Tips for a Tuesday ^_^

Photo courtesy of Diane Guthrie Davis, local photographer

You can find her prints for sale at Beach Reflections, LLC

Good Morning and so HAPPY you came by for a visit. I love when you visit and really, really love when ya leave me some comment love. (please leave me an email addy so that I can reply to you....I always, always reply when I know how to reach you. I really don't care for the noreply-comment blogger because well....I can't reply back)

See all the pretty seashells and the awesome seastar? My friend Diane Guthrie Davis's treasure she found on one of her beach walks here lately. I look at her photos and just drool sometimes....hehe!! Ya'll know that I do my fair share of shell hunting too so I can't complain but I can DROOL!!!

I wanted to share some tips today about finding and cleaning the treasures Mother Nature tosses up on shore or at least close to shore. Yes, yes....sometimes ya have to wade out in that water to get the big ones. The water won't feel cold for long....I promise. I can make that promise too because I have learned from experience that either (a) you get use to the temp fairly fast or (b) your feet get so numb ya just can't feel the cold. I ummmmm think with this time of year it is probably (b) but HEY....some sacrifice has to be made for the shells. Our beaches aren't the most shell inhabited but we do have them and they are true treasures.

Tip on finding shells: Of course you can walk down the shore and find shells here and there. Make sure you keep an eye out in the water too because sometimes you may get lucky and see one of the bigger ones that just won't roll all the way up onto the sand. Just please PLEASE make sure you check the big shells to make sure you aren't taking something's home. We have land crabs and we also have water crabs that make the big shells homes and we don't want to harm any living creature....now do we?  If one is inhabited then just place it back in the water and walk on by with a silent good bye.  If you are one of the lucky ones and find a sand dollar, please make sure it's not still alive. It's very easy to tell...they will look fuzzy...not grey or white. If they are fuzzy then place them back in the water with the slight hump facing up. Sand dollars are part of the sea urchin family and are actual living creatures.

Living sand dollar (see the fuzzy edges?)

 If you find a starfish or seastar...same rule applies. When you turn them over their tiny little hair like legs will just be a going. If in doubt do like me....don't take it unless it's all dried out. Respect LIFE in all creatures!!  Now once you have roamed the shore for awhile it's time to look for some hidden treasures. Oh yes me matey, there be hidden treasure just a waitin for ye to find her. HEHE...love pirate talk!!  You don't need much in the way of tools either....we use a big spoon and one of the little sifters that comes with a kiddo beach bucket set and of course a bucket to carry our booty in. Argg argg arggg!!!! The best place to dig is where the shore has been built up by the dredging being deposited there. What's dredging? It's where the State of Alabama after hurricanes and tropical storms washed away the shore....pulls sand from the bottom of the ocean and puts it up on shore. What lies on the bottom of the ocean out from shore and can get caught up in the dredging pipes? Shells!!!
All it takes to find shells here is simply to start digging and sifting. I have found some whole and beautiful shells doing this. They may not be big shells, remember they have to have been able to fit in those pipes but they make for beautiful memory keepsakes.

You can also sometimes just sit down close to where the tide comes in and out (in the dry sand back aways) and start digging and sifting to find some too. Sifting is the key word here and go slow so that you don't miss one. Ohhhh, and be careful because we have one grumpy inhabitant that makes the sand his home and that really does NOT like to be disturbed and WILL stand his ground. Again, I'm speaking from experience. I didn't think we would be able to get away from this lil guy we definitely disturbed one Sunday afternoon while shell hunting at Ft Morgan. ^_^

See the little indents on either side? He was trying to watch me and the Chazman..hehe

Ohhhh....do NOT dig in the dunes. It's bad for the beach environment and will get you into some BIG trouble. Also, once you have finished digging and sifting, please cover what hole you made so that someone that comes walking by later won't step into it and hurt themselves. Ohhh and don't take bags of sand either, that's against the law. I promise once you get home, you will have some sand to use that was inside your shells. Speaking of bags....we always take a few with us so that we can pick up any trash we find on our hunts. The beach is a beautiful place, full of nature and we want to keep it that way.

Tips on cleaning shells: Now I think all of us have our own way to clean our treasures so of course this is just how I do it. After I get home, I take a piece of newspaper and lay it out. Then I take each shell and give it a good shake or two. This is a great way to gather sand. Ya'll know I love to use sand in the little glass vials with my jewelry pieces and this is how I get it. Once I'm sure I have most of the sand out, I place the shells in warm soapy water. Let them sit for about an hour...take them out and rinse. Then I place them in a small rubbermaid container that is filled with part water and water bleach. Let them soak for at least a couple of hours. Take them out and put them back in a soapy bath, rinse and lay out to dry. I do the second soapy bath because I do NOT like how bleach smells. Ewwwww!! If you want to give your shells a natural shine you can polish them with mineral oil. I know some use baby oil but I wouldn't. Yes, yes baby oil smells so good but believe me....after a few years....it's PEEUUU time again. (the baby oil eventually breaks down and loses that sweet smell) If you want them to keep a shiny "wet" look then you can paint them with shellac or even clear nail polish. I like to just keep the ones I find natural.

