Foggy Tide is a family of beachcombers who have spent years collecting seacandy and driftwood on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. They decided to share their treasures and create beach art for the outdoor lover and beach bums around the globe. Unique and created with love, Foggy Tide is happy to share the spirit of Cape Breton Island and Scotland with all those filled with awe and wonder for the sea.
Meghan MacLean is the mastermind behind Foggy Tide and puts her heart and soul into every piece of art she creates.
We are happy to have Meghan's creations in our boutique, so lovers of the sea and sand can bring a piece of the beach home with them.
1. Where are you from?
I'm from Florence, Cape Breton. I came back to Cape Breton five years ago from Scotland due to an illness in my family and ultimately ended up relocating back to where I started. This is where my workshop is located and where I create my Sea Glass Mobiles.
2. When and why did Foggy Tide start?
Foggy Tide started in my living room floor over two years ago sorting mounds of sea glass my husband and I had been collecting for years here in Cape Breton and in Aberdeen Scotland. I knew I had wanted to create with it but wasn't sure of the direction I was going to go in.
I had also started dragging driftwood and all found objects home from my beach combing excursions knowing they would have a purpose but still unsure what it was.
As a new mother I knew I wanted to create from home. I started with driftwood folk art and then one Sunday morning I stumbled across a website of the most amazing sea glass and driftwood mobile creations made in Hawaii. I contacted the lady behind the creations and we began to email. She was extremely encouraging but stopped short of telling me her techniques and how they were made. She explained in the most loving way that I would figure it out with trial & error if that was my path. So I taught myself my craft. I figured out my materials, and with trial and much error, perfected how to sew sea glass strands.
3. Where did the name "Foggy Tide" come from?
How the name came about isn't an exciting story! My husband and I were basically throwing Sea, Beach and Ocean related adjectives and nouns together back and forth...I put Foggy & Tide together and really liked it...that's it...Foggy Tide was born!! Pretty boring lol
4. What does your creation process look like?
My creation process can look like many things. A great piece of driftwood is like the perfect lipstick to an amazing outfit, so it can start there. I could be feeling a colour or be influenced by nature. My Mini Wave Wanderers started with some of my beach bum girlfriends wanting a Sea Glass Mobile for their cars. It's a balance of creating what I want and also creating what my clients want as well!
I'm also trying to create a feeling. I want the people who purchase my creations regardless of the size to feel that Ocean connection..That they can have that dreamy beach house wherever they are...and that it's tangible.. Feeling the wood, touching the glass, grounding yourself in nature. Closing your eyes knowing you're connected to the place you love.
5. Where do you find all of the materials to make your products?
My Sea Glass materials are 98% sourced from across Cape Breton Island and from the beaches surrounding Aberdeen Scotland where my husband is from and we resided. The odd time I will purchase rare colours from trusted sources abroad because I just can't resist a rare colour of glass. All of the driftwood used in my mobiles are from the shores, lakes and streams of our beautiful island.
6. Where is your favorite place to create? and what is your favorite item to create?
I really only create in one area, which is my workshop in my house. I need lots of space when I'm working. I love everything I create! The process is very tedious but the product is always worth the time! Working with glass means you're working with light, and for me, that gives it some kind of Beachy Magic. It always gives me butterflies when one is completed. Again, it's that connection to the ocean, my island.
7. What does creating your products mean to you?
I guess I answered this above. Firstly, it's my creative outlet. I've painted for years but my life changed and so have I...I changed my path. Being truly connected to nature and the ocean is very fulfilling for me as I create. I'm also on a yoga practice journey, a spiritual journey. These all are connected for me. My husband Stuart helps me with the wood for each Mobile. We've taken our son on beach combing missions since he was a baby, so it's about family connection as well.
8. What has been your greatest challenge and success?
My greatest challenge has been balance. Trying to achieve it as a stay at home mom and working from home at the same time. My son isn't in day care so life is super busy! I have a ton of support and wouldn't be able to achieve my dreams without it!
My biggest success is every mobile that connects with a person. Knowing my mobiles are popping up all over the world through the power of social media is an amazing feeling!
9. When you think of the future of Foggy Tide, what do you see? What's in store?
When this dream started to form in my head I decided to dream big. To see how far I could take this and not to limit myself. To believe in the dream and myself. La Quaintrelle carries my Mini Wave Mobiles and the Black Spoon Cafe has supported Foggy Tide and showcased my mobiles in their restaurant since the beginning. Monica & Mike Black have been very supportive.
This summer a few other locations with be carrying Foggy Tide Handcrafted Sea Glass Mobiles so I'm busy and excited about the future....anything is possible!
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