The Perfect Blend: Combining Minimalism and Coastal Vibes in Japandi Home Decor

From seashells to a beachy color palette, adding a hint of coastal vibes to the new interior design trend called Japandi will make your living space even more relaxing. In this article, I’ll share how I combined interior design styles to create a Japandi home decor collection with a coastal twist.

What is the concept of Japandi?

As a minimalist, I was drawn to Japandi as soon as I saw it, first on Pinterest, due to the unique mix of the stricter, more rigid version of minimalism from Japan with the more laissez-faire, cosy version from the Scandinavian countries. It’s like wabi sabi and hygge combined in one decor style.

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And what I bring new to it in this home decor collection is a coastal focus by incorporating sea life and blue home accents.

What are the elements of Japandi design?

The elements of this style focus on natural materials, a neutral color palette and an emphasis on clean lines. The furniture is kept to a minimum and decor is often functional and sparse. The Japandi design style emphasizes soft lighting, such as lamps, which provides a gentle, warm glow. This interior design style is perfect for creating a non-distracting, calming and comfortable atmosphere that will be appreciated for years to come.

Is it OK to mix interior design styles?

Mixing interior design styles can be a great way to create a unique look for your living or working space. It’s a great way to express yourself and create a personal touch to your space. It’s important to understand that mixing interior design styles isn’t about being eclectic and jumbling different pieces together. It’s about finding the right balance and flow between different styles to create a cohesive overall look. You should consider the color palette, the materials, the textures and the scale of the different elements you’re using. Look for elements that will bring the room together, like a shared color or texture, or pieces that have a similar shape or style. Mixing interior design styles can be challenging, but if done right it can create a stunning and unique space.

In my case, I was drawn to Japandi due to favoring uncluttered spaces and a neutral color palette, but something was still missing: the seaside, some coastal vibes, seashells. So I mixed interior design styles and this is the result.

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With a combination of Japanese and Scandinavian minimalism, this collection of home decor brings a unique angle through its coastal vibes, making it perfect for beach homes. All the pieces from this collection are carefully designed to bring peace, relaxation, and comfort to any room. Featuring colors and designs reminiscent of natural textures like bamboo and jute, this home decor collection will help you create a calming atmosphere in whichever room it’s used in. Transform your home into an aesthetic haven with these timeless calming colors and blue home accents and get the perfect blend between East and West with minimalist coastal Japandi home decor.

The Power of Blue: Enhancing Your Home’s Ambiance with Abstract Art

From calming shades to eye-catching hues, blue is an incredibly versatile color that can elevate the ambiance of any space. Blue has a number of properties that make it an ideal choice for home decor. First, it reflects feelings of peace and serenity. This makes it an excellent choice for a living room, bedroom, bathroom, or any space in your house where you want to create a calming atmosphere. Additionally, blue helps to open up the room, making it feel larger and airier, which goes well if you’re into minimalism like I am.

After creating several pieces with a rather muted color palette, I wanted a change, so I created a piece of bright blue abstract art which can become the focal point of your room or you can mix and match pieces of home decor and fabric housing blue abstract art for a unique and striking look.

If you’re favoring the minimalist aesthetic and you’d rather spend your time by the seaside than anywhere else, blue abstract art is the perfect accent. It’s classic yet modern, peaceful yet inviting, and sure to give your space a little something special. So go ahead, take a look at the pieces below!

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Minimalism in action: why I prefer to display art as paperweights instead of wall art

I’m a minimalist who loves visual art and hates clutter. If you are the same, then this blog post is for you.

Do minimalists have decorations at home?

As a minimalist, I learned the hard way that I need art in my life, even if apparently, it has no use. What I did though, in order to avoid clutter is to display art on objects which have some function, for example, I’d rather buy a beautiful mug than having that same artwork hanged on the wall above my couch.

Do people still use paperweights?

Paperweights have been around for centuries and there’s no denying that they add a special touch to any room. Fine art paperweights make exquisite gifts and their intriguing designs can make a lasting impression. A paperweight can also be a meaningful way to commemorate a special moment or milestone and no matter the occasion, paperweights can be a beautiful and lasting way to honor and celebrate it. Yet at first glance, paperweights may appear to be nothing more than pieces of glass with some intricate designs.

