Sea Glass Designs

A Family Tree

2011-02-25T09:52:00.001-04:00

A sea glass family tree- see more in our new blog here.

Little Presents from the Sea

2010-12-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

Ah, December beach combing! Frozen fingers, wind burned cheeks and a dog covered in sticky burrs and bits of dry seaweed, but it was completely worth it. To read the rest of this post, please click to my new blog here

Christmas at the Forum

2010-11-04T10:45:00.000-03:00

Autumn

2010-10-13T23:12:00.000-03:00

We’ve just returned from a stay in Cape Breton, lots of rain (but enough sun for rainbows), lots of good food, and beautiful autumn colours. The leaves are at their peak during Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, a gorgeous sight in the Cape Breton Highlands. To see rest of post, please visit our new blog here.

Cape Cod visit

2010-09-21T10:04:00.000-03:00

We’ve just returned from a blissful (sans children) week in Cape Cod. Keith was there on business and I was along for the ride. We stayed in Buzzard’s Bay, so named because the early settlers mistook the larger sea birds for buzzards. Its funny to think your town was named by mistake To read the rest of the post, please visit our new blog at http://seaglassdesigns.com/2010/09/21/cape-cod-visit/

I Believe in Local

2010-08-09T13:20:00.000-03:00

Hooray for the opening of the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market on Saturday! It was a fabulous day, with a great turnout to celebrate the market’s first day at its new location. There were so many positive comments on the lovely open atmosphere. Finishing touches are still underway on the eco friendly building, which will be completely finished in the fall. Much of the building material was reclaimed, including timber from Hurricane Juan. To read the rest of the post, please visit our new location at www.seaglassdesigns.com

Beach Lovelies

2010-07-27T22:43:00.002-03:00

Our annual summer pilgrimage to Cape Breton.

Quiet beaches.

Bonfires.

Lobster three days in a row...

To see full post, please visit our new blog site at:

www.seaglassdesigns.com

Dear Thoughtful Dog Loving Stranger,

2010-07-25T19:56:00.000-03:00

Thank you for finding Shyloh's lost dog tags somewhere in downtown Dartmouth last week. Thank you for taking the time to read the tags and notice that they belonged to a well loved dog. Thank you for noting our address and spending your money and time to put them in the mail, addressed to Shyloh. Its the first time she has ever received mail :) She was very impressed. I wish you had included your name or a return address, so we could thank you properly, but this will have to do.

Love,
Rita and Shyloh

Grand Manan Island

2010-07-21T14:44:00.001-03:00

Grand Manan was absolutely beautiful. Part of New Brunswick, the island is located just off the tip of Maine, and is accessible by an hour and a half ferry ride. The hiking and scenery were stunning, and everyone was so laid back and friendly. Its almost like escaping to another world with a whole different set of rules. We asked the locals for a recommendation for dinner, which they were happy to provide, with the caution that we should call ahead first to make sure they would be open that night. I called, thinking I had reached the wrong number when an elderly lady answered the phone with a drawling "hello" and nothing else. "No dear, sorry, don't think we're going to be opening tonight." I want to live in a word where I decide whether my business will be open or not, depending on my life and whims. But I guess that wouldn't work so well in the city.

We stayed at The Compass Rose Bed and Breakfast, which was lovely. This is their dining room, where we started each morning with yougurt with fresh blueberries and strawberries, along with eggs, toast made from homemade bread, and local fresh jams. Yum.

And of course we scoured every beach on the island. There is plenty of sea glass, and much of it is quite old, but very little is finished to the point where it is suitable for jewelry. These are some of our best finds. The red piece is from a tail light of a vintage car. The large piece is pinwheel crystal, and although the camera hasn't captured it, it has a faint lavender hue.

Grand Manan photo courtesy of Grand Manan Island Arts

Nova Scotia Graffiti

2010-07-09T09:47:00.001-03:00

Country grafitti?

A well meaning mom who likes to tag?

The picture was taken in Black's Harbour, New Brunswick, this week. We had a great trip to Grand Manan Island, so beautiful, and made some really good sea glass finds, which I'll post in a few days.