Now that you have some tips...go on a shell hunt. It's relaxing, fun and gives you some wonderful memories to keep in your heart and a pretty glass bowl to sit on the table.

Until next time..............Hugs,
Regi

Mermaid muse is a dancin!!!!!

Good Morning!! I hope that the day started off great for YOU. Each morning that  I wake up then my morning definitely starts out great. HEY...I'm getting old. ^_^

I didn't get to post yesterday because I was busy working on some necklaces and ummmm well, I ummmm, kinda started reading a new book and well ummmm couldn't put it down..hehe!! I love to read but that's not what this post is about.  It's about showing you the necklaces I made. (with my mermaid muse happily dancin about)

Pretty, yes? It's a scallop shell found on one of our beach walks in Gulf Shores. Well, ok, it's actually two scallop shells found on the beach walk in Gulf Shores..HA!! The bigger one, I just fell in love with the colors that Mother Nature herself gave it. The deep red or rust and the light and dark gray...so pretty. Since it was a tad bit broken I decided to place a small scallop on top of it...with the same beautiful colors. It's attached to 26 inch hemp rope with a Tibetan charm holder with silver twisted wire running through the shell. Mother Nature placed those holes in just the perfect place, eh? It has a circle and bar closure.

This one I made using one of my broken moon shells found on a walk at Fort Morgan. It's attached to a 24 inch hemp rope on a Tibetan charm holder with silver twisted wire and hemp rope. Another one painted by Mother Nature. She so has the eye!!

Here's one of the olive shells that washes up already polish to perfection. (found at Gulf Shores) It's on a 24 inch hemp rope that has a barrel clasp closure. It's attached with hemp rope to a Tibetan charm holder and has a silver Tibetan turtle charm attached as well. This olive shell is a tad bit, I mean just a smidgen over 2 inches.

I think today I'm going to make a few pretty hair barrettes with some of the scallop shells. They are just so pretty and well....I think would look even prettier placed in someones hair. I mean, mermaids can't have all the lovely shells for just their hair.

Until next time............Hugs,
Regi

Arrrggg..me hearties, tis anuther shipwreck!!!

What a great weekend....two walks on the beach. I'm so happy happy, oh yes I am!!! Of course, I'm paying for it dearly today too as my knee is so swollen I can hardly bend it. Dang it all.....hate to be getting old..hehe

Yesterday we went down to Fort Morgan. We love to go there because it's part of the Bon Secour National wildlife reserve. I love the name Bon Secour....just rolls off your tongue.....the reason I really like it is because in French it means "safe harbor" and that's exactly what it is. It's an ecosystem which serves as a refuge for endangered and threatened plant, fish and other wildlife species. It's also a hot spot habitat for our migratory birds ranging from our ospreys, herons and seven species of hummingbirds. One of our endangered species that lives among the sand dunes and sea oats is a cute lil fella called the Alabama beach mouse. They are small and very, very FAST. I have seen them but have never been able to get a picture of one because as soon as I get my camera up and ready.....it's gone!! Another endangered species that loves the shoreline along the reserve are the green, loggerhead and Kemp's Ridley sea turtles. So much wildlife living in one area that we are so blessed to be able to glimpse into.

Would ya just look at those big bird feet tracks? 

HEHE...there's the big bird they belong to too. Wonder if this is Hank?

I'm sure you're asking how in the world can we even get close enough to glimpse into it....well....the area that we can not walk in is posted and as far as I know....everyone abides by just the signs. We are allowed to walk on the beach and oh my, what a stretch of beautiful almost uninhabited beach it is. (most of the time)

One of our local photojournalist, Michelle Carroll Stancil was at Fort Morgan about 21 hours ago and captured some amazing shots of a new shipwreck that Mother Nature has uncovered after so many lost years. The Islander one of our local papers (online version) did an article on it which includes Michelle's photos and just what this mystery ship may be. If history and shipwrecks interest you, please take the time to read.

I posted the above so that if you did go and read (YOU did, didn't you? hehe) that you will see just how fast Mother Nature can reclaim a treasure. These are some of the shots I took yesterday on our visit there. No where near as good as Michelle's but I try with my lil camera. ^_^

Amazing what a day can do at the beach, eh? It was a beautiful day even if it wasn't a full sunny day. The sun was peeping out here and there and it reminded me of something my grandmother use to say, "The angels were sweeping and the gates were open".

I was hoping to find a whole bunch of shells too since not many folks wonder up and down this beach. I found a few of the big broken shells that look like angel wings to me and I'm thinking about painting a few with what I see.

We walked for about an hour and then drove over to where the ferry picks up folks to take them over to  Dauphin Island. The ferry was closed but we love to sit and watch the pelicans and sometimes the dolphins playing in the bay. No dolphins yesterday but there were some pelicans sitting on the pier post apparently doing the same thing we were.....just relaxing and enjoying the view.

We sat for about 30 minutes (hoping to see the dolphins) and on our way back up the short trail we discovered a cute little creature eating his dinner. Oh yes, we kept our distance!!!

