Life is a beach. We’ve all seen this clever little bumper sticker but what is it besides just a play of words? Perhaps it’s a nod to the cool, soft, natural way most beach towns exist? On Cape Island, life is most definitely a beach - several for the record. There’s a certain style here – a kinda laid-back look – one that fits in with the slow pace of life at the beach. But what do you do to feel the shore vibes when you’re not here? Bring a little beach into your home. That is what this column is designed to do - bring a little more beach into your life by the most fabulous way of … shopping! Every week, I’ll show you what has made me gasp/swoon/melt in the Cape May shops. So, you too can bring the beach into your life, no matter where you happen to be.

 I hit the streets of Cape May a few Sundays ago and started to wind my way around the shops, peeking in or fully devouring almost every one. This is a great shopping zone – with awesome little boutiques and food joints all over the place. Since I parked in the Acme parking lot, I headed over to the Washington Street Mall and I immediately thought, the bathroom is the perfect space to add some coastal touches. That is what everyone thinks as they stroll along, yes? Okay – well, maybe not all of you but hopefully some of you will after you read this.

 When you walk into The Whale’s Tale, it’s hard not to walk directly to the right side (for me at least) because there is practically an entire wall of colorful seashells waiting for you to pick up and check out. The Whale’s Tale is famous for its amazing collection and they are all pretty darn fabulous. If you take a few shells and put them into a basket or just line them on a shelf, you’ve got instant shore. I’m not talking about shells you can just pick up on Higbee’s – I mean the really shiny and clean looking ones. Pick from star fish (there are nine varieties!), sand dollars, harp shells, and polished green abalone (collected in Mexico), amongst about a gazillion others with light blue, white, pink, and warm green colors. After I picked through these and read the cards I wondered how I was going to remember where each of these were from and how they were harvested. Then I turned around and found the Smithsonian Handbook of Shells just sitting there. They give all sorts of neat info and loads of photos. Before I left I found one other thing - cute little dishes in the shape of fish, seashells, and flowers. They are ceramic and come in pleasant colors like soft blue, green, pink, and a really cool looking burnt yellow. Your soap will thank you. The last item I found to give a bathroom a seashore feel was in Madame’s Port right across the way. There are a few different frames in there from a company called Bella Campagna. The art (in the shape of seashells) features gems, minerals, and fossils from geological time.

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Floral prints
from Good Scents

Right now, I think all frames should be made of antiquey looking white wood. Okay, maybe that’s just since I saw this set at Good Scents. Look how classic they are and they teach you too! Learn about Queen Anne’s lace, roses, and geraniums. Really, they are so much better than that just sounded. And they are full of color (which happens to look lovely next to the white frame).

 

Dragonfly plates from
Madame’s Port

These dishes are really eye-catching.
I mean that in a good way, with no actual harm done to the eye. I’m totally into not having a dish set that all matches, so I really dig these plates color combo. It’s sexy and just right for a summer night. The plates are in three different sizes and (bonus) you can also get them with little palm trees that are really too cute.

Steel cut out art from Moonlight Metalworks

Owners Josh and Kim Gehringer sold out of the mermaid steel art cut out the first day she was out for sale. This isn’t shocking. The steel is cut out with a plasma cutter (according to Kim) – that’s how they can get in there and make those small cuts resulting in cool patterns like dragonflies (they’ll match the plates!), shells, and of course, mermaids.

Bamboo mirror from Madame’s Port
This mirror isn’t the typical color of bamboo (at least not the light colored bamboo I’m used too) but I think I love it more. There’s something romantic about dark wood in old shore homes and I think this mirror evokes that. There’s a place for white wicker chairs with floral cushions but isn’t there also room for a darker, more romantic look? Yes and this bamboo mirror is just that in a closer to the equator sort of way.

So, did you enjoy shopping in Cape May? Who knew you could get the same shopping buzz sitting at home in front of your computer with your jammies on? Well, perhaps you did know that Smarty pants, but did you know that you can stop back on this page every week and find the latest cool stuff from Cape May stores? Well, you can so if you can’t be here on Cape Island, the next best thing is to bring the island to you and your home. Life is a beach, after all, no?

Next Week...Make Your Kitchen a Shore Kitchen

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