And as a minimalist focused on each object having a well-defined function if I am to allow it space where I live, it might seem strange that I have a glass paperweight taking up place on my desk. It seems like an artifact from a different century, but I put it to good use by holding in place paperwork that I need to deal with as soon as possible, for example, things like invoices or fiscal receipts. I can’t cover too many papers with one paperweight and this way I avoid being overwhelmed by paperwork.

My desk faces the room’s window instead of a wall and a fine art paperweight is more likely to inspire me and not distract me when I’m creating or when I’m just doing administrative stuff. The paperweight I currently have on my desk houses a marine Ikebana poem I wrote, called “Hoar”, and it tells the encouraging story of not being bitter after you are the witness of your first white strand of hair on your head because life may surprise you and good things will happen to you beyond youth. You just don’t know how medicine will evolve and how one incurable element one century ago will be repairable in the future.

But like any marine Ikebana poem, this one also looks like just another still life bouquet of flowers and the text doesn’t distract me if I’m brainstorming or not actively trying to read the poem embedded inside the paperweight.

And while paperweights can have various shapes, my favorite one is the typical cabochon or dome shape like you see above. I love how this form seems to bring the best out of a 2D image or 3D inclusions housed inside the paperweight. The simplicity and the minimalism of the cabochon shape also contrasts well with the complexity of the image/inclusions reflected throughout the paperweight.

What do minimalists put on their walls?

If distracting, wall art can be moved from place to place, but unless it is small and can be leaned against a surface, I find hanging it to be a hassle and to be frank, all the walls in my home are white. Paperweights, on the other hand, are portable by design since you can hold one in your hand. I love that they are small and I can easily move them somewhere else if I need to focus and I want my desk to be completely empty.

Besides, a pet peeve of mine which few people know of is that I hate to go into an art museum expecting to be inspired by a diversity of art forms and once I set foot there, I encounter paintings only, as if painting is the only art form. I am often more inspired by Pinterest where an art search is going to be more diverse and inclusive. As a consequence, I wrote a visual poem called “Your Kind of Art” about the courage it takes to indulge in a rare art form and publicly calling it “art”. You can see it below, available on a small, square metal art print if that’s your thing, but since it is available on Zazzle, you can easily change its size, shape, type of canvas or even type of product on which it is printed.

What inspires me to create

All things considered, creation is a journey of self-discovery. I have tried several art forms and I’m constantly trying out new ones. As a child in art school, I mostly studied music with some years of studying ballet and one year of painting. I am still moved by music and I have saved countless YouTube playlists I absolutely need when creating different kinds of things, but I ended my music career a very long time ago because this art form seems so ephemeral and so reliant on technology in order to access it.

As an adult, I rediscovered the joys of writing. I ended up writing several articles in the life extension niche, 3 non-fiction books and 5 books of visual poetry. I had the 3 non-fiction books translated in 6 more languages and I was surprised by being contacted by readers who don’t speak English, but still found value in what I wrote and had translated. This experience also got me interested in translation as a field and I currently keep myself updated to the medical field (after going to medical school, doing a residency in geriatrics and gerontology and then deciding that clinical work is not really what I want to do for the rest of my life) by freelancing as an EN-RO/RO-EN translator in the healthcare niche only.

Initially, I wanted to have my visual poems translated in other languages as well and I even started doing that in Romanian, my native tongue, but for the moment, this project is on the back burner because even if I have the text, I still have to visually edit the poems to look like Ikebana bouquets of flowers. I wanted to have them translated in Japanese too, but with the kanji characters, I imagine the formatting of the visual poems will be even more difficult to achieve if the number of characters will be different compared to English.

Visual art, though, is understandable even by the illiterate and unlike music or a movie, it is instantly perceived due to the peculiarities of the human brain which favors visually displayed information and I like that instant gratification.

