Coastal Charm: February 2014

Friday, February 28, 2014

Shop Talk with Antiques at the Loop

I've been thinking about starting something new here at Coastal Charm, and the first thing that popped into my head was, sharing shops from all over the country with all of you. Since, we all love shopping, just think how much fun this will be. You can even shop in your jammies, now that's my kind of shopping. I always enjoy shopping on blogs, facebook, pinterest and websites, so I am hoping you will too. SHOP TALK will go live every Friday, just in time for the weekend. What I am looking for is, anyone who has a small business. I want to share small home décor shops, antique booths and maybe some trendy clothing would be fun. Also, if you set up at antique/vintage fairs, I would love to share your business too. At this time, I am not interested in sharing ETSY shops. You will need to write a post about your business and e-mail it to me. If you are interested in being a part of SHOP TALK, e-mail me at coastal.charm@yahoo.com with a link to your blog and business and I will take a look. Now, let's see who I am sharing this week. Since, this is my favorite shop ever, I knew it had to be my first.
Blessings,
Linda

WELCOME to
Antiques at the Loop

It always smells so good
in there.

Beautiful vintage linens.

You will also find a touch of modern décor.

What a beautiful table.

You will find a lot of farmhouse décor.

Cottage Charm!!!!!

Wonderful new home décor!

Grainsacks!!!

You will find a good selection of vintage clothing.

Love these old windows.

                                    It's Mardi Gras time here in
                                Mobile (birthplace of Mardi Gras).

Vintage furs.

Looking for a good antique mall on the

Alabama gulf coast? You've found it at

ANTIQUES AT THE LOOP

28 South Florida St.

Mobile, AL.

251-476-0309

Like us on FACEBOOK here!

Linking up here...

Feathered Nest Friday

Show and Tell Friday

Fridays Unfolded

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday No.201

I can't begin to tell ya, how excited I am, that this is our last NTT party in the month of February. When we meet here next week, it will finally be March, and that means warmer temps, yippee! I am so ready to get some cheerful spring décor, here in my home, what about you, are you ready for SPRINGTIME? Thanks so much for coming by today, and sharing something NIFTY THRIFTY, so let's get this party rolling!
Blessings,
Linda

Recap from last week...

Do you like to vacation at the beach?

                             If so, you can now rent our beachfront condo
                             located in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Click here
                                              for more info.

You can enjoy beautiful views like this from
the private balcony.

Then, end the day with stunning views like this one.

Here is what caught my eye at last weeks party...

Linda @Itsy Bits and Pieces

Jo @Coventry Lane Designs

Angela @Twelve Oaks Manor

Brandi @Nest of Bliss

Jann @Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Kimberly @Serendipity Refined

If you are featured here at NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY...please be sure to grab my starfish featured button for your blog.

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Party Guidelines

1. Please have a separate link to this party in your post (not a mass link page) or add my party button (you can find it located under my header/buttons) to the post. If there is not a separate link, you will not be featured and/or could be deleted. I am hopefully bringing you traffic and I would appreciate the same.

2.    No more than three links.

3.     I would love to have you follow me here on my blog. You can do this several ways…do one…or do all of them. Google Friend Connect…Linky Followers…Bloglovin or by e-mail. You can find all of these on my sidebar.

4.     You can also keep up with me on FACEBOOK and PINTEREST.

5.     Please go to the source of a photo to pin it to Pinterest, so that the originator of the post gets the credit.

6.     By linking up, you are giving Coastal Charm permission to use any picture or content to share as a feature or on social media outlets.

Friday, February 21, 2014

It's Mardi Gras Time and a Giveaway

Yes, it's Mardi Gras time here on the gulf coast, and you know what that means? It's time to enjoy some KING CAKE!!!! Awhile back, the nice folks over at Sucre Bakery in New Orleans, asked me if I would like to do a review and give away one of their king cakes, boy you bet I do. This week my cake arrived and Mr.CC and I have been enjoying this delicious cake. I have a lot of king cakes in my lifetime and I must say, this one from Sucre, is by far the best one ever. Do you know the story behind the king cake? Well, if not, here is some info that I found over at Sucre's site.

A Quick King Cake History
Curious how the colorful king cake first came to fruition?
The history behind the New Orleans tradition actually dates back to 16th century France during Carnival season. Carnival season starts on Twelfth Night – also called King’s Day – and ends with Mardi Gras. Twelfth Night is traditionally the last night of the Christmas celebration and can fall on January 5th or 6th. Today in New Orleans, most people celebrate it on the 6th.
The cake derives its name from the meaning of Kings' Day – which in Christian tradition is the day that the three kings arrived in Bethlehem to visit the baby Jesus . French peasants would share the cake at a Carnival season party. Hidden inside the cake was a bean. Whichever guest found the bean in his piece of cake would be crowned “king” of the party. It was believed that this king would be blessed with new life and good luck in the following year.
French colonists brought this tradition to Louisiana where it evolved with the rest of the modern Mardi Gras celebration.

Modern Day Variations and New Party Traditions

New Orleanians love a good king cake, and will take every opportunity to partake – at parties, at the office, at parades, everywhere! Since they are only available for such a short period, these cakes are highly sought after during that time. Today, instead of looking for a bean, you’ll be searching for a small plastic baby trinket, which can be found under or in the kings cake.
If you find the baby, you’ll be crowned king – or queen – for the day. This not only ensures your fortune for a year, it also sometimes means you'll receive certain privileges. For example, if the cake is eaten at work, your coworkers might have to treat you to lunch.
In some traditions, being crowned king or queen also comes with responsibilities. It means it's your turn to buy the next cake!

So, if you would like to WIN a king cake for yourself...enter the giveaway and maybe you will be the lucky winner!!!