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A Look Behind the Scenes of Coastal Creations’ Gorgeous Artwork

Photo Credit: Alexa Confrancesco

When I first saw a post from Alexa, the owner of Coastal Creations, on a local Facebook group, I fell in love with the gorgeous artwork that she was sharing. Her items are all made from shells that were from local Connecticut beaches and painted with gorgeous designs. Her artwork is so beautiful that I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves, but I am lucky to have gotten a chance to chat with her about pieces and her business!

What inspired you to start Coastal Creations, Ct?

My friends and family kept telling me I should sell the shells I was gifting or start an event planning business so I decided to post some photos of the shells and from there it took off! It’s such a nice outlet for me to relax and destress after long days working my full time job as a Pediatric ICU nurse.

How did you get into making artwork from sea shells?

I hosted a backyard hibachi party last summer and wanted to send my guests home with a fun homemade favor. I saw the prettiest shells on tik tok and decided to try them out myself. I loved making them and all my friends loved their favors. After that I took a break from them since life got busy but then needed something little to tie into a gift this year. So I headed to the beach and started creating again. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Now that I live on the water I’ve fallen more and more in love with coastal decor. I decided I wanted to keep creating things with shells and found ways to expand!

What does Coastal Creations, CT sell?

Lots of coastal homemade things!

Shell trinket dishes (oysters, clams, scallops)

Oyster wine stoppers

Shell decorated frames

Decorated celebration bottles

DIY scallop shell candle kits

Coming soon….coastal coasters and wine glass charms!

Flower arrangements and bouquets (I used to work for a florist in high school and ever since I haven’t been able to stop arranging fresh flowers every week so I just knew I had to throw these in)

What is the process of making the items?

For my trinket dishes…

collect the shells

clean, soak, dry the shells

paint the base coat

apply the glue

create /apply the design

seal the design

finish with a gold paint

seal the design again

finish with resin!

wrap them up and send them off for customers to enjoy!

What kinds of shells do you use?

I collect my shells from local beaches! I create mostly with clam, oyster and scallop shells! However, the frames feature a very wide variety of smaller shells!

How does one purchase an item from your shop?

Since i’m still getting started I’ve kept Coastal Creations, CT small! Hopefully it’ll expand soon. As of right now, orders can be placed through instagram @coastalcreations.ct or by text @ 203-907-8966!

Murder by Cheesecake Blends Cozy Nostalgia and Cozy Mysteries into One Excellent Read

Picture it: the ladies of the lanai in a cozy mystery novel. As a Golden Girls fan, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Elkstrom Courage at a bookstore and knew this was something that I needed to read.

This first installment of the Golden Girls series finds Rose struggling to plan a traditional St. Olaf wedding for her niece, and Dorothy experimenting with a VHS dating service in the attempts to get a date for the wedding. The date gets bad when her date leaves Dorothy right at the table, only to be found a few days later in the freezer. The police have their sights set on none other than Dorothy Zbornak, as he has her information stored in his pocket when he was found.

The girls put on their detective hats to figure out who the true killer is to prove Dorothy’s innocence, all while helping Rose pull of a traditional St. Olaf wedding right in Miami.

This book was definitely enjoyable to read. I’ve been a fan of the Golden Girls since I was 10 years old and watching that with my grandparents. So needless to say, I went in with high hopes. That being said, there were moments when I was reading this book that I can hear the voices of characters saying the dialogue. There were times that I was literally laughing out loud while reading this book.

I want to add that I’m sure that the writing for this was challenging, because if you’re using such a cult class show like the Golden Girls as the stage for a cozy mystery scene, then it is definitely challenging to do it justice. However, Courage did an excellent job with the characters and trying to do a plot was believable to how they were on the show.

Like many of these murder mystery novels, the story all wrapped up by the end of the book. The novel was cheesy at points, but I honestly think for something like this it worked.

I also think like many cozy mystery series, the books will get better and better as time goes on. This is challenging to say, because this book was already so good and hard to put down because it was exactly as comforting as watching an episode of Golden Girls.

I can’t wait for the next installment of this series.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Best of Milford Awards and Imposter Syndrome

Dress: Thrifted Lilly Pulitzer; Sandals: Target; Bag; Marshalls Hair: Hairvana CT

Last night, Milford’s Stonebridge was crowded with people of all different careers and interests but with two things in common. The first was to make their community a better place. The second was that they were all winners of the 2025 Best of Milford Awards from the Milford Chamber of Commerce.