Another thing influencing what I create is me resonating with Stoicism as a life philosophy. I view it as an European version of Buddhism where attachment is perceived to lead to suffering. I think some degree of attachment is necessary to form a cohesive self identity and just to enjoy life, but excessive attachment, especially when it comes to objects, is something that I’m seeking to avoid. You may wonder now what that has to do with creating art.

Stoicism influences me by making my art unique, yet not rare. For example, I don’t sell originals (as in physical paintings that exist in one place only): I either create digital art or I draw on paper and make the scans available online. If drawing, I prefer watercolor pencils because I can separate the messy part of applying water with a brush at the end (which is still cleaner than having to regularly replace the water for any new color like with traditional painting) and I can do the actual drawing anywhere, even lying down in bed.

Along the same lines, when it comes to art prints, I don’t limit their number. All the art prints I licensed are open edition ones. If you bought an art print with artwork created by me, you will be able to buy it a second time if the first one was destroyed for any reason. I saw my share of people putting themselves in danger to save objects(!) and I want to avoid encouraging that behavior through the way I make available what I create.

I have always oscillated like a pendulum between art and science and at this stage of my life, I think design is a medium where I can combine them in one activity. Making my art available on functional objects is also why I see myself more as a designer rather than an artist. I’m not sure if my previous STEM education or just being into minimalism is to be blamed here for not indulging in art for art’s sake, but briefly, this is how I ended up displaying artistic poems on paperweights and other functional objects.

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125 Seashell Wall Decor Ideas Featuring Concrete Poems

Are you looking to add a touch of coastal charm to your home? Seashell wall decor can be a beautiful and unique way to bring the beach indoors. In this article, I will show you 125 innovative ideas for incorporating seashells into your wall decor, along with a twist of creativity – concrete poems.

From Shells to Marine Ikebana 125 Unique Coastal Wall Decor Finds

What exactly is a concrete poem?

Concrete poems, also known as shape poems or visual poems, are poems that take on the shape of the object they describe. For example, a concrete poem about a bird might be shaped like a bird. Concrete poems may also be arranged in a specific shape or pattern. The arrangement of the words on the page is just as important as the words themselves. The words and lines are placed in such a way that they create a visual representation of the poem’s subject. The shape or form of the poem can be anything from an object to an animal to a symbol. The words themselves are often used to add meaning to the visual representation. which is depicted in the theme of that poem. For example, the 125 art prints below contain marine Ikebana poems which are are visual poems shaped like an Ikebana composition (Ikebana is a Japanese style of arranging flowers in a vase according to specific principles).

How to appreciate concrete poems

Concrete poems are often dismissed as mere gimmicks or novelties. However, they can be just as powerful and meaningful as traditional forms of poetry.

Here are some tips on how to appreciate concrete poems:

  • Look beyond the shape

While the shape or the form of the poem is important, it’s important to also focus on the words themselves. The words and lines should work together to create a cohesive and meaningful poem.

  • Consider the visual aesthetic

One of the primary appeals of concrete poetry is its visual aesthetic. Take the time to study the shape of the poem and consider how it adds to the overall meaning of the poem.

  • Pay attention to the sound

Poems are often meant to be read out loud and visual poems are no different. Pay attention to the sound and rhythm of the words as you read the poem. The sound of the words can add an extra layer of meaning to the poem.

Concrete poetry may not be as well-known or appreciated as other forms of poetry, but it is a unique and valuable art form. By focusing on the words, considering the visual aspect and paying attention to the sound, you can gain a better understanding and appreciation of this fascinating form of poetry. By embedding this fascinating form of poetry into wall decor, the same piece of art can be experienced on multiple levels.

Throughout the 125 artworks seen in the slideshow below, I have combined the beauty of seashells with the art of concrete poetry to create unique pieces of wall decor. All these artworks are printed by Pictorem, a supplier I chose due to their exquisite quality, but also because they arrange the planting of 1 tree for every shipped print.