Be a rebel and eat your beans.

Etsy Storque Feature

2010-07-02T10:03:00.000-03:00

I was excited to be featured in the etsy storque yesterday as they celebrated Canada Day by visiting earth friendly etsy sellers from across Canada! You can read the article by clicking the pic below:

Thank you to Jen from SewnNatural for putting this together :)

Sea Glass Wedding Rings

2010-06-28T15:00:00.000-03:00

A set of wedding rings for a local couple who are planning an earth friendly wedding in the fall. The bride chose the piece of sea glass, a lovely teal blue from Cape Breton. The groom opted for a wide silver band. The wedding bands will cover the Something old, something new, and something blue , they will just have the cover the something borrowed part, which shouldn't be too hard when a focus of the wedding is minimizing its environmental impact. Here's to happily ever after.

The Handmade in Canada Party

2010-06-24T08:00:00.003-03:00

Happy Canada Day!!!! The TransCanada Etsy team is hosting the Handmade in Canada Party, which runs from June 24-July 1. TWO great prizes are up for grabs.

First, is a handwoven rug crafted by team member, fiveforty. The rug is fashioned from recycled t-shirts, sent in by team members from all over the country. Simply make any purchase from team members' shops, and for every $10 spent (excluding shipping) you will earn a ballot for the draw.

The second prize is a very generous goodie bag. To win, find a hidden Canadian symbol in one of my shop listings. In the same listing, you will find a clue leading you to the next shop.

Please visit the team blog for full details on how to win and to see photos of the prizes: transcanadaetsyteam.blogspot.com/

Good luck everyone!!

Inspiration

2010-06-21T15:00:00.002-03:00

How do I get through winter? If there was a hibernation option, I would take it. I can't tell you how good it feels to be back on the beaches, warm sun on my skin, hair whipping about my face, icey cold saltwater on my toes.

And sea glass hunting. Spring is always the best time, gathering the baubles that winter storms have laid bare. My kitchen counter is spread with my favourite finds over the last two weeks. I want to admire them for as long as possible before they are added to the collection or made into jewelry. But I guess its time to clear the counter. Keith was away for work this week, and made the comment that the glass thats there now looks like the same glass that was there when he left, only more of it. Um, well, yeah. But I fed the kids when you were gone. Really, I did.

A few of my favourite pieces. The smallest red piece has the markings characteristic of a tail light from an antique car. The pottery piece with "Nordic blue" on it is patterned on both sides, here's the other side:

Beautiful, isn't it? I will have a good week creating.

What I'm working on...

2010-06-15T22:15:00.000-03:00

I broke open my jar of sea glass marbles this week. I'm a little stingy with my marbles, such a find, but they aren't doing anybody any good sitting in a jar in my studio. So I liberated a few to find new homes in Mermaid Me necklaces. The marble in the pic above is made from clay, and it likely quite old. Its beautifully worn and pitted from the salt water leaching the minerals from the surface.

Aqua Cats Eye Marble

Cobalt Blue Marble Sea Glass Necklace

Beach glass dropped into water In UltraSlo

2010-06-11T19:16:00.001-03:00

June showers bring...

2010-06-07T21:18:00.000-03:00

Its been cool and dreary, lots of rain, which is great for growing things but not so great for enjoying them. We finally had a little break from the showers this afternoon, so I headed out with my shears to cut some flowers for the house. Above is some Lady's Mantle on the kitchen table.

Sweet Rocket for the family room.

And some allium for the living room.

I won't show you the 'after' pictures, which I could take in the morning if I didn't have a mess to clean up. Our cat is pretty sure we put out flowers as special salads, just for him. Sometimes he delicately nibbles, and other times, he shreds the flowers, leaving only the stalks. Aren't cats supposed to be carnivores?

Maritime Artisan Lynne Bowland

2010-05-25T15:00:00.000-03:00

This stunning lampwork bead almost looks like it could be living.

The artisan is Lynne Bowland, owner and artist in residence at Fireball Beeds and Fireball Gallery and Studio in Deer Island, Western New Brunswick. Lynne's work has an ethereal quality about it, often reflecting themes of nature. Her Spring Snow Bead, below, was inspired by the view from her studio and encases enamels and fine silver wire.

