Notes from The Nautical Rooster
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Crystal Dogwood Ring
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Crystal Dogwood Ring
This website is updated daily
Now that the holiday season is over, we're starting to gear up for our Valentine's and spring website gift season--we've been stocking up on new ceramic mushroom colors, so take a look at the Ceramic Mushroom Page for new photographs!
We've also been filling the stockroom with great hand painted pottery, all kinds of new cocktail accessories, lovely Amy Kahn Russell jewelry, and of course exquisite necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings from Mars & Valentine.
Visitors to our shop last summer will certainly remember the elegant Botticelli cuff bracelet and matching ring by Mars & Valentine, which can be seen on the Echo of the Dreamer/Mars & Valentine page. NEW for 2009 is a very large collection of Echo of the Dreamer and Mars & Valentine nautical bracelets, earrings, and rings. You can see a small sampling here on the Home Page, and about 125 new pieces on the Echo of the Dreamer/Mars & Valentine page. More pieces will be available every week.
We haven't forgotten the etched fish glasses, either, so popular in the shop, now available in eight sizes on the website. NEW are stemless wine glasses and cordial glasses! The etched fish cordial glasses (also known as shot glasses) are extremely versatile, as well as just adorable, and can be used as Limoncello glasses in addition to simply measuring a couple of ounces of scotch. Also new are the stemless martini (a great idea after you've had more than one), and a beautiful turquoise martini. The best news about the etched fish glasses, however, is that we offer FREE SHIPPING within the 48 states!
New on the website are GIFT CERTIFICATES, which can be purchased and redeemed either online or in the shop.
Needlepoint shoes are now available on the website! See our new Needlepoint Shoes page as well as the Lobster Decor and Nautical Decor pages. Shoes ship for a flat $5.00 anywhere in the continental U.S. Be watching for winter clearance sales on certain styles!
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY: a fabulous navy and red lobster rug, in two sizes, shown on the Lobster Decor and Nautical Decor Pages, , AND, you may have seen it in the July and August issues of Downeast Magazine!)This spring we will be offering a matching loomed pillow as well. Watch for the lobster pillow on our Lobster Decor page!
New on the website this season are recipes for seafood dishes that you can bake in our wonderful seashell stoneware baking dishes by Mussels and More. We are adding recipes to the website all this week. One of our favorites is Seafood Ragout, which can be baked in the large mussel shell:
Seafood Ragout
Ingredients:
2 cups baby shrimp
1 cup mussels (no shell)
1 cup scallops (no shell)
1/2 cup Manilla clams (no shell)
1 white onion, diced
3 large carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup flour
4 cups fish stock
1/2 lb butter
4 cups heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Fiddleheads sauteed in brandy (for garnish)
1. Sautee the celery, carrot, and onion in the butter. Add flour to form a roux. At this point, make sure you cook the flour with the vegetables until it starts to lightly change into a golden color.
2. Slowly add the fish stock. Remember with roux, if it's hot, then the liquid must be cool. Do not add hot liquid to a hot roux; you will get lumps.
3. Add the seafood, garlic, and Dijon mustard. Cook for about 30 minutes at 300 degrees in the large mussel shell.
4. Add any other seasonings, and the heavy cream.
5. Serve the ragout in small mussel shells. Garnish with a few fiddleheads sauteed in brandy.
Doesn't that sound wonderful? Look for more recipes on our Mussels and More web page.
Garden Decor
Ceramic Mushrooms are back in the garden at The Nautical Rooster!
Our garden overlooking the harbor in Boothbay Harbor, Maine is one of our customers' favorite spots. Peeking from the climbing roses, iris, and phlox, you will find dancing copper butterflies, stately hand made
weathervanes, and, of course, a plentiful selection of ceramic mushrooms.
Our customers have been known to spend half an hour or more in the garden choosing just the right color-coordinated combination of ceramic mushrooms!
Whether you have a large garden, or a group of smaller planting areas, there is a size of ceramic mushroom that is right for you. If you live in an apartment, you can still enjoy ceramic mushrooms by planting them in clay pots full of soil or sand, placed inside your apartment, or outside the front door or on your deck.
Ceramic mushrooms can also be used to accent window boxes, or even be the focus of your window boxes. At our shop in Boothbay Harbor, when our window boxes start to look bedraggled in August, we pull out the plants and stuff the boxes full of every size of ceramic mushroom. They are so incredibly colorful that people are drawn in from the street to have a closer look.
Hand Painted Seafood Pottery
Our pottery is made on the East Coast by a professional potter, who paints each piece herself in her studio. All pieces are intended to be functional tableware. They are made of white earthenware clay, and are thrown, pressed, or slab-built. Before being fired, each piece is hand painted with an underglaze and covered in a clear glaze by the artist. Both underglaze and glaze are non-toxic. They are suitable for oven, microwave, and dishwasher.
Seashell Stoneware by Mussels and More Pottery
Our seashell stoneware is made on the west coast by Jan and Mike Sell, in their studio overlooking the water, which gives inspiration to their incredible designs. The shells are made out of high-fire stoneware clay. They are food and oven safe so that wonderful foods can be baked and presented right in the shell. The shells are also microwave and dishwasher safe. The interesting, hand done detail work on both top and bottom of the shells make them powerful art pieces to be enjoyed and viewed from either side.
Amy Kahn Russell Jewelry
Amy Kahn Russell was the forerunner in the naturalistic trend in jewelry design. Her distinctive pieces incorporate fossils, natural minerals, pearls, and semi-precious stones with sterling silver. Amy painstakingly designs every piece herself, often using rare and unusual materials which make duplication impossible.
Many of the rocks and minerals she uses are not only mined just for her, but also cut for her specific design requirements. Amy's designer pieces are exhibited in many museums, among them the Smithsonian, the Museum of Natural History, and the Asia Society. Collectors of Amy Kahn Russell include Madonna, Halle Berry, and Mary McFadden.
Amy Kahn Russell lives and works in Connecticut.
Swarovski Crystal and Venetian Glass Jewelry
Handcrafted Rialto Venetian Glass Set Venetian glass beads and Swarovski crystals are among the most coveted materials in necklaces, bracelets, and earrings on display at The Nautical Rooster in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. All jewelry featured here is hypo-allergenic. Only sterling silver or 24k gold-plated sterling silver is used. All pieces are completely nickel-free.
Nautical Jewelry
Our collection of nautical jewelry is made for us in the U.S. by one of the most talented designers we've ever found. Working with only the finest sterling silver, freshwater pearls, gemstones, vintage artifacts, and brass, our designer creates some of the most compelling creations we've come across in years.
Needlepoint Shoes
All needlepoint shoes, ballet flats, and slides on this page ship for a flat $5.00 charge anywhere in the continental 48 states. (Multiple pairs sent to the same address will ship for a flat $6.00 for the entire order.) There is no sales tax for orders shipped outside the state of Maine.
Prefer mules to shoes? You can order our needlepoint mules (backless shoes) in any of our shoe patterns. Just email us (go to the Contact Us page) with your shoe size, and we will contact you with price and availability.
Monogramming is also available. Please contact us if you are interested in details.
Come to Boothbay Harbor next summer and visit us on Commercial Street between the Tugboat Inn and The Boothbay Harbor Shipyard. There you'll find our cottage on the water, a destination for lovely gifts, unusual home decor, a vast array of garden treasures, and some of the most incredible jewelry to be found anywhere.
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