Search This Blog

...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Finding new purpose...

The other day I went to gather my annual bunch of pussy willows at the beach.
There's nothing that says spring
like the tender, fluffy buds of the willow...
...soft, sleek little harbingers of warmer days to come...
 They found a home in a pretty teapot that never poured very well...
 ...a place to mull over seed catalogues and dream of the gardening year ahead...
Two other finds made my day.
The first was half of a scallop shell...
 ...ready to use as a pendant or maybe an accent on a bag someday...
 I wonder if you can tell the age by the layers of shell?
 The pearl like finish created by tumbling around in the ocean..
 How pretty the light is when shining through...
The second find was an empty sea urchin shell...
 It's not very often you find these in one piece around here...
 ...rough, rocky shores are not kind to these delicate works of art...
 ...this one is a small one, about the size of a large golf ball.
The larger ones are a delicacy in Asian markets (the inside meaty bits)...
I had seen this idea on Pinterest and was hoping to try it one day.
One empty sea urchin shell plus one air plant and a little bit of fishing line and..
 Presto!
other worldly jelly fish!
 Have you ever had an air plant?
They're super easy to care for and just as the name suggests,
they don't need soil...
 ...they take their nutrients from particles in the air. 
all you need to do is soak them or spray them with water once a week...
 It was a good day on the beach and the rain held off for a few hours of treasure hunting.
Today its been pouring all day...more day dreaming ahead in the forecast.

5 comments:

Acornmoon said...

Lovely finds, especially the shell. Hope you are enjoying the spring.

Unknown said...

I LOVE how the pussy willows, scallop shell, and sea urchin shell found new purposes! All are terrific finds! It is so cool how you used the sea urchin shell to create a "jellyfish." What a great idea!! Well done!

Megan Elizabeth said...

Oh! I was admiring a sea urchin air plant at the nursery last weekend! But they had hot-glued the plant to the urchin, which is unfortunate, as air plants also appreciate a good bath once a month.

What magical beach finds! I can imagine the seashell as a mermaid's necklace, for sure.

M.

Cobalt Violet said...

I've been wanting to get some air plants! I don't know where I would put them at this point though. My place is packed! (just got rid of a cabinet today to have more room around my easel! Anyway, they look great in the urchin shell. I love Pinterest!

Love pussy willows! As a little girl I had a comforter with with pussy willows that looked watercolored on. Went well with the wildlife posters on my walls. ;)

farmlady said...

Lovely post. I had forgotten about pussy willows. I love them. I will have to find some and bring them into the house. Maybe I can "borrow" some from a downtown home. I don't have any... but I'm sure someone would be willing to share with me.
The shell is beautiful. I found some like this on our last trip to the ocean. I want to make them into a necklace... and the air plant octopus is a great idea.. I love Pinterest.