Lynne's gallery features her lampwork beads, glass art, finished jewelry, and fibre arts, along with fine craft from 30 to 40 other Canadian women, including pottery, handmade soaps, woodworking, and textiles.

And on top of all that, she still has time to look glamorous. Isn't this a great shot? She calls it her Wicked Lady Pose. We should all have a Wicked Lady pose. Hats off to Lynne for making a living doing what she loves and for providing that same opportunity to fellow Canadian artisans!

Amelie Bangs and Eco Friendly Clothing

2010-05-19T11:35:00.002-03:00

So I cut my own bangs.
Mistake.
Think Amelie but without the beautiful actress and Parisienne chic.
My daughter laughed out loud.
Wretch.
But they will grow, and with perfect timing to distract me from my worse than usual hair, my dresses arrived from Concious Clothing and they are absolutely perfect.

I got this Organic Cotton Lotus Dress without the sleeves:

And this Everyday Racerback Dress in cobalt:

Rose at Concious Clothing believes in making fashions that have a low environmental impact. I bought a wrap dress from her last year and have become a faithful customer. Her dresses are soft, beautiful, comfortable, and fit perfectly. Add to that the eco friendliness of it all and who will notice the bangs? Thanks Rose!

Sea Glass Wedding Jewelry

2010-05-13T13:50:00.001-03:00

I just finished these pieces for the wedding party of a local couple who will be married in June. The cornflower blue necklaces above are made with smaller pieces of glass for the juniour bridesmaids. The aqua/seafoam pieces below are matching sets for the bridesmaids. The bride picked out her necklace from our table at the Farmer's Market on the Saturday I was at Saltscapes, so I didn't get to see what she chose. I did ask my husband if her remembered, but he just said "I think it was blue maybe." Oh well, at least he was there for me, not every husband would get up at 5:00 am on a Saturday morning to go to the market. I always love to do wedding jewelry. Here's wishing the bride and groom a long and happy marriage!

Ration

2010-05-11T20:09:00.000-03:00

Rationing- not something most of us have to think too much about in this part of the world, as far as food goes. In fact, many of us struggle with the opposite, too much food, overindulging, waste. My father in law recently gave me this ration ticket used in Canada during the second world war. The coupons were issued by the government for necessities like meat and sugar, based on how many people were in your family. The purpose was to ensure that everyone got enough, and no one took too much. Families were expected to grow their own vegetables and to reuse everything that could possibly be reused. Good rules to live by. I wonder how we would cope today, if rationing was deemed necessary?

Whats New...

2010-05-05T13:22:00.001-03:00

We did the Saltscapes Expo on the weekend, and it was a blast. Local foods, wines and beers (with samples mmmmmmmmmmm), travel information, local musicians and of course great maritime products. It was the most fun show we've ever done, can't wait til next year. I've been busy since then, finally beginning to restock my sadly neglected etsy shop with lots of colourful baubles like the blue crackle glass sea creature above. Crackle glass is usually formed when sea glass is heated, like in a bonfire, and then cooled quickly by being quenched in the sea.

Spice sea pottery- this is the second piece of pottery we have found with this pattern. This piece is quite large, a couple of inches in length.

Reflections- a drop of cornflower blue dangles against a sterling silver disc, stamped with Ocean Beach Sea. I do have a one track mind.

And finally, a fun pair of earrings, little lime green jellybeans on sterling silver earwires. Have a good week everyone!

By The Shore

2010-04-23T08:41:00.000-03:00

Thank you to The Angry Weather for curating this beautiful treasury inspired by her walks along the Saint-Laurent River in Quebec. It makes me want to run to the seaside right now. Instead I will be a responsible adult and get some work done. And its misty out and I don't have the car, which makes it easier to be responsible :)

The Angry Weather's etsy shop is new this month. Check out her Rainy Cloud Brooch, its brilliant:

Saltscapes Expo April 30 to May 2- Buy Local!

