Beach Bags

I have this whole conspiracy theory thing going on with car stickers. Call me crazy, but I’m a great believer that car stickers are the root cause of traffic jams. Because you can’t read all the indispensable words of wisdom printed on those car stickers if there are no traffic jams, right? So, what I think is that the manufacturers of these car stickers devise clever ways to create horrible traffic jams so that we could see the car stickers they make plastered on other vehicles. Now there’s something to think about.

Seriously though, car stickers are a form of identification. An odd little thing on your bumper that broadcasts to the world who you are with a few witty words, a logo or a very badly drawn cartoon. And for free spirits that roam the beaches of the world, here are some car stickers you may want to slap on your vehicle.

Surfing Impaired. Too old. Too fat. Don’t care.

Ah, the proud sand potato. Who would just bake (every pun intended) in the sun all day rather than, well, move.

Dog Beach. Ocean Beach, California… Because they can!

And quite frankly they should. But the reality of the situation is that most beaches in the United States are closing themselves up to our canine buddies. Not because they hate dogs or anything like that, but because there are a lot of irresponsible owners. So if you want an all-access beach, pick up after your pet. Keeping beaches poop-free, will keep it from being pet-free.

Wanna PLAY Me?

This rather provocatively suggestive message is tempered by the crappy cartoon it was paired with. Perfection.

I’d rather be at the beach!

All those in favor raise your surfboard.

Beach Babe.

Ladies, I know we’d all like to lay claim to this title. But the competition for this coveted beach bum title is fierce. So what do you do? Wear the skimpiest of bikinis, have your hair in a corn row like Bo Derek (if you’re not blonde, consider being one), get the most unique beach bags you could find, save the whales, pick up plastic bottles and plastic bags, surf, swim, pig out on beach grub, all while getting an even tan. Easy right?

Happiness is… a day at the beach!

Need I say anything more?

I LOVE SEA ANIMALS

And shouldn’t we all? Which is why we should always be conscious of how we dispose of things we bring into the beach such as plastic. Plastic is one of the top beach pollutants these days together with cigarette butts. And these could harm the animals who mistake it as food. Some of them can choke in plastic caps, or get tangled on floating plastic bags.

I am the Walrus!… and who are you?

Aside from being a very trippy The Beatles song, this is actually a very philosophically inclined car sticker. So the next time you go to the beach, try a few moments of introspection. After all the Walrus knows who he is, and so should you.

YES this journey is absolutely necessary.

You can take two routes with this car sticker message. One is the deep and profound route, in which you can say that this about self-discovery, about stepping out of your comfort zone, of challenging yourself. Second is the not so deep and profound route, in which it only means that you’ve grown so pale even Casper was scared of you and you need to go to the beach to get a tan.

One life. Live it.

Enough said.

A manifesto simply put is your personality in writing. Think about it as your Facebook profile in actual paragraphs with proper grammar and punctuations. It’s a declaration of who you are and what you are about. To better explain this, let’s take a look at some of the more interesting manifestos floating in the World Wide Web that won’t bring you into a snooze fest.

There’s the Cluetrain Manifesto which basically states in many pages that multi-million dollar companies shouldn’t dare pull a fast one on consumers, because one angry 140-character Tweet about your service or product can shut you down. But not all businesses are bad people, there are some like The Peanut Butter Manifesto by Yahoo! Who wants to make their company better to serve their customers better. And I saved the best for last, the motherload of all manifestos, Lady Gaga‘s Manifesto of Little Monsters as found in Gagapedia.

So in saying all that, I’ve been inspired to write a manifesto for fellow sun worshipers which I will dub as The Beach Bum Manifesto.

I will never be too cool for sunscreen. Because for one Will Ferrell isn’t and being burned to a crisp is just plain uncool. There are a lot of sunscreens you can choose from in the market but make sure to get SPF 15+ or higher as recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation to include in your essential beach accessories. And for new age girls who like their sunscreen straight from Mother Nature, you can read about a simple homemade sunscreen recipe here with most of the stuff you already have in your home, well, okay maybe except for titanium oxide powder.

