Last fall, I began my second online shop, Wide Sarcasm Sea, full of excitement but faced with a dilemma- how to explain the connection between my Three By Sea and Wide Sarcasm Sea shops given their seemingly opposing themes? It appeared Three By Sea and I were experiencing an identity crisis.

After much thought, it finally dawned on me. I wasn't interested in aligning myself with a particular creative movement, aesthetic, or locale. In looking at both shops and this blog's archives, I realized ultimately I was promoting a belief system (minus the Kool-Aid or vitamin supplements).

A belief system where life and home are made simpler and bullshit is kept to a minimum. Where humor and happiness are embraced and shared with others. A belief system that recognizes that relaxation, while challenging to achieve at times, is crucial to one's quality of life.

These beliefs define the life I strive to create and shape my design aesthetic, the products I create, and what I blog about. They also what led me to create the following manifesto (a statement of intentions and principles) for Three By Sea:

Three By Sea
believes in life made
simple, happy, and relaxed,
damn it!

A Simple Life-

Unclutter your surroundings, unclutter your mind.

Work smarter, not harder, genius.

Embrace products and items that can serve multiple purposes.
(Think baking soda for cooking and cleaning, dish towels as placemats, greeting cards framed as wall art, etc.)

Follow William Morris' golden rule for design-
"Have nothing in your houses which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

Remember Occam's Razor, the principle that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In other words, K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

A Happy Life.

Lighten up and laugh more, especially at yourself.

Help others lighten up and laugh more, especially at themselves.

Find the humor when life craps on your front lawn.

Be honest about the things that make you happy and make time to enjoy them.

Change a crappy mood into a happy attitude by doing good deeds.

Be true to you and offer up a big "F*** you" to those who try to discourage you.

A Relaxed Life.

Breathe deep. In with the happy...out with the crappy...

Find a happy place outdoors and visit it often.

Make your home a haven.

Pay attention to your feet. If your feet are comfortable, chances are, so is the rest of you.

Get pissed, but don't stay pissed. Find outlets to let it out and let it go...

Embrace a variey of methods for stress relief.
Yoga, wine, and the dropping of f-bombs all have their time and place.

And there it is, folks. I may tweak or add to this manifesto over time, but I hope I've clarified what Three By Sea's intentions are. Expect a continuation of goods designed for a simple, happy and relaxed life and home. As for this blog, watch for more ideas, photos, stories and products that reflect the principles and beliefs behind Three By Sea.

And now I'm off to recategorize the old posts!

Questions? Comments? Opinions?
I'd love to hear from you and look forward to sharing more with you in the future!

Keep it simple, happy & relaxed, damn it!
Nicole