Sea Glass Green

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Auction Day

Over the summer I worked on my sea shell collection,

putting them in categories, researching their names

and labeling jars.  It was a fun project!

Today there was a large fish bowl full of shells

and I got the winning bid for only $2.00!

I enjoyed pulling out shells when I got home, especially when

I was able to recognize them and say their names!

Better than that was pulling out shells that were new to me!

Many I recognized from my research, but didn't have any of my own!

My new favorites include ~

 Mexican Flat Scallops, as big as my palm

 teeny tiny star fish ~ can't believe they weren't broken!

  pieces of coral ~ really love this round piece that looks floral

Pearlized Turban ~ this is beautiful in person 

Babylon ~ has a leopard print

Candy Cane ~ had one of these as a child (long ago! ha). 

Indian Tibia ~ I'd never heard of this one

 and Gibbosa Olives ~ only had Lettered Olives before!

And as a real cool sign that the collection should grow,

this group of old jars came home with me, too!

OK, I'm off to wash the jars and

 make some new name tags!

♥

Sea Shell Display

Last month I spent about a week organizing my shell

collection.  I've collected shells since I was in grade

school!  I've never lived near the ocean, but we

took a few family vacations to the Atlantic Ocean

and I remember starting my collection during those

trips.  I bought a little postcard in a souvenir shop that

had pictures of shells with their names and a

little bag of shells stapled to the card.

I framed a mirror with hundreds of shells several years

ago and filled a shadow box with more, but the rest

have filled a jar or two and a big bowl on the coffee table.

The thing is, I seem to always find a bag of shells in the

auction trash!  haha...so my collection has grown to

be quite large over the last couple of years!

I thought it was time to be a more serious collector and

display them properly!  It took me about a week to

divided them according to type, researched their

names and display them in a better way with labels

and pretty containers on my shelves.

It was not only fun, but fascinating, too!

I loved learning the names from Sailor's Ear

to Kitten Paw...Cockle to Turkey Wing.

It also gave me something to do with the pretty vintage

 containers I've brought home from the auction trash.

See the sea horse?  I've had him since I was about 10 years old!

"Singing, Cockles and mussels, alive alive, oh...."

Did you sing that in grade school, too? :)

Now when I find a bag of old shells, I can easily

call them by name and put them in their proper jar.

So you see...girls in Ohio can have sea shells collections, too!

They can even know their semeles from their ceriths. ha.

And here's the kitten paws...just for Martha. :)

♥

Pedicure Party and Giveaway August 30, 2013

Well, here we are in the last month of summer!

I don't know about you, but my toes were in need of a fresh

pedicure!  I did something a little different that I saw on Pinterest

a few places, which was to add apple cider vinegar to your water

that you soak your feet in.  I was a little leery, but it did make

my feet soft, like it promised!  And I didn't smell like a pickle all

day like I thought I might! haha.

I bought myself a bottle of Impeccable Greys just like in the 

giveaway prize.  It's a little dark...almost black with three coats on,

but that's ok...it shows of my white hearts and polka dots 

better that way!  

And in case you've forgotten what the giveaway prize is, 

it's a package of pampering Burt's Bees products and

two Maybelline bottles of nail polish in pink and grey!

Yes, I will ship anywhere in the world, so feel free to join in!

 Just post a picture of your pedicure on your blog

and link up below so others can visit you!

And I do ask that you visit all the people that join the

party.  Getting to visit and meet each other is the whole point!

You have until midnight, Friday, August 30th to enter.

I've been working on a better way to organize and display

my expanding seashell collection all week.

I had to smile as I looked up the name of this type of

shell.  Mermaid Toenails!  They are thin, flat and round

and come in pale, shimmery colors.  Lovely!

And very timely and appropriate, given our party this week!

Winner of the giveaway will be announced over the weekend

so come back and check out who the lucky person is!

♥

A Sweet Little Gift

The Mister's niece came home to Ohio from where she now lives

on the Massachusetts coast.  She brought me this adorable

mug from The Spotted Cod gift shop. 

I thought it was perfect to hold some of my seashells on my desk

for the summer.  And I tucked in a hollow cardinal egg, too...

just because it looked so sweet!  

Thanks, Jen! 

xo

Lazy Thursday

I was so lazy today...just puttered around the house!  With the exception of two loads of laundry, I didn't do any housework!  My main priority was to manage the men, which basically means to make sure nobody leaves the kitchen faucet running, the refrigerator door open, wanders off our property, or burns the house down. lol  (you think I'm kidding, don't you!?)  The rest of the time was spent puttering around with my auction stuff and making a scrumptious dinner, which I'll share with you tomorrow. :)

• I washed up my antique mug and enjoyed my coffee in it!
• Remember me telling you that the pieces of china were resting in a box full of sea shells?  Well, this little glass was found down in the box...just like this.  Pretty purple striped pieces of shell...worn down by sand and the tide...just like sea glass!  Someone had made a pretty display from their collection.  They would make a pretty mosaic and I think I'll look for ideas to do something fun with them.  
•  While at the grocery I picked up a bag of tri-colored potatoes.  I'm thinking warm potato salad with a lemony garlic vinaigrette with bacon and fresh dill.  Yum.  A nice change from the typical mayo kind.
• A little research did confirm my huge porcelain pot is indeed most likely a chamber pot.  It's so big though, that it had to be a family size. ha. With that thought, I washed it with bleach and ran it through the dishwasher on the 'anti-bacterial' cycle. ha.  I'm thinking it will look beautiful sitting on top of my china cabinet.