You can choose from a wide range of print options to suit your style. Whether you’re drawn to the classic elegance of canvas prints, the modern allure of acrylic and metal prints or the rustic charm of wood prints, you can transform your living space into a personal gallery. Start by exploring these 125 coastal artworks today and find the perfect piece to inspire and enhance your home!

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All the artworks above are available for sale here (just click on the word “here“).

Personalize your stationery with these 5 bright red seahorse drawing customizable products

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If you’re interested in adding some color to your desk, have a look at these 5 stationery products I designed for today’s blog post. All of them feature a bright red seahorse illustration drew by me and they can all be customized with your name (except the business card where you can add several more details).

If you’ve been following my blog for some time, you probably know that red is not a color I use lightly.

And yet I’ve been thinking of trying new colors for that seahorse illustration I first used in those double monogram coastal phone accessories and this morning I found a beautiful shade of bright red or imperial red which you can see in the stationery products below.

Clicking on any of the following links will take you to the Zazzle platform where you can customize these stationery products and/or play with the designs by editing them to your liking.

Last but not least, if you like a design, but you need a different product, you can transfer any of these designs to any other product from the Zazzle platform.

If you encounter any issue with customizing any of the designs above or if you’d like the seahorse illustration on a different color, leave me a message in the comments section below!

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Beyond blooms: is Ikebana restricted to flowers only?

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Are you familiar with the Japanese art form of arranging flowers in a vase and wondering whether Ikebana is restricted to flowers only?

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There are many offshoots of this beautiful art form where the aesthetic principles are maintained, but non-flower elements are used instead, for example, in Ikebana with fruits and vegetables (Morimono).

Ikebana without flowers: a new way to approach the art form

A second example of Ikebana with unconventional elements is marine Ikebana and by the end of this blog post, you will know how I ended up creating this genre and how this type of Ikebana looks like.

Because while initially admiring Ikebana arrangements in books, on the web and in offline exhibitions, when it came time to actually practice it, I never felt comfortable in using living plant material or cut flowers for a variety of reasons.

So I ended up making Ikebana with non-living elements: in the beginning just with marine elements, mostly seashells, and then with poetry too.

Minimalism meets coastal when marine Ikebana makes use of seashells, but this sea life art form can also use other “fruits” of the sea, such as dried sea urchins, starfish, sea horses, corals and maybe even sea glass. All these marine elements can be beachcombed without killing any animal.

Yet too much beachcombing is not good for the environment or for one’s clutter-free home, so I started thinking of ways of limiting my marine collection (mostly made of seashells).

Subsequently, when designing marine Ikebana arrangements, I started with small arrangements of 3D physical marine bouquets emerging from seashell vases, which could either function as trinket containers or could be attached to regular containers. As a minimalist, I can’t stand clutter and decorative containers proved to be a solution to enjoy visual art while keeping things neat.

I could have left it at that, but during a walk I got this idea of replacing the branches and twigs with free verse poetry as curved text, while maintaining the same line shapes.

Following this unexpected idea, I started taking photos of my marine Ikebana arrangements, did lots of photo editing (mainly to remove the background and crop individual elements of the arrangements) and started jotting down ideas of beautiful words which could be turned into free verse poetry for this novel art form.

In keeping with the philosophy of Ikebana, I wanted the words to be both beautiful and for the poems to suggest the passage of time. Marine Ikebana may be made of inert, non-living material, but I still wanted to suggest, and not necessarily show, the typical awareness of the passage of time which I admired in classical Ikebana (and Japanese art in general) for so long. Which brings next to:

Creating a relaxing coastal oasis with marine Ikebana poems

If you wonder how Ikebana combined with marine elements and poetry looks like, this section is for you.

I have included 9 marine Ikebana poems which I applied to 3 types of objects:

  • posters
  • desk accessories such as photo blocks and paperweights

By clicking on any of the images below, you will be taken to the Zazzle marketplace where each design can be customized without you being logged in. If you like any of these visual poetry designs, you can easily change the background color, select a different shape and/or size (depending on the product) and you can also transfer the designs to any other product from the Zazzle marketplace. It’s a lot of fun!

And now the poem list begins.

