Archive for the ‘Nautical Home Decor’ Category
A Place for Everything
Is your house full of things that you want to display, but you are not sure where to put them? We travel, we collect, and then we stash. We have many several small cabinets with doors on them. If you open those doors, you will see items we have bought and put away. Of course, we displayed them for a while, but now they have to wait their turn or wait until their season comes around.
People often have bookshelves or other cabinets that share places with books and knick knacks. A useful item for most any home is a curio cabine
t. It is a nice place to display items you have collected or have received as gifts. Enjoy your collectibles and your cabinets. They are often reminders of great places you have visited.
Cruising
Cruises are fun. At least the one I went on was! It just made me decide that all cruises must be fun because we have some friends that go on lots of them and they never come back saying it was a bore. Anyway, it is a little different than being out on a lake in a fishing boat which I have done many times.
All of this brings us back to the good old days and I mean old days. The days of the clipper ships. Those ships are the ones that we see in bottles and as figurines. Those are in the stories and movies of pirates. They are the stuff of Long John Silver and Robinson Crusoe. I probably would not have enjoyed a cruise on one of those ships. However, since I am not getting ready to go on a cruise, nor do I ever expect to go again, I must admit that sometimes I enjoy the movies of those old days and have even read a book or two about them. Now I will just stare at my figurines, etc. and remember - the real and the stories.
A Nautical Theme
For centuries, mankind has been fascinated with wide-open spaces. The ultimate example, of course, would be the ocean. Great works of literature, such as Moby Dick and Treasure Island, speak to our inherent obsession with the mysteries of the sea. Vast expanses of water seem to promise freedom and adventure - the sort of experiences landlubbers could never truly appreciate.
These ideas are often expressed in the form of nautical décor. It’s not uncommon to see a beachside home decked out with nautical accents. With the water beckoning from just a few yards away, it’s possible to make an interior space look just like the captain’s quarters, or the kitchen like a galley. The options are limitless, and it’s amazing what a few sea-themed touches can do to pique the imagination.
Sailing the Rolling Sea
Everyone dreams of something. Maybe of when they lived somewhere else that they loved. Maybe of their childhood days and the carefree life of childhood. Maybe of a job where everything goes right. Maybe of sailing on the open sea. That must have been where a ship in a bottle was invented. When you read books about long ago and the dangers and wonders of sailing the “bounding main,” you see sailors with time on their hands between voyages. Wouldn’t between voyages have been the perfect time for someone to come up with the idea of building a boat in a bottle? How intricate the pieces would have to be. And so much time would be involved in putting it all together. If you know the story of how this all started, you might want to share it. Maybe everyone except me does know. Oh well, I can contemplate the ship in the bottle and wonder. That is fun, too.
Unusual Photography
Do you know anyone who loves to take pictures? Maybe you do. Maybe a friend or relative does. Some people take pictures just for fun. Other people are serious about it and try to get really good photos. Often the best pictures are taken with great effort. The subject has to be just right. The light has to be just right. You have to have a good, I mean a REALLY good camera. We have a relative who is a good photographer. He knows when the light and the place is right. If the picture does not come out perfect, he takes it again. Sometimes you just have to be lucky and be there when the time and the light are right.
Some objects are really good subjects. One of those subjects is a lighthouse. If you have some really good photos, you can decorate an area with lighthouse decor. In fact, you can do it without the photos, but the photos help make the area really special. If you are thinking along that line, you can find lighthouse decor in many places. When you visit an area near the sea, you will always find these items. Then you can combine your own photos with the objects you buy. You can also find lighthouse decor in unexpected places. Choose your subject and start taking pictures.
Model Ships
When we see a model ship that someone has put together, we wonder, “How on earth did he do that?” When I see a model ship that is already put together, my interest grows because I would never have the patience to do it myself. Model ships are very interesting. They also make a beautiful decoration or part of a display. It is very interesting to visit a modern ship and see how intricate and well-prepared they are. Since cruises are so popular right now, a lot of us have taken at least one journey on a big ship. Usually we come home with a model of one of the large animals that live in the sea or with a model ship. What fun! Every time we see it, we think of our trip and how we enjoyed it. Many people collect these beautiful crafts. Some have an alcove or table where the ship is displayed. Some just have one or two displayed on their shelves. Whether you collect, enjoy, or just see the ships when you visit someone who has them, they are always interesting. I think I will see if I can find a magazine devoted to them. It would be relaxing to just sit and enjoy seeing the ships and maybe dream a little.
Storms
This time of year we seem to have quite a few storms across the country. The winds blow, the rain falls, there is thunder, lightening, snow, and the electricity goes out. Then we go to look for the candles or the flashlights. That is when we are glad we have that candle lamp
we bought a short time ago. When we light the candle in its beautiful holder, it helps take away the feeling of being caught in a storm. If we have used a scented candle, there is something else to enjoy while we are using the lamp.
In the place where you put your candles for emergency lighting, be sure to keep the type you want in your candle lamp. Using it helps to take away the feeling of being in a storm. When a storm comes, even before the electricity goes off, it may be that lighting your candle lamp will take away that “stormy feeling” and make the time a time of enjoyment whether or not the electricity toes off. Happy times!
Display
Figurines are for display. Many of them mean something to us because of a special place we bought them or because we are collecting that particular thing. Why would we want to collect them and then not display them? Some people collect miniatures. Some people collect horse figurines, some collect raccoon figurines, some collect miniature cars. There are so many different things that can be collected that it would be impossible to name them all. Then when we have a special piece, we look around for the perfect spot to display it.
Some items fit best on a shelf. Some fit on a decorative table. Some items are moved around from place to place depending on our whim. Whatever the place you decide on, be sure to display your figurines. Expensive or inexpensive, each has a special story that is fun to share.
Why?
“Why would anyone want to do that?” Have you ever heard that phrase? We see something strange or incomprehensible and want to know what would make someone interested enough to tackle the problem. I have often wondered that when I contemplate a ship in a bottle. Why would anyone think of it? Why would someone try to do it? How did they do it?
Actually, I think I don’t really want to know. It is one of those things that I want to wonder about. My little brother used to say,”I wanna wonder.” There are other things that seen impossible that someone has done. We can get technical and think about electricity, computers, huge factories, and many other things. God has given man the ability to use his mind. Many of us do not have the ability that will allow us to rise to the level of scientists and inventors. However, we can still sit and contemplate a ship in a bottle.
Spare Room with a Nautical Flair
I grew in a house just a few miles from majestic Lake Huron, a body of water that always seemed endless when I gazed out upon it from the safety of shore. As soon as I was old enough, I bought a Sunfish sailboat and explored the nearby islands and coves. Then came college and a job that took me and my family far from the lake. As happy as I was, I missed hearing the waves at night and enjoying its constant, pacific presence.
In order to assuage my longings for the lake, I chose to decorate our spare room with nautical home decor. I actually found the centerpiece of the room at an estate sale. It’s an enormous oil painting depicting a tall ship leaving harbor, and it takes up nearly the entire wall. Around that foundation, I placed several tasteful model ships and decorative lighthouse plates that I found online. To be honest, the house really feels like home.