Have you explored our Market?  We have the regular categories that you would expect to see in a handmade market that have a specific function in our homes or in our closet. Then, we have categories that have an established niche and are collected or supported because of that interest. (Fair Trade, Tribal Art, Weddings, etc.) Our Elements categories are fun groupings that have a common theme: colors, animals, birds, etc. Beach, Resort, Water is inspired by rivers, oceans, and lakes, the creatures that live in them, what we might wear on an outing and how we might decorate that cottage by the sea….

We all need water to survive. Too much of it and it’s destructive power destroys anything in its path. Too little of it and we wither up and die. Planet Earth has had a perfect balance in most places, giving us a taste of Eden.

Linnea’s work often has water as a central focus. Her silk paintings feature destinations around the globe, busy places teeming with life! She worked with horses for a while and they would take them swimming. That delight has become a central theme for her. She is using our cart to sell her work, but make sure to visit her website to see all that she has available. Linnea’s Profile and Shop.

Her underwater worlds remind me of “My Octopus Teacher”.  Have you seen it? Such a touching movie…

Any big body of water can calm your mind…  Poets and musicians have made their odes to the seas for centuries! People have flocked to the shores as long as history has been recorded…  I thought it was fun to watch this clip from 1921 as people arrive by train and set up camp. It’s been enhanced with some colorizing, sound effects and slowed down to look more realistic.

Modern beach bums also camp out. We need a big tote for our towels, toys, books, sunglasses, sunscreen, snacks and whatever else we want to take along. Mayamam Weavers also has a beach collection on their site. You’ll find big bags, bucket hats for kids and these handy throws that roll up and have a pocket.  Click on the photo to see this colorful handwoven fair trade cotton beach throw:

So many of the TV shows I grew up with had water themes: Gilligan’s Island, Flipper, The Love Boat, and so many more. Flipper inspired many children to learn about the ocean and grow up to pursue fields that studied and protected water life.

Castilleja Cotton has a beautiful dolphin themed art quilt pattern that would look lovely in a beach house! You can purchase the pattern here.

What to wear?

You can get away with nothing on some beaches, but most of us prefer something light and fun in summer weather. Two of our members have lots of “island wear”, Debra Dorgan and SuiteVirginia.  Debra IS an island girl, living in Australia! She has lots of fun tops, skirts, jewelry and home décor, perfect for cottages. Debra makes new things out of the old, so every piece is original, one of a kind.  You can purchase this top here.

Gini of SuiteVirginia is a California Girl who prints on fabric she finds. She just listed several beach covers that are just lovely! She used a shower curtain for this one! She also has beautiful garments that travel well, perfect for cruising! Click on the photo to go see!

Of course, you need to accessorize! Big hats, sun glasses, beads and baubles…  Show them all off!

Those Pirates and Fishermen…

Water is life. It is also a WAY of life. Think of all that the sea has given us in terms of food, raw materials, science…  oh, and pillaging, exploration, wars….  Rivers and the seas transport unimaginable goods between the continents. We consume and consume, exchanging tons of products on water.

Life on the seas has its own hardships, folk tales, superstitions and symbols. I recently fell in love with shanties when I saw the movie, Fisherman’s Friends. The music moved me and I spent hours listening and learning about them. This song is especially sad because my favorite singer takes the lead here and he later died in a tragic accident. So, so sad….

Eileen Doughty creates her own mythology, celebrating lizards on the channel islands. This is available for sale through our cart here.  She also has a series of light house patterns on her website. They are fun!  Go here.

The Mess We’ve Made

Our world is stressed to the maximum by our lack of care. We have used the oceans as our big, huge garbage can and we are killing it. The same with our rivers, our soil, our air….

I found this video from the Beach Boys which really surprised me. I think of them as playing beach music with no political or social messaging. Well, this is from 50 years ago!

Lyrics-

Don’t go near the water
Don’t you think it’s sad
What’s happened to the water
Our water’s going bad

Oceans, rivers, lakes and streams
Have all been touched by man
The poison floating out to sea
Now threatens life on land

Don’t go near the water
Ain’t it sad
What’s happened to the water
It’s going bad

Don’t go near the water
Don’t go near the water

Toothpaste and soap will make our oceans a bubble bath
So let’s avoid an ecological aftermath
Beginning with me
Beginning with you

Don’t go near the water
To do it any wrong
To be cool with the water
Is the message of this song

Let’s all help the water
Right away
Do what we can and ought to
Let’s start today

And, a lot was done back then! Laws were passed to protect our water, air and soil, but after 50 years, abuse has set in, the population has exploded and developing countries followed the example of industrialized ones and now wrap everything in plastic. I read something the other day that said we are eating one credit card’s worth of microplastics a week! Have you heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Watch this:

It’s mind boggling. But, the messaging here is that we all can make a difference and we can still clean this up. Have you noticed that the products we are promoting are often made out of “garbage”? We are consciously looking for eco warriors to support here on Artizan Made. Shopping can still be fun, but we need to make our money count. Support upcyclers, fair traders, meaningful work. Don’t buy junk. Go thrifting. Learn how to make things yourself. We don’t have to be such pigs.

Go save a mermaid! It’s Cactus has almost 300 mermaids that you can pick from, Haitian metal art or folk art from other countries.

Ending with something cute!

Beach, Resort, Water.  It’s Elemental!

We have lots of great products in this category. Go here to explore!

The following are random samples from our nautical theme. Click on them to see the details and visit our member shops to support them. We thank you for supporting handmade!