The Making of a Pirate Bed

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When a friend told me she was moving and that her two boys were going to be getting their own bedrooms, I jumped at the chance to help decorate their new rooms.

Not because I'm such a fabulous friend, but selfishly because I thought it would be fun to try out some new ideas incorporating this summer's yard sale finds...and MY kids won't let me change their rooms again - crazy, right?


After talking with the boys and their mom, we settled on a pirate theme for the five-year-old.
I had been thinking about using 4x4 fence posts as pier pilings for a simple platform bed. We wanted something tall enough to store toys underneath (or even a trundle), but rough-hewn, as if it was made out of materials washed up on shore.

Out of the blue, another friend called me to tell me she had discovered a piece of driftwood on the beach that I might want for a project. If someone is willing to pick for me, I'm all for checking it out.

Still, I wasn't expecting to see her haul a piece of timber the length and diameter of a telephone pole over the top of that dune. She had found the legs for my pirate bed!



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Get My Drift?

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According to Wikipedia, "Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea or river by the action of winds, tides, waves or man. It is a form of marine debris. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides shelter and food for birds, fish and other aquatic species as it floats in the ocean." 

For many of us living by the shore, driftwood is a staple in our decorating. I love the smooth, wind and sand-worn texture, the silvery gray color, the lightness of it.

Here are a few of the ways I've used driftwood around my own home.

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OBX

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The ingredients for a successful vacation for me are simple.

Good company,  good weather, comfortable accommodations and an opportunity to steal off on my own to do some local shopping. However, mass manufactured souvenir shot glasses are not what I have in mind. I'm on the lookout for something to bring home that will bring a smile to my face when I pick it up and recollect its discovery.

The Outer Banks of North Carolina in April reminds me of the New Hampshire beaches that I grew up on; only without all the traffic, people and noise.  

I found the landscape beautiful, the architecture bright and interesting, the beaches remote and the opportunity to pick up some local finds pretty slim.

So I busied myself taking photos of the OBX architecture...

For a practical New Englander, it might seem a little nuts that someone would consider building a house that in all likelihood may be swept into the ocean. 

But practical or not, who can't appreciate the greatness of someone being so passionate about living by the sea that they are willing to take that chance?

This old meeting house and its silo next door to our rental were just too beautiful not to bring home.

Here's our neighbor down the beach, the famous "Nights in Rodanthe" house. 

These blue storm shutters would have put this house on the map with or without Richard Gere!

 Sampson even got into the mix with me to search for some more driftwood to bring home.

Vintage home goods shopping in OBX, in the off season, is definitely lean.  

But lean is not impossible. 

Between the "Putt Putt" in Nags Head and the sixth or seventh shiny, neon, souvenir shop on the main road, I still managed to sniff out a local thrift store, and just a few miles after that, a hidden little cluster of antique shops.

Not only did I pick up a vintage juice carafe with a couple of great glasses for just four bucks, but my purchase went to support the local domestic abuse shelter. 

How's that for a Win-Win?

I've been collecting antique glass water pitchers and this pressed blue glass was calling my name.

As was the vintage pickle jar. (I think the South should have a little place in every home)

I may actually start drinking Bloody Marys just to have something to garnish with a spicy pickle!

  

And lastly, my favorite find of all.

The full length driftwood mirror that, since this photo was taken, has made it's way up onto the wall in my front entrance. 

As a practical New Englander, I was content to look around my home tonight and see that just a little bit of the South, despite the odds, managed to make its way home with me.

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The Crow

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When I was younger I was running with a friend and she referred to me as a "Crow." 

I had never noticed it myself, but she quickly picked up on my penchant for seeking out shiny objects (even apparently while on the go).
Like the crow, I wasn't one to feather my nest with these items,
but they definitely caught my eye and drew me in for a closer look.

Today still, I am always looking around for objects with forms and textures that I can re-purpose to use in my home. 

A few months back I started keeping an eye on the shoreline for a sturdy and straight piece of driftwood to replace my stock handrails in my back staircase. I was lucky enough to pick up one small length after the last hurricane, but finding a 12' piece proved to be a greater challenge.

Good things come to those who wait and finally last week on that same jogging route I spotted this...

* Please excuse the pile of scrap lumber from another project

Like any good scavenger, I made a quick mental note of the mile marker and ran straight home to get my car. (I would have attempted running home with it, asking my friends to line up to carry it Viking style, but my running group is too new and I didn't want to frighten anyone off on one of our first days out)

With a few simple tools: skill saw, palm sander and using the existing brackets since they were already securely in the wall studs... I am now the proud owner of not one, but three driftwood handrails.

I love the weathered gray, the sturdiness of the hardened wood and the local character it lends an otherwise utilitarian back hall stairway.

 Before and After...

I'm hoping to pick up a great piece for this large wall at the Brimfield Antique Fair in May! What am I going to do with these circa 1976 baby photos of me and my sister?

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