2010-04-08T16:41:00.000-03:00

Come and join us at the annual Saltscapes Expo at Exhibition Park in Halifax, NS on April 30 to May 2. We've got coupons for $3.00 off admission at our farmer's market booth this weekend if you'd like to have them.

Exclusive Sneak Peek at Saltscapes East Coast Expo 2010

Plan ahead for the weekend of April 30, May 1 and 2 to attend Atlantic Canada's ultimate BUY LOCAL event - the 6th annual Saltscapes East Coast Expo at Exhibition Park in Halifax.

More than 350 quality exhibitors welcome 20,000 attendees to the best of Atlantic Canada under one roof for one spectacular weekend.

100+ demonstrations and presentations with something for everyone.

-    Savour the Flavour
-    Culture, Music and Travel
-    Home, Cottage and Garden
-    Living Healthy in Atlantic Canada
-    Unique Retail Marketplace
-    Live Entertainment
-    Experience the Subaru Off-Road Test Drive Rally
-    Be entertained and amazed by the Taste of Nova Scotia's Cutting Edge Culinary competition showcasing talented local Chefs competing in a black box challenge
-    Action packed Family Fun Night Friday April 30

Sample Atlantic Canada Food & Drink all weekend long, hear the sounds of talented local musicians, plan a vacation - VISIT! SHOP! BUY! ENJOY!

Visit www.saltscapesexpo.com to purchase advance tickets.
Click here to view a video about the show.

Friday, April 30         Noon - 9 pm
Saturday, May 1      10 am - 6 pm
Sunday, May 2        10 am - 5 pm

Exhibition Park, Halifax

Let us help you plan your summer travel
experience. Visit our booth at Saltscapes
Expo or call to book your hotel accommodations
today at 1-877-680-7666

Halifax Farmer's Market

2010-04-06T15:00:00.002-03:00

The Halifax Farmer's Market has been a favourite Saturday morning destination for more than 150 years. Its the oldest continually running market in North America, established in 1850. Thats a lot of Saturdays. Currently located at the Brewery Market, its fun to stroll through the maze of rooms, taking in the beautiful sights, the wonderful smells, and the local music. Its great to see so many people dedicated to buying local and supporting farmers and small business.

The musicians above are fairly new to the market. I don't know their names, but I've never seen musicians draw a larger market crowd than they did; vendors abandoned their booths to watch and listen.

The market will be moving to its new location, the Seaport Market at Pier 20 on the Halifax waterfront in July. The building is eco friendly in design, with reclaimed building materials, recycling of rain water, and a roof garden. The larger space will foster accessibility and community. Full markets will run on the weekends and on Wednesdays, with some vendors being open 7 days a week. Click on the picture below for an architectural concept video.

What I'm working on...

2010-03-29T14:00:00.001-03:00

Its been a good week, lots of fun happenings and lots of time to create. My other half was in the USA on business all week, which logically should result in me having less time, as I pick up "his jobs" and run the kids around more often. But somehow it doesn't work that way. Which I must admit I kind of like. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that :)

I picked out a few special pieces of glass from my collection this week, gorgeous colours that were sick of sitting in a bottle on the shelf, waiting to be framed and adorned. The piece above came from one of the Hawaiin Islands-a couple of summers ago I traded some finished pieces of jewelry for sea glass gathered in Hawaii by a gentlemen from Lunenburg. The piece above is a beautiful orange red with a little star on top, so very like a sunset.

These little earrings were forged from silver wire, and are meant to be leaves, although they turned out a little less leaf-like than I had in mind. Next time I will include a vein in the centre of the leaf.

I'm still in love with brass, and it photographs beautifully, contrasting with the aqua glass.

And finally, my favourite, a calla lily hand forged from sterling silver cradles a drop of brilliant red sea glass, this one from a Nova Scotia beach. Its been fun making the flowers, and I plan to do lots more botanical jewelry over the next few months. Here's hoping this week will be a good one for us all!

