I wish I could find the "before" photo of this little coat rack. I bought it in the clearance section after Christmas for $.75- it was white with 4 large plastic snowmen on it (one over each hook). I pried them off, filled and sanded the holes they left behind and then added a little mosaic of sea glass, sand dollars and starfish. It now lives in my (very green) bathroom helping to make the green a bit more bearable until I can get around to toning it down some!
Took me a Sunday afternoon football game to go from before to after. :)
Showing posts with label beach glass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beach glass. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Rings and things
A few more pieces I made this week...
green jellybean sea glass ring
green sea glass pendant (I cut out the backing to let light shine through)
white ark shell earrings to match the pendant from the other day
pecten shell pendant
green jellybean sea glass ring
green sea glass pendant (I cut out the backing to let light shine through)
white ark shell earrings to match the pendant from the other day
pecten shell pendant
Monday, June 1, 2009
Summer Sea Glass Heads to Maryland!
Just a sampling of the new pieces I've made up for Maggie- she'll be selling these at a terrific shop in Bowie, MD called Fabian House... wish us luck with our new little collaborative!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Narragansett Schools Beach Blanket Bidding!
The Narragansett, RI Schools PTO is having their giant auction- Beach Blanket Bidding on May 29, 2009.
My donation to the auction is this cobalt blue and kelly green sea glass necklace set in sterling silver.
From the site:
With the help our our sponsors, we can enrich the lives of our students and bring the community together for this gala event on Friday, May 29, 2009 at the Dunes Club. With a silent and live auction, dinner and dancing, and the ocean view, this Auction is going to be spectacular!
Tickets to the auction sold out in two weeks, but there are dozens and dozens of terrific local merchants who have donated time, materials and auction items, browse through and check them out!
Friday, May 8, 2009
365 Ahteest Update Via Photo Mosaic
I took a bunch of photos of new pieces today, thought a new photo mosaic was in order! (And I have since realized I forgot to take photos of all the new earrings I made, so I'll have to do another bunch of photos next week!)
Happy viewing and happy weekend everyone!
-Tara
Happy viewing and happy weekend everyone!
-Tara
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Happy Birthday Maggie!
It was a long time coming, but I finally finished it and Maggie received it in the mail today.
A tiny piece of cobalt blue sea glass is bezel set in sterling silver which I cut, stamped and oxidized. It reads "Inspire Art Create"
Happy birthday, my dear friend! :)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Mother of the Bride Sea Glass Jewelry Set
Haven't posted in a while, thought I would share a little of what I've been up to- more pictures soon, I promise!
Made for a local client; mother of a bride. The wedding is being held at the Mystic Aquarium and has an ocean theme. Genuine coke bottle green sea glass and sterling silver wire wrap. Glass picked locally off Scarborough Beach, Narragansett, RI.
Her dress is from Coldwater Creek and can be found here.
Monday, January 12, 2009
A Sea Glasser's Passion
Okay, I admit, I have a bit of an obsession. Sea glass, to me, is more beautiful than any precious gem in the world. I see the stunning photographs taken by other collectors and artists and I drool. The rainbow of colors, the way the frostiness sparkles when the sunlight hits it... the amazing discoveries people make- from bottle stoppers to children's marbles, hand painted pottery shards and old electrical insulators, what might this have been at one point in history- what will I turn it into now that I've found it?
The winter months are difficult for me, I am perpetually cold and suffer from seasonal affect disorder. I need the warmth of the sun and the smell of the ocean; when I don't get it, I see myself start to shut down. I hibernate and my work is less inspired and less frequent. This weekend, as yet another winter storm approached, I decided it had been long enough. I was in extreme withdrawal and had to get a fix. So, I bundled up the kiddos and headed for the beach.
The sun was surprisingly strong and the wind was mild- the tide was -3 and the beach was scattered with rocks and glass- perfect! We walked and searched for about 20 minutes, covering maybe 200 yards until their little noses were frozen, their cheeks bright red. We called it a day and went home with only a few shiny treasures in our pockets to show for our efforts.