I will have a passion for hydration. And I just don’t mean plunging into the ocean like you’re Aquaman or trying out every imaginable water sports out there. What I also mean is to keep at least one or two reusable water bottles filled with H20 in your beach bags when you hit the beach. A good rule of thumb is to drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day when you’re just being a vegetable in a swimsuit and more if you’re going to do sports activities. Remember that it’s better to be sun stoked than it is to have a sunstroke.

I will dress impeccable even with the little to nothing I have on. This is not an overreaction. You may just be going to the beach to pig out on beach grub but no law says you can’t pig out on beach grub in style right? Start with a good, nay, great swimsuit as a blank canvas for your beach accessories. Choose one that complements your body’s shape. Also take into consideration what you’re actually going to do at the beach when picking out a swimsuit. Because you don’t want to be wearing no bandeau top when you’re going to go surfing honey. It’s just a Janet Jackson Superbowl incident waiting to happen.

Next are beach accessories to complete your look. There are of course jewelry, which doesn’t necessarily have to be made of Puca shells or coconut husks. For example instead of going bare feet, put on a pair of barefoot sandals made from Swarovski crystals or other beach accessories which you can read about in a previous post. And since we’re on the topic of beach accessories, let me just add that hats are one of the best beach accessories anyone could have even though hats are the most underrated of beach accessories.

Lastly, the fun doesn’t stop at the beach and so does your fabulous self. Include beach cover ups in your beach accessories to make sure that when it’s time to take the party on land you’re still runway-ready. Most popular are tie-dyed wraps but there are a lot of options now which you can check out here.

I will be a vigilant beach bum. You’re a sun worshiper and the beach is your place of worship. So don’t just sit on your bum, pun intended, and do nothing. Simple things like reusing water bottles instead of writing love letters and throwing it into the ocean because you saw it in a movie and think it’s romantic. Let me tell you there is nothing romantic about dolphins or sea turtles choking on plastic bottles. Or cleaning up after your pet (read up on Beach Accessories for Your Dogs here) can do a lot to keep the beach a sacred place for you and other beach bums.

I will always be a happy beach bum. So put your favorite beach music on, sling on your fashionable beach bags, put on your beach accessories and let the beach bummage begin.

Before, there were the fashionistas, a group of glamourpuss decked in all designer items from haute couture dresses to fancy jewelry down to their glammed up beach bags. But now a new breed of fashion mavens have risen and took on the name of recessionistas, who are individuals who still manage to be stylish despite being on a tight budget.

And being a recessionista doesn’t have to stop in the city, take the recessionista attitude with you along at the beach. Follow these tips to make beach bags out of everyday items you have lying around your house to carry your beach accessories in style. Give it your magic touch and you’ll soon be turning heads at the beach in no time.

Photo by kellyhogaboom

Old Shirts

We all have shirts we haven’t worn in ages, so instead of letting them take valuable closet space, why not wear them a different way? Also if you have a lot of old shirts lying around, you can use two shirts to make the beach bags reversible in design. The larger the shirt the bigger space you’ll have for your beach accessories of course.

Photo by Indie Bands With a Mission

• Turn your shirt inside out and sew the hem together.
• Lay your old shirt on a flat surface and start cutting the sleeves off. Just follow the natural seams of the sleeves when cutting. After this step what you’ll have now is something that resembles a wifebeater or a sleeveless shirt.
• Cut off the neckline of your shirt into a low scoop. This will serve as the opening of your bag. You can sew in Velcro strips or buttons to make sure that your beach accessories stays inside your bag.
• Turn your shirt inside out and you’ve got your tote for you to put all your beach accessories.
• Try to combine shirts with interesting prints, colors and patterns for a more unique look.

Old Denim Pants

If you don’t fit in your old denim pants anymore, I’m sure all your beach accessories will. Whether your hard work at the gym has finally paid off or you’re just finally ready to let go of those 80s acid wash jeans you’ve been secretly hoping will come back in season, put your old denim pants to good use by turning them into a haven for your beach accessories.

• Lay your jeans on a flat surface and start cutting horizontally just below the zipper area. What you’ll end up with is something that looks like a mini skirt. Set the pants legs aside for later use.
• Turn your fabric inside out and start sewing the hem together. At this point if you want to add some fringes at the bottom of the bag or any decoration, do so by placing it along hem on the other side of the fabric.
• Take the pants’ legs and cut it to make handles. You can make it short to make it into a tote or long if you want a sling bag. Sew into the bag’s opening.
• Using the same steps you can also use old overalls. The straps will already serve as your handles.