Time Travel

The following desk accessory is an ornamental glass paperweight featuring a visual poem called “Time Travel” which reveals a sense of time travel when listening to music recorded decades ago by musicians who are not among us anymore.

Cake

This desk decor idea features a visual poem called “Cake” about the only temporary human organ: the placenta. Hint: placenta in Latin means flat cake and I liked the play on words, so I used this theme to write a poem about the biology of it.

Paranoia

Next comes a poetry poster featuring a minimalist and coastal visual poem called “Paranoia”. The poem is enclosed in a pyramid and talks about a recent historical event: the Covid 19 pandemic and its early stage when paranoia spread faster than the virus, there was a toilet paper shortage due to panic buying and humans left humanity at the door.

Hot Chocolate

Although a common comforting drink, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to hot cocoa and this marine Ikebana poem, called “Hot Chocolate”, depicts the inherent sad story of each ingredient used to make this drink.

Graveyard Shift

My medical background proved to be a fertile ground when it came to depict the passage of time through marine Ikebana poems. “Graveyard Shift” is one such example, revealing the life and death realities faced during night shifts when most people calmly sleep in their cozy beds.

Dust

Next comes a sophisticated glass paperweight featuring a visual poem called “Dust”. It is a free verse poem about star dust, both in a nebula when a star is formed and metaphorically speaking, in all living beings like you and me.

Dreams in Stone

The following octagonal desk ornament features a visual poem, called “Dreams in Stone”, about water slowly carving dreams in stones until they become sand and “swim back” to the seaside for a better life.

In Science We Trust

Minimalism meets coastal in this science poster featuring a visual poem called “In Science We Trust”. Shaped like the tree of life or its bonsai variant, the poem praises the many benefits of science, technology and inventions which are so common that we take for granted.

Confidence

The last poem from this blog post on Ikebana without flowers is called “Confidence”. If you ever undertook a creative project, you know that in the beginning, nothing is certain and it takes a leap of faith to take an idea and run with it. Similarly, the poem talks about the creative process with its highs and lows and the full drama.

As you can see, Ikebana evolved beyond the traditional Japanese art of arranging flowers to include non-floral elements such as shells and free verse poetry.

If you know someone who would like to see this, please use any of the share buttons below. Thanks!

15 coastal dinnerware ideas for inspiration

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If you love the seaside as much as I do, then this blog post on 15 coastal dinnerware ideas is for you!

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The coastal style in home decor seeks to mimic the colors and the mood of being by the seaside. When applied to dinnerware, tableware, dishware or to any object used for serving and eating meals, the coastal style will impart its specific relaxed and breezy mood to your kitchen or dining room.

If this your first time on my blog, I am a designer of marine Ikebana poems. These are visual poems inspired by the Japanese style of flower arrangements or Ikebana, but instead of cut flowers, I use free verse lyrics and seashells.

Therefore, the 15 coastal dinnerware ideas from this blog post include:

  • full marine Ikebana poems or
  • repeating patterns derived from such poems or
  • just marine Ikebana motifs.

But in all 3 cases, the actual dinnerware products are available on the Zazzle platform where you can further customize them at NO extra charge.

Poetic coastal dinnerware

These are dinnerware items housing full marine Ikebana poems.

Seen from afar, the images look like floral arrangements, but if you zoom in on the picture, you’ll notice the branches house lyrics.

Have a look at the visual poems below!

The visual poem seen on the dinner bowl below is one of my favorites. It is called “Kintsugi” and it is inspired by the Japanese Kintsugi art of repairing broken pottery with gold instead of throwing it away.

It is a subtle concept, teaching people to see flaws and repair as something beautiful which adds to the history of the object and similarly, to our own story. Because we have flaws too, right?

Subsequently, the coastal teapot below features another marine Ikebana poem called “Soil”.

It is a short visual poem about embracing your cultural soil and doing the best with what you’ve got right now, instead of focusing on what you lack.

And visually, the poem features a long and coiled Turritella seashell vase from which a blue iris bud emerges, together with the actual lyrics.

