dilutes MY chance of winning but I owe it to all of you who have been so nice about sharing my recent news. Go ahead and enter, I won't mind a bit.

WATERSIDE WEDNESDAY

The only body of water I am nearby today is a tall glass of ginger peach ice tea!(Photo courtesy of Mighty Leaf Tea)

I am sticking close to home today as I am supposed to be interviewed for a newpaper article about my book, Waterside Cottages!

WATERSIDE WEDNESDAY: ALOHA

One of the little known pleasures of writing a book is that you rediscover old friends.
A month ago, a very talented Virginia decorator who I had lost touch with saw my book and sent me an e-mail.
She was living in Hawaii for the past six years and had recently opened a home boutique called Nest. She wanted to stock my book.
From experience, I knew that everything that Sandi Wickersham does, she does well, and I asked her to send me a few photos of her shop and recent work. Above is a bedroom she redid for a client. All of the other photos in this post were taken in Sandi's shop in Kihei on Maui.
When Sandi told me that my book, Waterside Cottages, was perfect for her shop, she wasn't kidding! Perched on a shelf, it really does look right at home at Nest.
Here's a closer view!
Born on a farm in Washington State, Sandi grew up surrounded by green hills, apple trees and a host of horses, cows, and chickens. For some reason, she always dreamed of living by the sea.
Her father encouraged her to draw. As an adult, Sandi gained recognition for her primitive style paintings of daily life at her family's farm, country fairs and other country scenes. She also painted her Caribbean fantasies filled with flamingos, frothy surf and stacks of shells.

Despite her success as an artist, Sandi has worked as a dental hygienist in California, opened an antiques shop in Texas and designed quilts and bedding for a company in New York City. Today she frequently incorporates Hawaiian quilt patterns into her design work.
Sandi and I met in 1993. She was living in a rustic log cabin in rural Virginia, raising horses and painting, and running two home design shops.
Her life seemed practically perfect but moving to Hawaii was her dream come true. To see more of what she's been up to visit www.wickershamdesign.com
If you are in the neighborhood, please drop by Nest and tell Sandi that Barbara sent you.
Of course, you might want to call ( 808-269-3228) first to be sure Sandi's not taking a break.

HAPPY 6th of JULY

Have you ever wondered what are the telltale signs that a blogger has been out celebrating with a little too much enthusiasm?

Perhaps one of the signs is when their Fourth of July post doesn’t get posted until the 6th!

I originally planned to share a few of my favorite summer paintings by bloggers who paint. (By Erin Houghton of The Painted Garden)

And a book by Diane C. Arkins
Diane was one of my writers when I edited Country Collectibles magazine. Her latest book perfectly captures the essence of this patriotic holiday in prose, poetry, decorating, party ideas, games and menus. The Glorious Fourth of July may be ordered by calling 800-843-1724.

But then I got sidetracked.
(By Erin Houghton of The Painted Garden)

Fast forward to July 3rd when my July 4th celebrations kicked off a day early with a bbq with all the trimmings (including a Good Humor truck) and fireworks at a friend's Country Club.
On the 4th, I was lucky enough to view the “official” Washington DC fireworks from the ballroom of the Sheraton National where I celebrated the wedding of Kristen and Rob.
The reception ballroom had a spectacular view of the Pentagon and The national Mall.

Kristen and I first met when she started coming to Jazzercise class with her mom. She was in high school at the time.

Although her mom and I are closer in age, the three of us have had a blast together choosing a wedding cake, giggling during the wedding rehearsal, and sorting out dozens of details to guarantee their special would be truly special.

The ceremony was at historic Fort Myer, which traces its origin as a military post to the Civil War. It overlooks Arlington National Cemetery.
The Old Post Chapel where the ceremony took place is located on land confiscated from Robert E. Lee's estate.

Nearly every American President and many other persons of influence from around the world have attended services at Fort Myer's Old Post Chapel.
Fast forward to July 6th: By noon today, I had completely recovered from the festivities and was out of bed and dressed when a UPS truck rolled down my driveway.

