Ok, I was reading my friend Kim's blog this morning, and I am completely OBSESSED with a recent makeover of her guestroom. I know a lot of us have extra rooms in our house that function as a place to catch all of our junk (I know I do!), so this give me hope! It IS possible to pull a room together without spending a fortune to do so. Check out the before and after images here.

FYI: This is my favorite item in the room. My husband and I were literally just looking at a similar Pottery Barn headboard this weekend, but this one was a fraction of the cost!

A Mary Kay rep in my neighborhood dropped off a pamphlet this weekend, and I noticed they're featuring a new collection called Coastal Colors. According to their Web site, it's inspired by "ethereal layers of sky, a sparkling ocean and a silky beach."

The limited-edition collection includes: a Mineral Eye Color Palette with three Coastal Colors, two eyeliner pencils in Bahama Blue and Tahitian Gold, and three lip glosses in Polynesian Petals, Caribbean Coral, and Hawaiian Sunset.

Glad to see we're not the only ones who enjoy the look of the sea.

For more visit marykay.com.

Bright and tropical or soothing pastel, Bellamy Murphy's unique artwork (page 90-91: March 2009), lends coastal flare to these bedrooms.  You can reach Bellamy at bellamyart@me.com -- be sure to tell her that we sent you.

The calls and e-mails are unanimous --the contemporary Malibu Star from Casablancafanco.com is a must-have!  Muck like a modern piece of art, it highlights the white vaulted ceiling of the Hogan family's beach cottage (page 100 of our March 2009 issue).

Spice up a room with a little island flavor! Discover some amazing Caribbean homes or surf over to our sister site MyHomeIdeas.com for tips on incorporating a tropical color palette in your home.

If you're not watching LOST, you might be missing the best show on television. But I digress. As you can tell I'm a huge fan, so I was interested to read that one of my favorite characters was touting a fresh "aquatic floral" fragrance.

No more island aroma for castaway Kate Austen. Evangeline Lilly (star of ABC's LOST) will be the new face of Davidoff's Cool Water Woman ad campaign starting in July, according to COTY Inc. Last year, they tapped fellow cast member Josh Holloway (Sawyer) to promote the cologne. Holloway fans rejoice! You can find Sawyer-inspired wallpapers, screensaver, and e-cards on Cool Water's Web site.

P.S. In case you're wondering, I'm a Jater not a Skater

Check this out! We featured Swans Island in our May 2008 issue. Look up our Facebook page to see the entire story.

The White House Selects Swans Island as one of the official gifts for the visiting delegation from Ireland March 17, 2009

The White House has selected a shamrock green blanket throw made by Swans Island of Maine as one of the gifts for the delegation from Ireland meeting March 17, 2009, given by First Lady Michelle Obama.  The throw is made from the finest wool, from yarn spun in the United States and woven on American made hand looms in the traditions of our fore fathers.  Even the custom box it is presented in is made in the USA.

Swans Island President Bill Laurita said, in explaining how his blanket came to be chosen, "I feel like I have the luck of the Irish!  We had sent some samples of our blankets along with fabric samples and it just so happened one of those fabric samples was green.  We really weren't thinking St. Patrick's Day, we were thinking more along the line of First Lady Michelle Obama's designer eye and taste for beautiful rich colors."

As it happened, the green was chosen for this specific event.  Even luckier, Swans Island had been working on a green blanket -- it was still on the loom.  Jumping to action, the blanket was finished to their specifications, cut off the loom and hemmed in Swans Island signature silk hem.  A custom tag was made for the blanket stating, "Custom Designed for Michelle Obama".

Swans Island products were selected for presentation to the new administration by Capital Gifts and Awards of Annapolis, MD a company that specializes in Protocol Gifts.  Chris Harkins, President,  said  "I have provided  Protocol gifts for over 30 years, it is rare to find such a gem of a company and beautiful product to present.  You sometimes feel like everything has been offered before, and then come across a company like Swans Island where true artistic craftsmanship and the highest standards of quality and design meet to create a testament to what we as American people are capable of producing."

Have you seen these yet? These hot summer sandals have been popping up all over the place, and we just had to join in on the fun. Trish Carroll has designed several styles of leather thongs for Target--all for budget-friendly price of $29.99!

Get 'em while they're hot! Target's ads say this exclusive footwear is only available from April 12 - June 28th.

Miss Trish of Capri Starfish sandals

Miss Trish of Capri Fish sandals

Miss Trish of Capri Turtle sandals

Sorry I've been MIA this week.
We're hard at work producing the May issue, and I think it's our best yet. You may have noticed that we're making some changes to the magazine. After all, who doesn't need a fresh start every now and then? We're received quite a bit of positive feedback about the March issue, and it sounds as if you like the beginnings of new look! We're always so please to hear from readers, because we do all of this for you!

New Look, New Blog
So we're continuing to refresh our design little by little to offer you--the reader--the best content and look possible. This isn't just exclusive to just the magazine either. In October, we rolled out our new Web site redesign, and we're in the process of consolidating our three blogs into one. Why the change you might ask?

Giving You More
Well, for one, we have a lot of new staff members and we want as many people to contribute as possible. We'll still share our insider travel tips, style inspiration, and food finds with you. We also want to make it easier for you to find information fast. Our aim is to launch the new blog called Daily Catch around the first of April. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for your patience as we figure out how to give you the best of Coastal Living!

April 2009 Cover

It was Robert Benchley who once wrote there are two kinds of travel: First class and with children.

I was reminded of that when I heard about a new Marco Island Marriott package. It includes a butler, but not what you're thinking of. Your visit doesn't include the services of an omniscient Jeeves to make your martinis and put out your evening clothes.

Instead, you get a baby butler, providing perhaps an even more essential service. Not only do you receive a complimentary crib or play pen, but you'll also get eight diapers, three Little Swimmers, one tub baby wipes (64 count), and one tube Desitin cream. Plus kids three and under eat free.

The package, which includes a deluxe room with partial gulf view, is valid through April 30. Prices vary, but I found it ringing up at $584 per night in March.