A third poem I included among these coastal dinnerware ideas is called “”Take Off” as seen on the latte mug below.

Although very short, most people will perceive it differently even if they’re reading the same poem.

Along the same line, the fine art coffee mug below includes a marine Ikebana poem called “Hoar”. It is a unique visual poem about hoar frost as a metaphor for aging.

Following along the poetic coastal dinnerware section, the food safe trinket tray below features a blue iris flower as an Ikebana vase and from it, the actual lyrics of a visual poem called “Enmity” emerge.

But despite its title, the poem is not negative at all.

On the contrary, if you think you have a problem in saying “no” to other people’s wishes and demands and you end up multitasking, you’re going to resonate with this poem.

Finally, the last visual poem I included in this section is called “the honey jar”.

Available on a latte mug, it is a lovely poem about anonymous worker bees turning blueberry blossoms into delicious honey just like unrecognized human workers make the world go around.

Coastal dinnerware with seaside patterns

Unlike the coastal dinnerware examples you’ve seen above, everything else that follows includes no lyrics.

There is no text available because these products include repeating patterns inspired by the seaside.

The coastal patterns from the pitcher, the 2 soup mugs and the coffee mug below were all inspired by the Black Sea. This is the place where I unknowingly became a seashell collector when I was a toddler and it is also my favorite place for brainstorming and active meditation.

But even if this is the large body of water which inspired these coastal designs, some seashells I used here are not native to this area.

In contrast to the seashell patterns you already saw above, the serving tray below houses a different kind of repeating pattern which looks quite Asian and Oriental. I created it from a visual poem called “Scar Collector” which was originally published in Volume I in the Diamond Dust Poems From the Black Sea photo book series.

Coastal dining accessories

You have already seen the coastal dinnerware ideas featuring either full marine Ikebana poems or repeating patterns inspired by them.

Now comes a third category of coastal dining accessories. These feature just one central motif, such as the marine Ikebana bouquet or the murex seashell from the 2 glass coasters below.

And while any of the coastal dinnerware products seen above can be customized as you wish, the last 2 examples I’ll mention next were specifically designed as templates.

For example, if you’re looking for a coastal kitchen gift, the dinner bowl below features an easy to customize “Happy birthday!” text and you can change it to whatever you like.

Or if you already own too much dinnerware, but you’d still like to add some blue accents with coastal vibes, you can organize what you already have with these easy to customize food and drink labels which come in sets of 10.

In this case, the template food storage labels feature a nautical blue iris flower inside a navy blue rectangle. You can change the rectangle color, the background color, you can pick a different type of label or even transfer the design to any other product from the Zazzle marketplace.

And with the last 2 templates, we have now reached the end of this blog post on 15 coastal dinnerware ideas for inspiration.

If any of these ideas inspired you, I’d love to know in a comment below!

5 inspiring aesthetic Mother’s Day gift ideas

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Don’t search anymore! This blog post will immediately show you 5 inspiring ideas of Mother’s Day gifts for you to choose the perfect one! Bonus: they are all customizable at no extra charge to you.

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What all these 5 gift ideas have in common is they’re in the desk decor niche.

The reason I chose this category is because desk decor doesn’t occupy a lot of space and it is a hassle-free and renter friendly way to enjoy beautiful and inspiring art.

If you’re thinking of offering a thoughtful gift to your mother or a future mom to be or any other mother on Mother’s Day, each of these desk decor items will allow her to enjoy more beauty in her life and to be inspired by the visual poems housed in these products.

Receiving a visual poem is a rare event and your gift will certainly be memorable.

If this is your first time on my website, I design visual poems resembling floral arrangements when seen from afar, but unlike usual floral bouquets, I use maritime elements such as seashells.

Furthermore, many of my visual poems were written following my experience of becoming a mother and for this blog post, I have selected 5 such poems which available on personalized glass paperweights.

Now there are many different products housing my visual poetry designs, but I’m drawn to few of them as much I am towards paperweights. There is something about just one beautiful paperweight residing on an uncluttered desk that I find so appealing and so hard to describe in words. But I’ll do my best to show you that vision through pictures with the following 5 inspiring aesthetic custom paperweights.