I was so relieved when he said there were stacks of boxes for me from Gibbs Smith on the truck that I could have kissed the driver.
After I autographed each copy, the entire household helped by lovingly wrapping the books, placing them in padded envelopes and driving them to the post office.

Yes you can get writers cramp from signing too many copies in an afternoon! So, I still have more to send out tomorrow.

CONGRATULATIONS to Gale of She Shoots Sheep Shots.
You are the lucky winner of a free copy of Waterside Cottages.

*** BLOG DU JOUR ***

Belgium chose today's blog. It's The Katillac Shack. His photo wasn't posted yet the last time he checked, but Kelee promised him it would be there real soon.

WATERSIDE WEDNESDAY

To celebrate the release of Waterside Cottages, I’d like to start a new blog feature called Waterside Wednesdays. But...(Photo by Dan Mayers)

I’m not sure what WW should showcase. And I’d appreciate your help.

Should Waterside Wednesday be a beach worthy recipe?

A coastal craft project?
(Photo by Dan Mayers)

A waterside photo?(Photo by Dan Mayers)

All of the above? Something entirely different?

Something other bloggers can participate in?
(Photo by Dan Mayers)

Please leave a comment with your ideas and suggestions.

Also, my Win A Copy of Waterside Cottages Contest is still open! Although Amazon has received their book shipment (thanks Suzie Q for letting me know), mine are still en route.

*** BLOG DU JOUR ***

This isn't a blog but I think you'll be inspired by this slide show of store displays. Good design is good design and the same principles apply whether you are selling cupcakes, creating a web site or arranging a tabletop vignette in your home.

Looking at these displays convinced me that color placement can be more important than which colors you choose. Visit VMSD magazine's slide show by clicking on the words slide show (above) or cutting and pasting: vmsd.com/content/your-picks-great-displays-small-spaces

MY SHIP'S COME IN

I just received the phone call I've been waiting for.

The boat has landed and the books are at Gibbs Smith in Utah.

I will have copies in Virginia by early next week.

THE FINE PRINT

Want An Autographed Copy?

You can pre-order autographed copies for $21 (that's only $1.20 more than Amazon). And I'd be happy to personalize gift books to match the occasion.

The books will not be available for shipping until July, but I welcome your support! Plus it will help me figure out how many books to order for resale.

Shipping by US mail within the continental United States is $5 (only $1.01 more than Amazon) and covers the price of a nice padded envelope (it can be re-used!), the banking/Paypal fees and the cost of driving back and forth to the nearest post office.

I'd hoped to match Amazon's prices but losing money on each sale didn't seem like a smart business strategy.

Get your copy at www.watersidestyles.com

P.S. www.watersidestyles is my brand new website and almost everything featured there is brand new (NOT in the book) It's my little gift to you.

I'll be adding lots more so don't forget to Join My Mailing List.

One lucky name from the mailing list will be chosen to win a free copy of the book (winner to be chosen the day I receive the books from Gibbs Smith).

If you've already ordered a copy and win, I'll refund your purchase price or you can request the prize copy for a friend.

How's that for a good deal?

It's Here!

It's here! I just got an advance copy of my book.

I ripped open the express mail envelope and stared for a few minutes. Then I finally started looking through the pages.

The printed copy really looks different from the proofs I’d received. I’m amazed that it looks even nicer in person.

I showed it to my mother and she loved it, too. She’s prejudiced, of course.I wanted an unbiased opinion, so I showed it to Belgium. He seemed impressed, but maybe I’m imagining it.
I called Dan to see if he got his copy. He hadn’t, so now he’s jealous.

It seemed sort of tacky to call everyone I know, so I didn’t. (Blogging to my friends I think is OK.)
But I was thrilled when my friend Judith called. She suggested hopping a train to NYC so she could see it and share a bottle of champagne. I decided to pass.

Instead, I put it on my coffee table, and tried to imagine thousands of other people doing the same thing.
That’s where the book is right now. It looks right at home.

*** BLOGS DU JOUR ***
Planning a beach wedding? These seashell cookies are a must! I was visiting A Beach House Dream and found a link to Marysol's blog. Recipe included!