Back at home, rinsing off our finds, the smell of the ocean hits me and I can't stop thinking about it- tomorrow is Saturday, Ed will be home to watch the kids, I'm going to see if I can get some "me time"! Fortunately, I have a wonderful husband who understands my passion and shares the feeling of tranquility that hours of wandering on the beach in search of hidden jewels can provide. "Go, honey. Have fun." he tells me. God, I love that man!
The tide is not so low this day but the rock piles are plentiful and the few combers who are out braving the snow flurries are armed with metal detectors or dogs on leashes. I am optimistic! Within a few feet I find a starfish, frozen in the sand- I grab my baggie out of my coat pocket and toss it in, another few feet and I find a frosty green bottle neck! I wander around with my head down, glancing up only periodically to check my position in relation to my starting point and to other people.
My mind lets go of all it's stressors- there are no bills here, no fighting kids, no dirty dishes. I don't feel the cold because the sun is shining down despite the tiny swirling snowflakes that are surrounding me. In my head I design pendants and fantasize about decorating the new home we'll soon buy with all of my finds. My bag is filling up quickly with frosted goodies, sea life and driftwood.
As the afternoon light starts to fade and the beach becomes empty I glance at my phone to check the time and decide to hit one more section of stones before I turn back towards the car. I pop my phone back into my pocket and resume scanning the ground in front of me. It's getting colder, I can feel my joints aching and I repeat to myself "one more good piece, not until I find one more good piece".
I am approaching the end of the stones, the sand is smooth and untouched in front of me. I start to turn around and as I do, I spot a tiny speck of blue peeking out- oh my gosh, oh my gosh, my heart is pounding, bend over, grab it quick! (As though there were someone else racing to beat me to it.) A flawless piece of cobalt blue! I am ecstatic! Blue is not found very often in southern RI, I myself have probably only come across a handful of pieces in all my years of hunting.
I take off my gloves and inspect it- totally smooth, frosty and round, it feels like heaven in my hands. Okay, I am satisfied now, I can head home. I clench the glass tightly in my fist and begin my long trek back to the parking lot; daydreaming about what this gem in my hand will become now that it's mine and wondering when next I'll be able to escape for another day at the beach.
The winter months are difficult for me, I am perpetually cold and suffer from seasonal affect disorder. I need the warmth of the sun and the smell of the ocean; when I don't get it, I see myself start to shut down. I hibernate and my work is less inspired and less frequent. This weekend, as yet another winter storm approached, I decided it had been long enough. I was in extreme withdrawal and had to get a fix. So, I bundled up the kiddos and headed for the beach.
The sun was surprisingly strong and the wind was mild- the tide was -3 and the beach was scattered with rocks and glass- perfect! We walked and searched for about 20 minutes, covering maybe 200 yards until their little noses were frozen, their cheeks bright red. We called it a day and went home with only a few shiny treasures in our pockets to show for our efforts.
Back at home, rinsing off our finds, the smell of the ocean hits me and I can't stop thinking about it- tomorrow is Saturday, Ed will be home to watch the kids, I'm going to see if I can get some "me time"! Fortunately, I have a wonderful husband who understands my passion and shares the feeling of tranquility that hours of wandering on the beach in search of hidden jewels can provide. "Go, honey. Have fun." he tells me. God, I love that man!
The tide is not so low this day but the rock piles are plentiful and the few combers who are out braving the snow flurries are armed with metal detectors or dogs on leashes. I am optimistic! Within a few feet I find a starfish, frozen in the sand- I grab my baggie out of my coat pocket and toss it in, another few feet and I find a frosty green bottle neck! I wander around with my head down, glancing up only periodically to check my position in relation to my starting point and to other people.
My mind lets go of all it's stressors- there are no bills here, no fighting kids, no dirty dishes. I don't feel the cold because the sun is shining down despite the tiny swirling snowflakes that are surrounding me. In my head I design pendants and fantasize about decorating the new home we'll soon buy with all of my finds. My bag is filling up quickly with frosted goodies, sea life and driftwood.