Old Pillowcase

This is a no nonsense beach bag project and probably the easiest one thus far. Just take any old pillow cases or throw pillow cases put some handles and you’ve got yourself a finished product. But why not put a little spin to it by turning it into a drawstring beach bag for your beach accessories? Here’s how.

• Start by cutting the pillow case in half. If you’re using old throw pillow cases it’s best to just cut about two inches from the top. This is where you’ll place the string.
• Turn your pillowcase inside out and place a string, a ribbon or a rope depending on your preference along the edge of the opening. Fold the fabric over to cover the string and sew it close. Make sure to leave some slack of string so you can close your drawstring beach bag ensuring your beach accessories won’t be flying out everywhere the beach.

Are you losing the battle of getting your kids off the couch and outdoors? With the emergence of hi-tech indoor toys, the internet, video games and satellite TV, it’s becoming harder and harder for parents to get their kids to spend more time outdoors.

Studies show that kids 2 to 5-years old are tuned in to the TV for an average of 32 hours a week or more than five hours a day. While half of the kids’ population in the United States play video games for at least 6-hours in a week.

Photo: nimishgogri

Not only can this trend be linked to the growing cases of obesity in children, but also in their fast deteriorating use of their imagination. Curiosity has been curbed among kids that even schools are taking drastic actions in changing up their curriculum to include more time outdoors than just being inside the classroom.

As a parent, you can complement these efforts by taking your kids outdoors too. Taking your kids out for a day at the beach is a fun and exciting way to spend quality time with them as well as teach them the value of communing with nature.

Here are some tips on what beach accessories to bring and some activities you can do with your kids during a trip to the beach.

What to Beach Accessories to Bring

Just as mentioned on a previous post, pack your beach bags with essentials like water, sunblock and a first aid kit. But there are also some unique beach accessories you may want to bring with you on your trip such as hooded beach towels and UV protected swimsuits.

Suggested Beach Activities

Aqua Football. Take these soft aqua footballs from Life is Good® with neoprene covers. You can stage a football match at shore or in the water to raise the level of difficulty as well as fun.

RC Cars and Trucks. Feeling the need for speed? Why not bring some remote controlled cars or trucks and turn the beach into a racetrack. Just be careful not to run over any sunbathers.

A Game of Tag. Sometimes a simple game of tag can be the most fun activity you and your kids can do at the beach. It’s so refreshing to just run around and feel the sand between your toes and the fresh sea breeze on your face.

What goes well with a fierce attitude, great personality and a great tan? Beach accessories that’s what. The right beach accessories can make any outfit pop and make you stand out from the beach crowd.

And an easy way to achieve tropical glam is to accessorize through jewelry, and no I’m not just talking about puka shells strewn together here either. Beach jewelry has gone beyond shells and beads and stepped up to a high-fashion level with more new materials being used by jewelry designers like silver, gold and glass.

Photo by SuziJane

Here are some beach accessories to choose from to match your beach outfit.

Necklace
Necklaces for the seldom busy as you don’t want the piece to have too many moving parts to gather sand or have to many decor that could soak up water from the ocean. Usually it’s just a chain and pendant that ends right around the collar bone.

If that’s too simple for your taste of beach accessories, try layering a few necklaces together. Make sure to get necklaces of different lengths to get the desired effect.But if you’re after drama, just put on a statement piece like a chunky chain or a huge teardrop glass pendant on a long chain.

Bracelet
Go layer crazy with bracelets when you’re at the beach. Just like with necklaces, you can take different styles of bracelets and layer them together to create an almost cuff effect. Mix different designs and materials together. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

However, choose bracelets that don’t have too many charms or clasps as this could easily break especially when you go swimming or do sporty beach activities.

Earrings
Drop, hoop and dangling earrings best capture the island vibe, so make sure to have one handy inside your beach bags. Earrings of these designs are also a quick and easy way to glam up any outfit for an evening out at the beach. Just put on a simple beach cover up and throw in some large hoop earrings for your beach accessories and you’re ready to paint the beach red.