Cookielicious

2010-03-17T15:36:00.000-03:00

My kitchen smells like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. And its 10 degrees outside. And the laundry is hanging on the line. And all is right with the world. Except for the big pile of receipts waiting to be filed for income tax. But I'm pretending its not there right now. And focusing on the cookies instead. This is a great cookie recipe, just one bowl and it makes 24 good size cookies.

2/3 c margarine or butter

1/2 c brown sugar (packed)

1/2 c granulated sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 pkg chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt to same bowl and mix these dry ingredients together lightly before stirring into the creamed mixture. Add chocolate chips. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Yum.

Busy with wholesale

2010-03-11T16:10:00.000-04:00

I've been busy with wholesale orders this past month, and will be right into the spring, which is lovely as its one of the reasons I was able to leave my regular job, but between that and the Farmer's Market, its difficult to stock my etsy shop. For fellow crafters who live in the Maritime provinces, consider applying to the Atlantic Craft Trade Show for February 2010. This year's show was great, very well run, and we received lots of orders. On top of that, we met fellow crafters and learned tons from the seminars ACTS ran for the artisans. I'll stop gushing now, but it really was fantastic, and can help you take your business to the next level.

After a couple of weeks of not listing anything new in my etsy shop, I'm finally able to get a few things photographed. Should have them listed by the weekend.

Handmade Markeplace

2010-03-01T13:29:00.001-04:00

I just finished reading this great new book by Kari Chapin, How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally and Online. Its illustrated by Emily Martin of Black Apple etsy fame. I wish this resource had been around a few years ago- its absolutely packed with tips and knowledge an indie crafter needs to be successful, and covers everything from marketing basics, social media, craft fairs (even a packing list!), to blogging, selling in brick and mortar stores, and basic business practices. Its an easy read, with wisdom and real life advice straight from other crafters. This is the kind of knowledge it takes years to accumulate if you're trying to do it on your own. Whether you're brand new at selling your work, or a seasoned crafter, you'll find this book invaluable.

Dear Day Job,

2010-02-22T15:15:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you've noticed that things just aren't the same, we've been drifting apart. We used to be so happy together, but now, I find myself constantly thinking about other ways to occupy my day. And I know that you feel the same way about me. It shows in the little things, like how you don't consider my feelings when you schedule me to work weekend and night shifts (you know I'm not a night person), and in the way we barely tolerate each other when there are craft shows to prepare for and etsy orders to mail out. I'm sorry it has to be this way. I will miss your security, and steady pay cheque, your willingness to help out with pesky dental bills and your status of having "a real career". It will be better for both of us if we just stop seeing each other. I hope that you will be able to find someone who can give you what you need. I will pack up my things by the end of the week.

Love,
Rita

photo curtesy of NIKK1210MAY on photobucket

What I'm working on...

2010-01-25T14:59:00.001-04:00

I spent last night casting a custom order for a lovely etsy customer. I hadn't done any casting in awhile, and it was good to get back to it. The starfish was cast in sand using molten pewter (lead free of course), the oldest and simplest method of casting. Its a technique my son taught me, messy and fun. I'll do a tutorial in the next couple of weeks. This is the underbelly of the fish:

And a johnny crab claw which will find its way to my shop later tonight:

Tea Proof

2010-01-20T21:52:00.000-04:00

It turns out my laptop is tea proof. Scalding hot liquids are no match for this little workhorse. A full cup of freshly brewed black tea all over the computer. After a brief moment of panic and a roll of paper towel, its as good as new. I hope. Just another event in my quest to be The Clumsiest Girl Who Ever Lived.

photo curtesy of WbDsgnr1 on photobucket

What I'm working on...

2010-01-13T20:39:00.003-04:00

Well, its finally finished after a couple of false starts. The cobalt blue I had originally planned to use chipped when I was drilling it (sigh, it happens more frequently with bonfire glass than regular sea glass), and I originally replaced it with an amber, but the blue was so much more lovely. I dug through my collection again and found this lighter blue, with a bit of white fused at the top. And was happy. I'm really enjoying working with brass. Here are some other pieces to come out of the studio this week.

