Welcome to
Inspired by the Sea
Where it all began…
Towards the end of the summer of 2006 we were lucky enough to move to Worthing to a property overlooking the beach. We knew we wanted to decorate our home on a seaside theme and began sourcing many seaside pictures, model boats, fish, birds and other items.
That first autumn was filled with long walks along the beach looking at all the amazing things the tide had brought in. Belinda was fascinated by the colour and shape of the seaweed dotted along 'our' piece of coast. She took small pieces home and dried them out to use as decoration in our flat. The colours changed as they dried, and it was possible to create something quite dramatic! Belinda framed some of the seaweed collected and displayed this on the wall in the flat.
Belinda continued to collect seaweed, dry it and mount it in frames. A friend suggested taking a stall at a local craft fair to offer some pieces for sale. That first fair was thoroughly enjoyable - meeting new people, and even selling a number of pieces! And so began our time as 'craft market traders'!
And so it grew….
Belinda also began to make cushion covers for our home - always in a coastal themed fabric. Days out were often centred around a visit to a fabric shop where she might be able to find something new! Before long Belinda had amassed a large and varied selection of coastal fabrics. It wasn't long before Cushions joined the seaweed art on the craft stall, quickly followed by lavender bags, aprons, tote bags and more. Belinda is always experimenting with new items and expanding her range.
From craft stall to market trader and beyond…..
One of the regular craft fairs always seemed quiet until the local farmers market was relocated right outside. From then the craft fair was always busy and trading successful. When the farmers market returned to it's original location the craft fair was again quiet. Our answer? To follow the market! We decided to test the water by taking a stall on what was to be renamed the Artisans and Farmers Market. It was a success, and so as well as continuing with a number of craft fairs Inspired by the Sea became a regular stall on two of our local markets. We were certain now that there was a market for the 'coastal creations'. On a sunny day the stall was fun to run, meeting new people and getting good feedback. Wet and cold days were not so enjoyable - we'd find ourselves dreaming about the possibility of being in a shop - out of the elements, and not needing to go through the 'setting up' process every time we were trading. A shop was very much a 'pipe dream', but it was one we kept hold of.
Pipe dream or not, a combination of a change in personal circumstances coupled with the 'perfect' premises becoming available led to us leaping both feet into the unknown! We opened a shop.
The circle closes
After more than 7 years, working with over 80 local creatives (paying out around £150,000), donating around £3000 to support local charities and events, and reuniting one soft toy with it's owner, we decided to close the shop at the end of September 2019. Our making and crafting days are not over though. We will be spending some time getting out and visiting various parts of our beautiful coast to keep and refresh our inspiration. We will explore coastal craft fairs to look for ones where our work may be a good fit, and we will occasionally be found at an Artist Open House - we are currently regulars at The Trojan House in Brighton. So, in many ways we are back where we started, but very much enriched by our experiences on the way and the many amazing people we have met and got to know.
Towards the end of 2022 we are planning to open our own house for the Worthing Artists Open Houses.
If you would like to know more about the shop you can find the web page here.
Over time this page will become a record, and a showcase of our work. We also hope to introduce an online shop to make it easier for those who would like to make a purchase.
Towards the end of the summer of 2006 we were lucky enough to move to Worthing to a property overlooking the beach. We knew we wanted to decorate our home on a seaside theme and began sourcing many seaside pictures, model boats, fish, birds and other items.
That first autumn was filled with long walks along the beach looking at all the amazing things the tide had brought in. Belinda was fascinated by the colour and shape of the seaweed dotted along 'our' piece of coast. She took small pieces home and dried them out to use as decoration in our flat. The colours changed as they dried, and it was possible to create something quite dramatic! Belinda framed some of the seaweed collected and displayed this on the wall in the flat.
Belinda continued to collect seaweed, dry it and mount it in frames. A friend suggested taking a stall at a local craft fair to offer some pieces for sale. That first fair was thoroughly enjoyable - meeting new people, and even selling a number of pieces! And so began our time as 'craft market traders'!
And so it grew….
Belinda also began to make cushion covers for our home - always in a coastal themed fabric. Days out were often centred around a visit to a fabric shop where she might be able to find something new! Before long Belinda had amassed a large and varied selection of coastal fabrics. It wasn't long before Cushions joined the seaweed art on the craft stall, quickly followed by lavender bags, aprons, tote bags and more. Belinda is always experimenting with new items and expanding her range.
From craft stall to market trader and beyond…..
One of the regular craft fairs always seemed quiet until the local farmers market was relocated right outside. From then the craft fair was always busy and trading successful. When the farmers market returned to it's original location the craft fair was again quiet. Our answer? To follow the market! We decided to test the water by taking a stall on what was to be renamed the Artisans and Farmers Market. It was a success, and so as well as continuing with a number of craft fairs Inspired by the Sea became a regular stall on two of our local markets. We were certain now that there was a market for the 'coastal creations'. On a sunny day the stall was fun to run, meeting new people and getting good feedback. Wet and cold days were not so enjoyable - we'd find ourselves dreaming about the possibility of being in a shop - out of the elements, and not needing to go through the 'setting up' process every time we were trading. A shop was very much a 'pipe dream', but it was one we kept hold of.
Pipe dream or not, a combination of a change in personal circumstances coupled with the 'perfect' premises becoming available led to us leaping both feet into the unknown! We opened a shop.
The circle closes
After more than 7 years, working with over 80 local creatives (paying out around £150,000), donating around £3000 to support local charities and events, and reuniting one soft toy with it's owner, we decided to close the shop at the end of September 2019. Our making and crafting days are not over though. We will be spending some time getting out and visiting various parts of our beautiful coast to keep and refresh our inspiration. We will explore coastal craft fairs to look for ones where our work may be a good fit, and we will occasionally be found at an Artist Open House - we are currently regulars at The Trojan House in Brighton. So, in many ways we are back where we started, but very much enriched by our experiences on the way and the many amazing people we have met and got to know.
Towards the end of 2022 we are planning to open our own house for the Worthing Artists Open Houses.
If you would like to know more about the shop you can find the web page here.
Over time this page will become a record, and a showcase of our work. We also hope to introduce an online shop to make it easier for those who would like to make a purchase.