I was one of their winners. I had the honor of taking home not one but two awards: best local website, and best Instagram/TikToker. I was in disbelief of the fact that I won from the moment that I received the news a few weeks ago to the moment that I stepped foot into the restaurant to accept my certificate.

The July heat was muggy and the skies were cloudy — clear that there was a thunderstorm on its way. Wow Radio was there being the emcee, and drinks were being served by Stonebridge.

During the event, I was able to sample some of the delicious catering from a ton of different restaurants in the Milford area. This included: pizza from Jimmy’s Pizza, sweet cupcakes from Sunshine Sweets, delicious Nutella crepes from Cafe Atlantique, and pulled pork from Big Wigs. Bin 100, Gusto Trattoria, and Harbor Eats were also present with mouthwatering treats as well.

Being in the crowd of so many different people who, like me, began their businesses with a single dream, was overwhelming for me. I felt a huge wave of imposter syndrome from the second that I won until that night and felt as though I did not deserve this award.

I’d like to say that it went away the second that I stepped foot, but it did not. I did, however, want to say that winning this award made me realize how much my little corner of the world (if you’re an OG here than you know) has grown to be not so little. Blogging has become something that I do just because I love to write. Everything that I have written on this page is something that I am passionate about, and wants to share with everyone who is reading this blog.

Needless to say, I’m honored to have won these awards this year.

That being said, I would like to thank my husband for not only reading my blog but always being a pillar of unwavering support from the very beginning. I appreciate every single time you’ve read my posts, shared them, and for always standing by my side. I also would like to thank my mother in law for not only reading my blog, but also for providing me with many different ideas for posts and making sure that everything sounds the way that it should. In addition, I would like to thank the community that I’ve built on this blog — whether it’s a subject of a post, the many different people on Instagram I’ve connected with, or those who read my posts. I also want to thank my friends who have stood by my side and supported my crazy dream of being a writer. Without all of you, this would not have been even close to possible.

However, last but certainly not least, I want to thank my mother who was my biggest supporter everyday of her life. Before her death, my mom would go up to people and say that her daughter was going to be the next big author. She shared every single article that I’ve written from high school newspapers to my first local paper with her coworkers. Her pride, her confidence, and her funding my education will always serve as the base of the person that I am today.

Again, thank you Milford Chamber of Commerce. It was truly an honor to be there last night.

Pizza Lyfe is Happiness by the Slice

Pizza by the slice is a New York concept that has made its way to Milford. Pizza Lyfe, which originated in Westport, has opened its second restaurant in downtown Milford. This brings the nostalgia and simple experience of an Italian deli abeetz.

What makes Pizza Lyfe unique is their sourdough crust on their pies. The crust is what drew me in with the crunchy exterior and soft interior — exactly like breaking open a loaf of sourdough bread. Biting into their pizza with that crust, that delicious herb tomato sauce, and ooey cheese makes a superb combo.

Pizza Lyfe offers pizza by the slice (aka a la cart) or by the pie. There is a huge variety of toppings one could get — from traditional such as pepperoni, eggplant, and veggie to more unique ones such as tri-color pizza (pizza with vodka sauce), Italian tuna, and a few different options of burrata.

Slices are readily available whenever they are open, and there is always a lot of options to choose from, as well as garlic knots. With a small little area of cold beverages, it is easy to get a slice, have it warmed up, and enjoy it with a cold beverage.

Unlike New Haven pizza, this pizza is a little thick and doughy. For someone who loves bread like me, this is an amazing option. However, if you’re someone who craves the charred, thin crust style of New Haven pizza, I am not sure if this is something that you would love.

However, there are more options than pizza. Their menu extends to sandwiches, pasta, calzones, and Italian dinners. Some items that stand out include: lemon grilled chicken (arugula, avocado mayo, roasted red peppers, and fresh mozzarella on a sesame Italian hero); chicken parm Stromboli, and tri-color tortellini Nonna (mushrooms, prosciutto, peas in a cream sauce).

There is nothing more New York than enjoying a slice, and I believe that Pizza Lyfe has successfully brought that concept to Milford.

June Favorites

Happy summer everyone! I am excited for the long weekend to begin. July is such a special month for me as both my anniversary and my birthday are in July. I also love the summer months, so I am excited to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine.

But before we do that, I want to look back at the favorites for the last month.