As the afternoon light starts to fade and the beach becomes empty I glance at my phone to check the time and decide to hit one more section of stones before I turn back towards the car. I pop my phone back into my pocket and resume scanning the ground in front of me. It's getting colder, I can feel my joints aching and I repeat to myself "one more good piece, not until I find one more good piece".
I am approaching the end of the stones, the sand is smooth and untouched in front of me. I start to turn around and as I do, I spot a tiny speck of blue peeking out- oh my gosh, oh my gosh, my heart is pounding, bend over, grab it quick! (As though there were someone else racing to beat me to it.) A flawless piece of cobalt blue! I am ecstatic! Blue is not found very often in southern RI, I myself have probably only come across a handful of pieces in all my years of hunting.
I take off my gloves and inspect it- totally smooth, frosty and round, it feels like heaven in my hands. Okay, I am satisfied now, I can head home. I clench the glass tightly in my fist and begin my long trek back to the parking lot; daydreaming about what this gem in my hand will become now that it's mine and wondering when next I'll be able to escape for another day at the beach.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
My rings are now for sale!
I really didn't want this blog to turn into shameless self promotion- I mean it's great that we make stuff to sell, but I want to talk about stuff that we work on for improving our businesses as well. I guess it only makes sense, though, that sometimes those things cross paths.
Today I spent some time working on my website and I created two new listings for custom sea glass rings. I thought it made sense to do it this way so that I don't make a truly fabulous ring in a size 5 only to wind up with a customer who loves it but wears a size 8. The rings will come in two styles- a larger, chunkier cocktail style ring and a smaller, more classic style ring.
Customers can email me with special requests, they will have their choice of 8 different sea glass colors and metal finish. Whole and half sizes are also offered.
Shop now through January 31st, 2009 and save 10% off your purchase! Enter code: Handmade08 at checkout.
I am excited to finally be able to bring these rings to the public, I hope people love them as much as I do!
Today I spent some time working on my website and I created two new listings for custom sea glass rings. I thought it made sense to do it this way so that I don't make a truly fabulous ring in a size 5 only to wind up with a customer who loves it but wears a size 8. The rings will come in two styles- a larger, chunkier cocktail style ring and a smaller, more classic style ring.
Customers can email me with special requests, they will have their choice of 8 different sea glass colors and metal finish. Whole and half sizes are also offered.
Shop now through January 31st, 2009 and save 10% off your purchase! Enter code: Handmade08 at checkout.
I am excited to finally be able to bring these rings to the public, I hope people love them as much as I do!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Something purty to ooh and ahh over...
Once I found the piece of yellow glass that I blogged about the other day, I committed myself to making time to wrap it into a pendant. I thought it was going to be a pain because there is an odd curved lip on the backside and the piece is really thin, but it proved to be any easy task. I guess when something's meant to be, it works itself out! This is my new favorite piece and is going up for sale in my Etsy shop tonight!
Friday, August 29, 2008
My first genuine yellow sea glass piece!
I found this gorgeous butterscotch yellow piece in Jamestown the other day- my husband had the day off from work and we decided to take advantage of a private beach we have access to and go looking for sea glass. It's the first piece of yellow I've ever come across. Aparently they are extremely rare, occuring about once in every 3000 pieces. Yellow glass was mainly used for decorative household dishware so not generally discarded bt the waterside.
I've been selling off some pieces of sea glass and pottery on eBay, but this one is just too good to pass up! I get so "blah" about making jewelry sometimes, nothing inspires me. When I saw this one and realized it was actually yellow and not just dirty, I was ecstatic! Now I just need to carve some time into my busy schedule so that this can become a pendant very soon!
-Tara
I've been selling off some pieces of sea glass and pottery on eBay, but this one is just too good to pass up! I get so "blah" about making jewelry sometimes, nothing inspires me. When I saw this one and realized it was actually yellow and not just dirty, I was ecstatic! Now I just need to carve some time into my busy schedule so that this can become a pendant very soon!
-Tara
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