It was a great afternoon spent together doing something we all love. I hope that you had a wonderful weekend and I would love to hear all about it.

Until next time............Hugs,
Regi

Moon Shell, augure shells, lace murex and more!!

As I was sitting and looking at my newest mermaid ooaks, I decided that she needed more of a base. The shell she is trying to wiggle out from sitting in was found on one of our beach walks on west beach in Gulf Shores. I found several pretty shells that day and decided that I wanted to use them with this piece as well as some of the sand from there too. (brought the sand home quite by accident...it had hitched a ride inside a few shells..hehe) I think it added to Char by tweaking her base. What do YOU think?

She of course, as I told ya'll in yesterday's post, is sitting in a fighting conch shell. Some of the other shells surrounding her are a olive shell, moon shell, auger shell, lace murex, scallop, two broken pieces of a whelk shell and sand from the walk. I think she looks perfect now.

I'm gifting this to a friend that just happens to live on West beach. I think she will be excited to add her to her growing shell collection displayed on several bookshelves in her beach house. I made a little book of Char's story and a certificate of authenticity so she can always remember where this ooaks came from.

Thank you for stopping by and please...come again real soon and until next time.............Hugs,

Regi

Saturday in the Sand!!

WOW...we had a great time yesterday. The weather was perfect....not humid...not to warm...not to cool. Like I said....perfect!!! It began with us having to go to my sister's house and let her doggies out for a bit and give all of their zoo some food, water and loving. (ok ok perhaps it's not as big as a zoo but they do have two doggies, one cat and two hamsters plus two tree frogs on the back porch..hehe) Boy..oh boy were they ever happy to see us. We gave some quick loving as we headed to the back door as they were happily doing the "WE NEED TO GO OUT" dance and the we are "SO GLAD TO SEE YA'LL" and will continue the loving when we come back in. Now Mr Rumtum (the cat) was suppose to be outside but he surprised me by stretching up on my pants leg and giving me a hug (claws and all) He got his loving, food and water and he was a purrrrfectly happy cat. The doggies came bouncing back in and got some quick loves, food and water and then decided they would eat later...they went bouncing and got in the Chazman's lap and became a loving puppy pile. You should have heard the giggles!!  Once they got finished showing their affection the Chazman got up and went to check on the hamsters. They were both fine and had plenty of water and food. One was in the kitchen sitting on the bar...well...ok SHE wasn't sitting on the bar..she was in her cage that was sitting on the bar..hehe. She kept wiggling her nose through the cage at us. The Chazman was petting her nose and then all of a sudden she decided to try him out. OH YES...she nipped him!! I don't think she meant to hurt him because she went running into her pile of fluff that makes her bed and peeked back out at us. She slowly walked back over and poked her nose out looking at the Chazman and chirping. We think she was saying how sorry she was but he just looked tastie and she just had to see if he was. LOL

After we finished giving loves we decided since we were right there at the beach that we would go and listen to Mother ocean for awhile. Nothing clears the mind like the gentle sounds of the waves hitting the beach or the smell of clean fresh salt air. Some of the local photographers have been taking awesome photos of a place called Little Lagoon pass so we decided to go find it and see just what it was all about. OMGOSH, we could have sat there for hours watching the pelicans sitting on a pipe going across the little pass and jumping in the water. It was so funny because they were actually jumping off in order. Kinda reminded me of the song "FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED" Bahahaha!!! After the last one had jumped off we walked under the bridge and went out on the beach. WOW...talk about finding hidden treasure...well...ok..it wasn't actually hidden because it was laying out on the beach..just waiting on US.

So many beautiful shells washed ashore. I love nothing more than walking the beach and seeing just what Mother Ocean has given to anyone that wants to have them.

Aren't spiral shells awesome? We found several broken ones (love them too)and then buried under some fan shells was a beautiful spiral not broken at all.

Fan shells are so amazing and we found six of them and only one had a small chip out of it. I love the little clear shells **l@@king around** they are really mermaid scales. Don't tell anyone though because we don't want to scare the mermaids away from our area. ^_^   I'm hoping to find enough of the scales shells to cover a mermaid tail.

After some time on the beach we did the normal Saturday stuff.....going to buy groceries and then coming home and piddling or resting for a bit. We had to go back and check on the zoo again in the late afternoon and on the way home we found this box with Christmas tree parts in it sitting by the side of the road. HEY...ya never know where ya might find a treasure. ^_^   It was an old Christmas tree that someone thought had done it's time. We saw a treasure to be restored and that still had some wonderful years to make someone smile.

The Chazman loves it and wanted it in his room. He said it was the most beautiful little tree in the world. With the exception of our tree in the family room of course. Good answer there!!! It is small but it fits perfectly in his room and it does make him smile.

Today we are just chillin and relaxing together as a family. The weather took a BIG time change as it's rainy, HUMID and just a blah day.  Ya know....this makes the perfect afternoon to take a nap. Yeah..that sounds good. Tomorrow and the next day and the NEXT day I will be working on those little WHODOO dolls so a nap might really be a good thing to do this afternoon. ^_^

Until next time............HUGS,
Regi