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune: Carley Fortune has the best summer romances and this one was no different. This tells the story of Charlie, who was the brother of the male main character in Every Summer After. I loved his romance with Alice and I loved Alice herself. This is the perfect summer read, and I recommend that you check it out.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: TJR. That is all.
Kelly Prepster videos: I’ve been obsessed with watching these studio vlogs. They have been so soothing and relaxing. They have also helped me get back into beading, which is my first crafting thing that I’ve gotten into.
Demellier New York Midi Bag: I got this in than and I’m obsessed with this bag. It is the perfect everyday size and I love that it’s a top handle bag. It’s also so chic. 10/10 recommend checking this out.
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan: Kennedy Ryan is an autobuy author for me and this did not disappoint. I loved every second of Hendrick’s story and was hooked from page one.

2025 Mid Year Book Freakout Tag

It is officially the second half of 2025. Gulp. 2025 has not been the best reading year as of late, I’m not going to lie. I’ve been balancing reading with several other hobbies that I like to do on a daily basis, and therefore, my days of reading 10 plus books a month have been long gone. However, I did want to share my answers to the mid year book freak out since it’s so fun to do!

What Is the Best Book That You’ve Read So Far in 2025? I can’t pick between the Favorites by Layne Fargo and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
What Has Been Your Favorite Sequel of The First Half of The Year? Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams.
Is There a New Release That You Haven’t Read Yet, but You’re Really Excited To? There are quite a few, but I’d say Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall and Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston are definitely in the top two. I’m hoping to get to them this summer.
What Is Your Most Anticipated Release for The Second Half of The Year? Love Arranged by Lauren Asher for sure.
What Is Your Biggest Disappointment So Far? I’m not saying this because I didn’t like the book, but Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. I loved the book, but it was so different than what I was expecting and it didn’t hit as hard as her other ones for me.
What Is Your Biggest Surprise So Far? I would say The Song of Archilles by Madeline Miller. I read this on a train ride and I was not expecting to be completely locked into the book and the story.
A Book That Made You Cry? Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
A Book That Made You Happy? Ready or Not by Cara Bastone.
What Books Do You Want to Read by The End of The Year? Part of the point of having a TBR is to read all of them. But if I had to pick a few, it would be Sounds Like Love, Katherine Center’s latest, and Ali Hazelwood’s latest.

How has your reading year been?

June Fiber Faves

I can’t believe that this is the last day of June and the last day of the first half of the year. I’ve been nose deep in so many summer projects, and making so many different and fun amigrumi patterns, hence why there are so many different ones listed. However, before we reach the second half of 2025, I want to share some of my June fiber favorites.

Ami Sticks: So, my husband bought me these for Christmas, and I am just starting to break them out now. Oops. I love them. They are not an essential by any means, but they are so helpful when it comes to sewing projects. You can find a bunch on Etsy as well.

Jack Russell pattern: This is my favorite make of 2025 thus far. I got the bright idea to make this pattern, because I own a Jack Rusell named Lucy. I tailored this pattern to add more spots so she can look exactly like Lucy, and I am so obsessed. This pattern was so easy to work up, and I had so much fun making my best friend.

Labubu pattern: I don’t love Labubus. However, I do love this pattern so much that I am already making my second and definitely want to make a third. The best part of this is that I’m using all materials that I already have and busting my huge yarn stash.

Garfield pattern: I made this as a Father’s Day gift for my dad, who I remember liking Garfield. However, it was so cute that I decided to make my own. I loved this pattern. Garfield came out so cute, and he makes a great addition to my collection!
K and C yarn: I wish that I started to use this before Joann closed, because this yarn worked up so well. I used it to make a bag, and I really loved how it felt. I wish I stocked up on more yarn, and also that Micheals eventually obtains it.

What’s In My Bag Wednesday: Demellier New York Midi

Celesta, the TikTok handbag queen, posted a video of her opening this bag in the gorgeous tan color. Ever since then, this bag was on my radar. I ended up finding her on the RealReal for a fraction of the cost. I debated whether to go for it. Ultimately, I did and I’m so glad I did.

The New York midi bag is a similar design to a Birkin without the price. It comes with a strap that I personally love having, but I’ve seen many petite women opt to not use it. I also love how it looks top handle as well, but a girl loves her options.

So far, I think it’s a stellar RealReal find.

This bag is the perfect size. It looks bigger than it actually is, but you can still fit a lot of things in it. Here’s what I carry:

Interlinked Permanent Jewelry Becomes a Permanent Part of Milford

Interlinked Permanent Jewelry has been bringing everyday sparkle to events all across the state of Connecticut. However, they now officially have a new storefront for them to call home in the Walnut Beach area of Milford.

