Tag Archives: beach
Sand Art Spectacles
Image from Fanbox.com
It’s summertime in the Philippines, and what scorchers the past weeks have been! Some friends and I spent Sunday morning at the beach to enjoy the breeze and the sound of the water splashing onto the shore. I used to frequent this same beach with my family when I was a kid, and I’d run to the water as soon as we arrived. But these days I usually stay on the shore and bury my toes in the sand.
Photo by Nathalie Mariano
I love sand. I’ve been to many beaches in my country, and no two have the same sand. Some are crunchy and gravelly, like the volcanic sand in Camiguin’s main island, and in Ilocos Norte. A close look at Puerto Galera’s sand would reveal multi-colored grains to match the different rocks that dot the shore. Panglao’s white sand is a bit pinkish, and soft and creamy when wet. Boracay’s is beautiful and bright, and surprisingly cool, even in midday. And every kind is beautiful to me, a testament to the geological processes, the persistence of the waters, wind, and sun in culling those grains through eons.
Image via Chudeyka in DeviantArt
No surprise then that countless artists have fallen in love with sand as a medium, embracing its joys as well as the pain wrought by its ephemeral quality. It bends meekly to creators’ skills, only to submit even more willingly later on to the tides.
Sand Sculptures
It’s amazing and mysterious how water is actually the glue that holds all the grains of sand together, and some of these sculptures are certainly gravity defying engineering marvels.
From The Chive
By Carl Jara. Image from Colossal.
Image via Mega Odd
Sand Drawings
Taken a stick to the sand is something instinctive and familiar, and when taken to such a scale, it’s so powerful and overwhelming. These make me feel so puny!
Sand drawing by Jim Denevan
Sand art by Peter Donnelly via Curious Photos
Sand drawing by Andres Amador
Sand Animation
This animated short film is sand art taken to heart-stopping heights. The fact that it’s a promotional material for a high tech gadget does nothing to diminish it.
A Day at the Beach
A Day at the Beach by Samantha French
Yesterday we headed to the beach on Toronto Island. It was a beautiful day with sandy kiddos, a casual picnic and lots of sunshine. A few hours at the beach was just what I needed to clear my head and brighten my outlook, so today I thought I would dedicate a post to all things fun and beachy. With any luck you’re headed to a sandy shoreline of your own this weekend. Happy Friday Everyone!
Fire Island Beach House by Alexandra Angle Interior Design
Who doesn’t dream about a house on the beach? This home in Fire Island is everything a beach house should be, colourful, full of light with incredible views from every room. Below is a picture of the exterior, but for even more glimpses of the inside of this gorgeous home you can go here.
Fire Island Beach House by Alexandra Angle Interior Design
Deck Chair from Gallant & Jones
I can’t imagine a better place for lounging and watching the tide come in than one of these teak and fabric deck chairs from Gallant & Jones. It comes in a number of different fabric options, but I’m especially fond of this blue and orange striped pattern. All it needs is a nice big beach umbrella.
This luxe beach umbrella is from Basil Bangs. The black fringe is a sexy touch (never thought I’d be saying that about a beach umbrella). It reminds me of an old boudoir lamp. This umbrella would be just the thing for a glamorous beach house, don’t you think?
Loving the vintage style illustration on this beachy tote by Wayne Pate. What a great tote for carrying your towels, books and other beach day supplies. This image also comes in a print so you can hang it on your wall.
Jim Deneven creates large scale artwork in the sand of beaches all over the world. All of the images on his site are fantastic, but the ones of him creating his giant sand works of art are my favourite. This tonal geometric pattern is captivating, and it’s interesting to see how the rising tide slowly eats away at the design.
Gulp by Sumo Science found via Make
Have you seen this incredible animated short from Sumo Science. It’s large scale stop-motion that uses the sand and waves of the ocean. It’s the whimsical story of a fisherman who escapes being swallowed by a fish. To truly appreciate the amount of work that went into this video I highly recommend watching the making-of which you can find here. Incredible!
Vintage Style Swimwear for Everyone
Do the words ‘swimsuit season’ make you want to hide behind the nearest tree? Or hibernate until winter? I know I’m probably not alone in dreading trying on bathing suits, but it doesn’t have to be painful. Vintage swimwear is completely on trend so you don’t need to bare a lot of skin to look fabulous this summer. There is a suit for almost everyone, and I’ve rounded up some options for the whole family to get you all ready for the beach.
For Women
I think I may have found the perfect bathing suit! At least perfect to me, which I realize is entirely subjective, but I love the old school glamour of the Natalie suit by Anthropologie. Totally sexy without baring everything, and even if you don’t have an hourglass figure this suit will help make it look like you do.
Bulldog Beach Shorts Orlebar Brown
For Men
Shows like Mad Men have led to a resurgence in vintage inspired menswear. A classic cut and impeccable tailoring are what define a vintage look, and these beach shorts by Orlebar Brown fit the bill, but they also sport a fun print that keeps them modern. As you can see, not very much has changed in men’s swimwear over the decades, unless you count the Speedo, which in my opinion no man can pull off unless he’s a professional swimmer.
For Little Boys
For the miniature Don Draper (that’s kind of a frightening prospect, isn’t it?) there are these adorable swim shorts. Fitted with a slightly sixties/seventies colour scheme these swimming trunks are ready for summer fun.
For Little Girls
Your little girl will look like she belongs on a beach in the French Riviera wearing this nautical inspired bathing suit. Navy and stripes are timeless and cute, and I love how they’ve paired this suit with a pair of red maryjane shoes. C’est magnifique!
For Baby
Let’s not forget the tiniest members of the family. This baby sun suit by Dagmar Daley is perfect for showing off those pudgy baby legs and keeping little ones cool all summer. If this came in my size I think I would buy it.
This clip from a 1950’s newsreel about bathing suit styles is fun and kind of hilarious. You will probably never here the phrase “triple threat in terrycloth” again, so that already makes it worth viewing. If after watching it you have an idea what the obvious reason behind “wing dings” are I’d love to know.