Sea Lily, turquoise glass

Brass in Pocket earrings

Cobalt Sea Lily necklace

White sea glass and brass earrings

Buy Craft; Local

2010-01-11T14:54:00.001-04:00

A great new project by the Craft Alliance ~ Alliance metiers d'arts
Words to live by from the new buy craft; local site:

This is what happens when you buy craft locally...
1. You Embrace the Unique
You want your home to be a unique reflection of yourself... It makes sense that you buy something handmade,
rich with character and a sense of place.

2. You Nurture Community
We all like to support local businesses and causes. Your craft purchase helps us to build strong relationships
within our community.

3. You Vote for Quality
We support the best quality handmade products that meet our guidelines, for the best in local craft. We stand
behind our local craft products as being safe, well made and well designed.

4. You Keep Dollars in Our Economy
Nearly every cent you spent stays in this community. Our craft producers are from the region — many of whom
use locally sourced materials!

5. You Invest in Local Jobs
You are helping to create jobs in your community and region. The local retailer and craftsperson are often
self-employed entrepreneurs, employing themselves and others, many in small towns and rural communities
throughout the region.

6. You Help the Environment
Buying from a local business conserves energy and resources in the form of less fuel for transportation and
packaging.

7. You Create More Choice
The nature of being handmade by local craftspeople, in not being mass-produced, are better able to respond to
what you want and like.

8. You Make Dreams Come True
Local craft retailers and supporters are passionate about life and community... so are our craftspeople. More than
anything else, craftspeople want to pursue their dreams of a creative life in their studio and workshop.

9. You Support Local Entrepreneurship
Creativity and resourcefulness are a key to successful creative economies. Small businesses are paramount to
making that happen.

10. You Reinforce Local Destinations
The more memorable and unique we are as a place and people, the more we will attract new neighbors, visitors
and guests to our local retailers and craft studios. This benefits everyone!

When you buy craft locally, great things can happen!
Thank you for your support…
© 2 0 0 9 C R A F T A L L I A N C E

You can register here as a supporter of the buy local movement, and you can download nifty web badges, product hang tags, flyers, bookmarks and other great stuff here.

Front Page Happiness

2010-01-10T12:49:00.000-04:00

I woke up to find my Branching Out necklace on etsy's front page this morning, a nice Sunday morning surprise! Thank you to The Lost Earring for curating this lovely list. The Lost Earring's shop is inspired by all of the beloved earrings she has lost over the years. She incorporates natural elements in her jewelry, designing beautiful one of a kind pieces. Take a look at her Leafy Dream Pressed Leaf Floral earrings:

And her Cedar on Blue Sterling Silver Earrings:

These will certainly make up for any earrings you may have lost over the years, don't you think?

What I'm working on

2010-01-08T14:15:00.001-04:00

I've been enamoured with the warm tones of brass for the past couple of weeks, must be the cold winter sinking in, pushing me to seek warmth anywhere I can. I spent the morning going through my sea glass collection, remembering summer, and pulled out these little gems of bonfire glass to set off the brass in this necklace to be. I hope to have it and other new brass and silver pieces listed in my etsy shop next week.

The Little Amaryllis That Almost Didn't

2010-01-07T09:07:00.002-04:00

My amaryllis opened today, planted in late November for Christmas, a bit late but beautiful. At first I thought he was a dud- two weeks after he was planted, there was still nothing, not a single green sprout, which is unusal for an amaryllis. Usually you can just stand there and watch them grow. Well, almost. And the cat hasn't bothered him, which is also unusual because he's pretty sure we grow houseplants as salads just for him. I'm going to go stare at my amaryllis a bit longer before I start the Things I have to do today even though I'd rather do anything else list.

The Beach, my favourite theme...

2010-01-05T09:47:00.002-04:00

Cobblestonelane has done a beautiful job with this etsy treasury, gorgeous colour mix and of course my favourite theme :) And a thank you for including our red sea glass necklace. I'm a bit jealous though, had my own treasury all ready in poster sketch, sat by my computer doing the treasury countdown, then, BAM, it was full again. How does that happen? Maybe next time...