Barefoot Sandals
Forget anklets. Barefoot sandals are the new generation if not a better more glamorous version of anklets. These foot blings is mostly being used as one of the top beach accessories at beach destination weddings to give the ceremony a more dressed up feel. For such formal occasions it’s not unusually to see feet clad in Swarovski crystals.

Getting ready to hit the beach? I’m sure you’re already packing all the must-have beach accessories like your sunscreen, water and beach mats. But not all summer must-haves can fit in your beach bags.

Music has always been a part of our daily lives and psyching ourselves before going to the beach is no exception. Create a summer playlist you can take with you at the beach to get that perfect laidback summer vibe. Whether it’s classic, reggae or pop songs you want blasting from your headphones, put them in your music player and inside your beach bags here are a few songs to get you’re summer groove on.

Kokomo – Beach Boys
No summer playlist will be complete without this quintessential Beach Boys hit. Arguably the first band to give the surf rock genre a face and sound.  It was really tough having to choose one song from the same band that churned out hits like Surfin’ USA, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, and California Girls.
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Have you ever been to a place, so beautiful, so perfect that you can’t help but think that it’s just like in the movies? Well, don’t be starstruck too long. Continue your silver screen moments with beach bags inspired by popular TV series and movies.

BAYWATCH

Still can’t get Pamela Anderson or maybe David Hasselhoff running down the beach on their bright orange barely there swimwear out of your head? The ripped and beautiful lifeguards of the Los Angeles County Beach have at one point earned the title of ‘The Most Watched TV Show of All Time’ according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Beach bag: Sling Beach Bag

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Your swimsuit. Check. Your fave among your beach bags. Check. But how about your beach accessories?

Check out some beach accessories that you should always have from the essential to the fashionable before heading out to the beach.

SUNSCREEN

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.

According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, using sunscreen along with seeking shade, using cover ups, putting on hats and sunglasses are what complete a total sun protection regimen. When choosing a sunscreen, make sure to get an SPF 15+ or higher which is the universal standard for UV protection. Using an SPF 15+ sunscreen generally means you’re 15 times longer (about five hours) protected from the sun before turning as red as a lobster, against when you go without lathering on some sunscreen.

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Did you know that going out for a fun afternoon at the beach can significantly improve your relationship with your kids? Spending time outdoors with your children – away from the distraction of your work, away from the TV and most especially away from time-sucking gaming consoles – allows you to have the now becoming much more elusive quality time with them.

Photo by Poldavo (Alex)

By now you might be asking, ‘So how does a quality beach bags help me have more quality time with my kids?‘ Simple. If one of your quintessential beach accessories is a quality beach bag you’d be sure to have one less thing to worry about and just focus all your attention on enjoying quality time with your kids creating wonderful memories.

To make sure that you have beach bags of high quality, here are some things a discerning mom should consider:

Space. Let’s face it, it’ll be pretty hard for you to get your kids off of the couch and out of the house without bringing some of their favorite things and beach accessories with them. If your kids love to read allow them to bring some of their favorite books with them to the beach or if they’re active bring some super soakers and start running.

Also another feature to consider are pockets where you can put essential beach accessories such as water bottles, sunblock, and of course a first aid kit.

Multifunctionality. As mentioned in a previous post, quality beach bags can and should go beyond the beach just as your kids outdoor activities are not confined to just surf and sand. Find an easy trail near where you live and pack a picnic using an insulated beach bag. After a good hike up enjoy a sumptuous meal with your kids.

If you live in the city and there’s no trail near where you live, keep the sense of adventure going by throwing a treasure hunt activity and include all the other kids in the neighborhood. Give each team a canvas tote beach bag or a drawstring beach bag to put all the hidden treasures they find.

Budget-friendly. And that doesn’t mean cheap-looking nor so-last-season either. Like Roxy’s Freemont Bag ($22.40) and London Town Shopper Shoulder Bag from Topshop ($20.00) both under $30. Others are just $10.00 like J.Crew’s Reusable Canvas Tote which is artistically designed with whimsical drawings in the front.

If there is one reason why you should invest on beach bags of high quality this is it. Multifunctionality is a quality you should always look for when choosing a beach bag because not only does it save you closet space, it saves you a lot of money too. Your beach bag should be able to transition from your ultimate beach accessory to your chic everyday bag for you to get the most out of it.

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