Inspiring gift idea no. 1 for moms or moms to be who swim

I am probably not the only mother who swims. I also swam a lot during pregnancy and that experience inspired me to write the shape poem your see below.

The title of the poem is “Swimming in 2” and if you zoom in a bit, you’ll notice that the branches are made of lyrics. This visual poem was originally published in Volume I of the Diamond Dust (Poems From the Black Sea) photo book series.

This glass paperweight is a great option for a swimmer mom to be or a mom who swims because it includes a poem to remind her of the beautiful experience of swimming during pregnancy.

Gift idea no. 2 for overwhelmed moms during early motherhood

If you’re searching for gifts for a new mother who is overwhelmed with all the new unpaid and unsung roles she will take or for an older mother who forgot the many unpaid and unsung roles she became good at, you must take a look at this glass paperweight for Mother’s Day!

The glass paperweight features a visual poem about early motherhood called “unpaid and unsung” and she is likely to resonate with its lyrics.

Inspiring gift idea no. 3 for new moms

This glass floral paperweight with coastal vibes is a great Mother’s Day gift for new moms due to housing a visual poem called “Sacrifice”.

It is a visual poem written in free verse about people who take advantage of a mother’s infinite love for her child and how that will backfire against everyone around, her child included, if she is not careful.

Sacrifice can be pointless and guilt doesn’t have to be a part of motherhood for everyone’s sake.

Inspiring gift idea no.4 for mothers who are mourning or ill

If the intended recipient of your planned Mother’s Day gift is mourning, undergoing surgery or suffering from a chronic disease, reading the visual poem below may bring a sense of inner peace when it is most needed.

The title of this poetic artwork is “One by One” and if you zoom in a bit, you’ll notice that the branches are made of lyrics.

The glass paperweight housing this poem features a blue iris flower from which the soothing lyrics emerge.

This custom coastal artwork could be a great sympathy gift, a condolence gift in case of mourning or an encouragement gift in case of disease for you to share your “get well soon” message.

Gift idea no. 5 for empty nester mothers

If you’re looking for Mother’s Day gift ideas which are appropriate for empty nesters, this glass paperweight could be the right option for you!

This desk decor product features a visual poem called “Detachment”. Each branch of the poem takes you along the path of motherhood from start to the empty nest phase.

It also features a blue murex shell from which the lyrical branches emerge.

As with all the other mentioned ideas, once you click on any of the images or links attached to them, you will be taken to the Zazzle platform where you can choose different shapes or sizes for each paperweight. You can also customize any product from my shop there. Furthermore, if you find a design that you like, you can transfer it to any other product that Zazzle offers. These are all done at no extra charge to you!

Although Mother’s Day is celebrated on different days throughout the world, my hope is that you found the right gift in this blog post. Let me know in a comment below!

8 coastal aesthetic desk decor ideas to inspire you

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Have you ever procrastinated for hours instead of just doing your work at the desk and then enjoying your time off?

I know I did.

Let’s just say I can easily miss the seaside when I spend too much time at my desk. The seaside – and to a lesser degree the swimming pool – is where I get my best ideas, but realistically speaking, working at the beach or during a cruise is not my cup of tea. I’m not efficient at all and while being at sea, I prefer to let my mind free anyway. I don’t want briefs or deadlines.

And while literally being by the sea is not how I would like to work on my laptop, I indirectly brought the sea to my desk by creating coastal art in the form of visual poems.

This is how I ended up gathering these 8 coastal aesthetic ideas to decorate your desk and make it so beautiful, calming and inspiring, that you actually want to sit there and do your work!

8 coastal aesthetic desk decor ideas featuring photo block displays, glass paperweights, desk organizer boxes and latte mugs and cups, office and school supplies, desk accessories,

All these desk decor ideas can be customized once you click on the images or the links which will take you to the Zazzle platform. You don’t have to be logged in to customize the products and if you like a design, but not the product itself or the material on which it will be printed, you may also easily transfer it to a different product.