• The box of shells had some really large ones in it!  The penny is there for a size reference.  Did I mention I have a shell collection?  It's always fun to add to it!
• I filled a large mixing bowl with some of them!
• The biggest surprise was the fact that two fragile sand dollars, which were wrapped in a tissue, were still in perfect condition at the bottom of the box!  After a day of auction bidders rummage through it...then the box being tossed on the 'trash' table..and them me sifting through it......not to mention the trip home from the initial vacation however many years ago....incredible really.  So pretty!
• There were plastic bags full of shells fresh from a walk on the ocean and this little card included which is from Magnetic Hill, New Brunswick, NJ.  I guess someone took a vacation there and when they got home, didn't ever unpack the shells!  Who knows how many years ago that was!  I was wishing they could talk and tell me how many decades they sat in a cellar or basement waiting to be discovered!

• This little waterproof-lined bag was full of shells.  It was stiff from dried salty ocean water.  A nice little collection spilled out.  I have to admit, I sifted carefully through all of this~  I just knew there was going to be some yucky dead spider or clam or whatever.  The only yucky thing was at the bottom of the box...a starfish that was obviously still soft and not dried out when the remaining stuff was laid on top.  I'll spare you the details. lol.  It was the only thing I didn't keep. ha.
• The pretty gold leaf two handled pot (is it called a waste pot? not to be confused with chamber pot. ha ha) became a pretty flower vase today.
• I think the teapot with the broken lid will be a flower vase, too.  Meanwhile, it will look pretty sitting with my white iron stone pitchers.  The teapot itself is in perfect condition.  I'm glad I rescued it from the trash. It looks pretty in my grey and white kitchen. :)
• And last but not least, a sneak peak at my freshly done pedicure for the party this coming Monday. :)  Don't forget to paint your finger nails...or toe nails...and join in on the 18th!  There's even a giveaway!  Check out my sidebar. 

I hope you had a lovely day!

Tomorrow will be full of housework to make up for the last two days!

♥

PIcking Through the Auction Trash

I worked an auction on Wednesday and looked through the discarded items left for the trash. No $80 Rowenta toasters this time, but I did bring home a few things.

1. A stack of old linens. I collect them! I need a fun idea on how to use them.
2. A glass pedestal cake stand. Always nice to have extras for my baking business.
3. A large conk shell, which I'll gladly add to my shell collection!
4. Two snowy bottle-brush trees.
5. A pretty antique plate.
6. Loved the plate, but it was the little tag on the back that I found most interesting. Aww! Didn't anyone want great grandma's old plate? Even it if was Bur's mothers? The family didn't and neither did the bidder that actually won and paid for it! Well, I wanted it and I'll give it a nice home! Whenever I use it, I'll think of Bur's mother. :)

♥

More Beautiful Shells

Slipper

Cup and Saucer Keyhole Limpet

South African Turban

~~~~

Here are some interesting shells

and like my previous shell posts,

their names just go along with the

way they look!

googleimages.com

Stars of Wonder

Brittle Star

Millipede

Basket Star

Cushion Star

Netted Star

Sugar Star

Sunflower Star

Here's another entry on shells and other

ocean life. Not all of these starfish are mine.

I have several cushion, sugar and netted starfish.

But the others are new to me! I have never

heard of or seen photographs of these other

interesting star fish. I gave you the names

with the pictures this time since some were

sure to stump you!

Decorating with Sea Shells

I have mentioned before that I've collected sea shells

since I was young. I remember the start of my collection

being a souvenir post card with a little cellophane

bag stapled to it that was full of tiny, pretty shells.

About 10 years ago I was flipping through one of those

home-decor mail order catalogues. I came across

a huge beautiful wall mirror that was framed in hundreds

of sea shells. It cost $350.00!

As I sat there drooling over it,

the thought occurred to me that I had an old mirror,

hundreds of shells....and a glue gun!

So I got my beautiful shell mirror with what I

already had here in my home!

I also have a large display bowl here on my coffee table

that holds some of my collection. It looks quite summery

but I enjoy it here all year long.

Since they are most beautiful when they are wet,

I put some of them in our aquarium.

That gives us the chance to enjoy them at their best. When I clean the aquarium, I change the shells. It gives the fish and us a fresh pretty thing to admire. :)

Name That Shell

I'm not quite ready to give up the

ocean theme, being so recently back

from my cruise!

A few weeks ago I listed some shell

pictures and their names, which was

fun since their names fit their likeness so well.

Here's a few more that are obvious, or

hopefully they are to you!

Aren't they beautiful?

They're names are Lettered Cone,

Turritella, Angel Wings, Cameo,

Chocolate Snail, and Sundial.

What's In A Name?

I love seashells and have collected them since I was young.

I especially like it when the name looks like the shell!

These shells pictured here are good examples of that.

I'm sure you won't have any trouble telling which are which!

Their names are Australian Trumpet, Green Cat's Eye,

Lion's Paw, Black Olive, Candy Snail and Sweet Violet.