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Caitlin’s hand-decorated sea shells, baubles, trinket dishes, frames, coasters, canvases and seaglass mosaics are available at:
Dickens House Museum, Victoria Parade, Broadstairs CT10 1QS
Droit House, Thanet Visitor Information Centre, The Pier, Margate, CT9 1JD
Coastal Creatives, 28 High Street, Broadstairs, CT10 1LH
Blue Anchor beach shop, Harbour St, Broadstairs, CT10 IEU
The Boathouse, Harbour St, Broadstairs, CT10 IEU
I studied art in the early 1980s, completing a Foundation in Fine Art in London, but then became a teacher and journalist. During Covid lockdown of 2020, I began to badly decorate my household furniture, and re discovered the joy of glue and paint.
I started to look for ways to use the stone glass I’d found on Stone Bay in Kent, producing small mosaics. When I began volunteering at Dickens House Museum in Broadstairs in 2022, I branched out into decoupaging shells, spurred on by the enthusiasm of other volunteers.
Decoupaging is fun and absorbing, and a great way to wind down. It’s also much quicker than writing a book….so I launched 7 Bays.
I use a variety of common sea shells, individually decorated with hand-painted tissue paper images inspired by Broadstairs’ beautiful seven bays.
The shells are all locally sourced – I get the oyster shells restaurants throw away – while the scallop shells come from nearby Whitstable.
They’re ideal for holding keys, jewellery, dog treats and trinkets.
Kebbells seafood restaurant in Broadstairs, 2024 Restaurant of The Year, Kent & Medway Food and Drink, uses the shells to serve customers’ bills.
No two shells are ever the same, every design is unique, and any ‘imperfections’ are part of their natural beauty.
The shells at Dickens House Museum feature Dickensian characters and seaside donkeys.
Ceramic baubles, both large and small, and trinket dishes, are similarly decorated with hand-painted tissue paper images.
The mosaics are made with sea glass gathered from Stone Bay, usually fragments of century old bottles worn smooth by the waves, finished with non-toxic varnish.
Orders: Please use the contact page for bespoke orders – decoupaged products can be made with your name, company name/logo, and any copyright free image. Ideal for special gifts, events, and occasions.
Bespoke scallop shells £15, trinket dishes £12, oyster shells £10, large baubles £10, canvases £10, ceramic coasters £8, frames £8.50, small baubles £8, small shells £5, whelks £4 – excluding p&p.
Discounts for larger orders.
All products can be cleaned with a cloth, the trinket dishes and scallop shells are finished with ‘dishwasher safe’ gloss, but it’s best not to immerse the products in water.
Click on the thumbnails to see the full-size image.