Desk decor ideas 1&2: try a coastal art photo block on your desk as an inspiring mood board.

As you may have guessed it from the name of this website, I’m very much into minimalism and clutter is not what I want at my desk, so I limit desk decor to just one item at a time, unless that decorative object also has some kind of function, e.g. if it’s a mug or a desk organizer for office supplies I use all the time. You can easily do the same by rotating desk decor accessories.

The photo block below features a visual poem called “Swimming in 2”. I gave it this name because this is how it felt to swim during pregnancy once I started feeling the fetus in my womb, especially if she was active during my swimming sessions. If you are female and you are experiencing this stage of life or you reminisce about it, this poem will inspire you to do your best for your (future) child and to not skip your swimming, if you happen to practice this sport.

This next photo block for your desk features a concrete poem called “In the reign of parasites”. If you’ve viscerally known perfectionism or if you are constantly criticized by a nitpicky person, you are going to like keeping this poem on your desk to remind you to take it easy.

Decorating ideas 3&4: bring beachy vibes to your workplace with just one glass paperweight revealing an aesthetic design which inspires you.

If you are an artist secretly working on your creative masterpiece, this shape poem about ephemeral art is going to inspire you to not take everything so personally when things don’t go your way. Many creative people before you have toiled to create awesome art which would outlast them. Unfortunately, that art either doesn’t physically exist anymore or it is hidden or forgotten.

If you needed a reminder on the importance of being healthy or not getting sicker, the poem below is just what you need to read.

Desk decor ideas 5&6: if you don’t feel like working because your desk is a mess, gather all your small office supplies in a beautiful box reminding you of the seaside.

If you procrastinate and you can’t work because you doubt this is taking you anywhere, the poem below, besides being available as a desk organizer box to keep your desk free of clutter, is going to give you an efficient solution to find meaning and purpose in life. The main idea is to avoid the extremes: not outsourcing anything or outsourcing everything.

Sometimes what you need at your desk is a calm reminder of how everything flows. Nothing is created and nothing is destroyed. Things just change shape, just like water which you may notice as frost on your window to the outside world.

Decorating ideas 7&8: if you always have a mug by your desk, why not have a beautiful one to inspire you with a bit of poetry?

Sometimes what we are working on is not (properly) credited to us, but just like in the poem below about anonymous worker bees, the final result may be valuable. Or just sweet:)

Given the content of its lyrics, the poem mug below is a great option for a new mother who is overwhelmed with all the new unpaid and unsung roles she will take or for an older mother who forgot the many unpaid and unsung roles she became good at.

As a side note, all the concrete poems mentioned above were originally published in Volume I of the Diamond Dust (Poems From the Black Sea) photo book series, available as hardcover or paperback.

Which coastal desk decor idea did you like the most? I’d love to hear from you in a comment below!



5 seashell art prints for your walls

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Are you looking for some unique seashell art to delight you and remind you of the carefree days you spent by the seaside? Then you’re in the right place!

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I am a graphic designer specializing in marine Ikebana poems and I draw my inspiration from Japanese aesthetics and the Romanian coast of the Black Sea. Marine Ikebana poems are visual poems which resemble Japanese Ikebana floral arrangements, but instead of branches, I write and add lyrics as curved text and instead of flowers, leaves, fruits and vases, I include collage photos of seashells. These poems are created digitally, but they are available to be printed on many different media, wall art prints included.

For this blog post, I included links to 5 examples of seashell wall art which are available on Zazzle. This is a platform where you can customize the designs in any way you see fit, at no additional charge to you and even without being logged in. You can pick a different size, a different material on which the image is printed or transfer the design on a different product. For your convenience, I have added here 2 versions of each artwork: one with the original background color as published in book format and another one with a transparent background which you can change in Zazzle by selecting a different color. If you encounter any problem, leave me a comment here or contact me on Zazzle and I will help you.

Note: once you add any of these seashell art prints in your cart on Zazzle, you can also add a standard frame or a custom frame and mat.

Which one do you like the most? I’d love to hear from you in a comment below!