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When Heidi Blake first discovered her love for art in her early 20s she was living in Hampton, Va. She followed her passion and opened a store, selling coastal products and teaching art to the public.

Since then, she has gotten married to husband Ted, moved to New England and now finds herself drawn northeast North Carolina area to provide one-of-a-kind home décor, sea glass art and jewelry in Currituck.

Ted Blake is not a stranger to the craftsmen’s world, either. Born and raised in Cumberland County, he began building furniture when he was just 10 years old. “My first piece of furniture was a cabinet that I made for my mother out of oak,” recalls Ted, who prefers to work with oak.

“These days I’ve been working with reclaimed wood from old boat decking . . . I like the way the reclaimed wood adds a unique character to the project and sets off a patina-like finish,” said Ted.

The husband and wife team recently moved to coastal North Carolina with the plan to share their art with the community and visitors. The Blakes have opened a small studio and store named Coastal Creations, located at 2768 Caratoke Hwy. in Curratuck, and will welcome the public to preview and buy their creations during a soft opening on Saturday, October 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will be sensitive to the capacity in their small shop and ask visitors to be patient with them during the pandemic.

Heidi plans to open her studio to the public Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be available by appointment by calling 757-696-0340. Ted’s workshop, which sits next door to his wife’s store, is not open to the public, but his headboards, tables, frames and other wood creations will be available for sale through Heidi’s shop.

For now, Heidi has put her classes on hold due to COVID-19, but in the future, classes are planned for pebble art, candle making and other beach-themed topics.

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