We Sell Seashells by the Sea Shore

Crafting with seashells adds beauty and interest to everyday items. Above is an example of how small and medium shells have transformed a vintage box into a sailor's valentine. The design was first laid out without gluing to allow for adjustments, then the shells were secured in place with all-purpose craft glue. Here's a side view:


Picture frames are also perfect for embellishing. Below, small and tiny shells were adhered right to the frame's glass -- we liked the look of the wooden frame and wanted to incorporate it into our finished look. Another option is, of course, to glue directly onto the frame itself.

We've recently added a large selection of natural and dyed shells to our etsy shop in various sizes and shapes:

New Scraps for 2010 Arrived Today from Germany

We've been anxiously awaiting the release of the new German scraps for 2010 and are excited to announce that we have them in hand as of today. They've been added to our site as well as listed in our etsy shop. As usual, they are so much more beautiful in person than in the photos with beautiful embossing and rich detail. Pictured are three of my absolute favorites.

Rebecca's Wedding Bouquet

We love seeing the beautiful creations our customers make with supplies from our shop and were completely blown away by how Rebecca used these flowers. She created her wedding bouquet using various sizes and shades of paper flowers and an elegant silver holder -- absolutely stunning!

She incorporated white star flowers, lemon yellow and aqua forget me nots, yellow marigolds and two kinds of yellow roses. Here's a closer look:

You can find all these paper blossoms and more in our etsy shop.


Thank you for sharing Rebecca and congratulations on your special day!

Vintage Style Cotton Stripe Tea Towels

I loved these iron-on transfers featuring burros.

A good hand towel is a kitchen staple around here so we were thrilled to find two vintage styles to add to our shop. Woven of pure cotton, they're reminiscent of the 1920/30s flour sack towels and are lovely to use as-is or can be printed on or embroidered.

I chose one of each color to keep for myself and plan on doing a bit of south-of-the-border inspired embroidery. Towels are ironed and images are transferred! Now for a little color selection and handwork.

You can find these tea towels in our etsy shop by clicking here.

Fresh out of the dryer and ready to be ironed.

Waiting for their images to be transferred.

Mosaic Monday

With Valentine's Day behind us, our thoughts have turned to Easter and springtime. We love vintage images on chromolithographed paper scraps from Germany and use them in cards, decorations and gifts. More of our favorites are here.

To see more mosaics please visit Mary over at Little Red House.

Mosaic Monday: Springtime Crafting

The calendar may still say winter, but we're getting in the mood for spring and busy filling our Etsy shop with all manner of colorful supplies. From hand made paper roses and forget me not flowers to spun cotton mushrooms from Germany and fancy ribbon trims in satins and velvets, we hope you'll find something that either sparks your creativity or fits right in with a project already underway.

To see more mosaics please visit Mary over at Little Red House.

Shadow Shot Sunday

We've had a seemingly endless stretch of storms here in Southern California: rain, hail, high winds, high surf, the works! Good for getting lots of work done, not so good for outdoor activities or shooting shadows. So... here is one of my favorite shots from last summer. My boyfriend and I like to switch off taking pictures of each other surfing. I shot this one of him in the golden afternoon light at the end of a long beach day many months ago.

Be sure to click below to check out all the other shadows over at Hey Harriet!

Shadow Shot Sunday

Last weekend I was inspecting my vine and how it's finally attaching itself to my wall (grow! grow little vine!) when I couldn't help but notice these palm shadows.

Be sure to click below to see more shadow shots over at Hey Harriet:

Shadow Shot Sunday

Christmastime brought a new waterproof camera, and weather in the 70s with minimal waves provided a perfect opportunity to try it out. That's me taking my turn stand up paddle surfing into the camera with the late afternoon sun casting a few shadows.

Be sure to click below to see more shadow shots:

Mosaic Monday

Christmas Day and the 26th my mom and I took advantage of the phenomenal weather with a walk along the beach and a local hike on trails through Torrey Pines State Park leading down to the beach. Here's a glimpse of what we saw, from left to right....

1. A view of the Pacific Ocean through the Torrey Pine trees.
2. Pretty seaweed at low tide.
3. Wispy clouds and backlit trees.
4. Recent rains have prompted a few wildflowers to bloom.
5. A building swell.
6. Two campers get into Christmas Day.
7. Hikers enjoying the perfect weather.
8. The lifeguards keep an eye on things from their beach-mobile.
9. Looking north.

Be sure to stop by Little Red House to enjoy all the wonderful mosaics!

Shadow Shot Sunday

This is actually a shadow shot of Golden West taking her shadow shot!

A Last Glimpse

Shadow Shot Sunday

Thomas likes to hide amongst the shadows and blend in with the porch railing for optimal hunting at the bird bath in the flower bed. We're pretty sure most of the birds know he's there and torment him on purpose, as his attempt-to-catch ratio isn't too high. He's not deterred though, and spends quite some time hunkered down in the sun half snoozing, half watching.

Poinsettia Polar Bears

These polar bears were made with 10,000 Ecke poinsettias and are two stories high. They're on display at The Palazzo in Las Vegas.

Shadow Shot Sunday

On the move! This beach squirrel lives in the rip rap lining the bluff and makes an appearance each time we're there. He's quite fearless and doesn't usually back down unless he gets a small treat. So far blueberries have been a big hit!