Interlinked officially had its grand opening this past Saturday, June 21. The storefront is every jewelry and fashion lover’s dream with both permanent and charm jewelry, and trendy pieces. The decor and vibes were fun and aesthetic— a perfect background to any Instagram post for a newly curated stack.

Let’s start with the brand’s bread and butter — their permanent jewelry. They offer everything that you love about getting a permanent piece of jewelry at an event — the necklaces, anklets, and bracelets. There is a huge selection of chains from classic to fun for both the gold and the silver girlies out there. With the addition of charms, it’s easy to create a one of a kind piece that is tailored to the person who wears it. This is something that I absolutely love about Interlinked.

Furthermore, the pieces are meant to be worn 24/7 and look good even after years of wear. For a permanent jewelry piece, Interlinked uses sterling silver and gold fill for every chain and charm.

The store will be open by appointment only Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, as well as walk-ins Thursday- Sunday. You can check out their website for their hours here and check out here for appointment information. Pricing will start at $45 for sterling silver, and $55 for gold fill. If you get a speciality chain it’s $10 extra and $20 for an iconic chain. Charms are an extra $10.

Owner Jackie is excited to have her own storefront and she says she’s “so grateful for the support” Interlinked has had so far. I’ve gotten linked by Jackie last September and I’m absolutely in love with the piece and the process. I’ve also gotten linked by her staff over the past weekend and they were wonderful to talk to. I had gotten an anklet and it fell off when I got home. However, they were quick to fix the issue for free.

If this store front is an indicator, Interlinked Permanent Jewelry will continue to grow.

“Super excited to finally have a place of our own!” Jackie says. “We can’t wait to continue to grow in our community.”

Is the Oura Ring Worth It?

It’s been almost two years since I started to wear an Oura ring. At the time, I purchased it to help me predict my unpredictable menstrual cycle. However, over the last few years, I have noticed that it has provided me so much more insight on my health and sleep than I ever could have imagined. Oura rings track activity, stress, sleep, menstrual cycles, and so much more.

Oura rings are priced between $199 to almost $400. They come in silver and black as well as rose and yellow gold for a higher price tag. I currently have the generation 3, which is the older one. At the moment, I have no plans on upgrading, because this one has done me no wrong. I have a size 10, which is one size larger than my index finger. Oura has a sizing kit that you can get, and you can get a $10 Best Buy gift card with the purchase.

I just want to get one thing out of the way about my review. This is not a tech specific or health specific review whatsoever. This is a review that is solely from the point of view of an average user trying to track their health.

There are quite a few things I love about this ring. This ring is made just to track sleep, and I have found so many insights from it. If you’re not getting a good night’s sleep for any reason, you’re able to go back in and program why that occurred, whether it’s travel or other.

The biggest for me is by far the ability to sync with Natural Cycles. I have been using the app Natural Cycles to keep track of my menstrual cycle data, and the Oura ring pairs seamlessly with that because it helps track my body temperature and syncs with Natural Cycles for information such as ovulation, when my period is going to arrive, etc.

The body temperature is also amazing to keep track of whether or not I’m going to get sick or not. I need to get better at noticing when I get sick based on the stats, as Oura notices it long before I show symptoms.

This ring is also an activity and a rest tracker. Yes, most activity trackers focus on making sure that you burn enough calories and take the amount of steps that you need to reach your goal. However, there is a “rest mode” that allows you to take the rest that you need. I love that it offers a holistic approach, not just burn all of the calories you possibly can. That being said, it does track activities, encourages you to move when it notices that you’ve been stagnant for a while.

As I’ve had this ring, more features have developed, such as stress and cardio statistics, something that I feel as though is very beneficial and informative. Through my ring, I am able to find out my V02 max as well as my cardio fitness age, which is something that I feel as though is super important as I get older.

Finally, something else that I love about this ring is the battery life. I forget to charge it a lot of the time, and it’s never run out of battery. Apple can truly never.

However, the biggest thing that I have an issue with thus far is the fact to be able to access all of the features of the ring, you have to pay monthly for complete access. Yes, the features are worth it; however, I do believe that since you’ve already paid for the ring, then you should be able to access everything without additional payment.

The second thing that I do not like this ring is that it scratches so easily. My ring looks like it has been through the wringer. However, I know that for something that has a smooth, shiny surface, that is due to happen. It does bug me, but I do know that it’s just wear and tear.

Overall, I have no complains on this ring though. It’s lightweight and has been something that I have worn everyday over the past two years. Do I think it’s worth it? Yes, I do, as it offers a complete picture of your overall health, and gives me much more insight on my body than I ever could have imagined.