What's New in Our Etsy Shop

2009-12-10T10:00:00.001-04:00

New in our etsy shop, this little guy is hand forged from sterling silver and hangs on a sterling silver box chain. He is a bigger version of the Strength inukshuk we have available with a little piece of sea glass. Did you know that the plural form is inuksuit?

Etsy Atlantic Team Treasury

2009-12-09T16:54:00.001-04:00

Beautiful job, ArtoftheMoment, on curating this etsy treasury of Atlantic Canadian artisans. And thanks for including our newly listed sea pottery jewelry set. You can see more work by Atlantic Canadians at the Etsy Atlantic team blog here.

Prisoner

2009-12-08T13:55:00.000-04:00

I'm a prisoner in my own home. Wait, before you call the police, its self-inflicted. We are in the process of having our roof and front door replaced. No more draft leakiness. I hope. So right now its a big, loud, messy, animals hiding under the furniture because of all the banging, expensive ordeal. But when its all finished, it will be lovely. And because its the way life goes, when Keith was dragging out the Christmas boxes last night, he noticed the hot water tank was leaking. Sigh to everything happening at once. But really we're lucky we caught it before it let go. How's that for positive thinking? I'm trying here :)

On the brighter side, here is a photo shot off our back deck last week. It was a gorgeous moonrise and I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

Way more satisfying than hot water tanks and shingles.

Trans Canada Etsy Team Giveaway!

2009-11-26T21:44:00.000-04:00

Feel like winning a gift basket overflowing with $350.00 of handmade goodness by Canadian artisans? Then hop on over to the TCET blog to find out how you can enter here. Check out the participating shops for Christmas specials, including ours:) Buy Canadian!

English Sea Glass

2009-11-15T20:14:00.001-04:00

One of the many reasons I love etsy. A lady from England sent gorgeous sea glass she had collected over the years to have necklaces made for her daughters. She wanted more than one piece of glass incorporated into the designs, and wanted the necklaces to be fairly substantial as her daughters are tall (lucky daughters).

It was fun playing with the designs and has inspired me to do more multi glass pieces for my shop. As soon as the shows are over. Thats become my new mantra, "When the shows are over". "When the shows are over", we'll go out. "When the shows are over", I'll give the house a good cleaning. "When the shows are over", I'll be exhausted and sleep for a week.

Sea Pottery Happiness

2009-11-11T10:57:00.002-04:00

We did Christmas at the Forum on the weekend, which was a great show. We met lots of people, sharing their sea glass stories. One lovely lady and her daughter studied our sea pottery collection and casually mentioned that she recognized the patterns of some of our floral pieces, and that she had the china at home in her attic! The china belonged to the Victoria General Hospital, back in the day when hospitals served patients on real china and not styrofoam and plastic. The VG has since been amalgamated into a larger Health Centre.

I was so excited that I rambled on to everyone who stopped by the booth for the rest of the day (sorry people, but thanks for listening). And thank you to the kind lady who rescued the saucers from her attic, you made my day!

Dartmouth Handcrafter's Guild

2009-11-02T10:10:00.000-04:00

We did the Dartmouth Handcrafter's Guild show this weekend, and had a great time. Attendance was down some, likely to do with all the flu stuff, but it was a good show. Along with meeting lots of nice people, I picked up a few Christmas gifts for my favourite people. Buy handmade everyone!

Keith made a new display for us, wire grids instead of the particle board we had been using, much more lightweight. It worked out great, except the s- hooks we were using for the pictures kept falling off when we removed a picture, or twisted up in the grid so that you had to wrestle the picture off the wall. Any suggestions for what we could use instead?

My Sweet Greens Giveaway

2009-10-29T17:39:00.001-03:00

We're excited to be featured on Jennie's My Sweet Greens blog, her earth friendly guide to all things green! Check out the blog for tips on how to live greener, reviews of eco friendly products and just plain good reading.

Enter her contest to win our aqua sea glass necklace, winner will be announced November 11!

Cranberry

2009-10-25T16:42:00.000-03:00

Thank you to Splurge for curating this striking cranberry treasury. I'll have one of everything please. Very holidays-ish, don't you think?

Grey Goose

2009-10-14T19:56:00.001-03:00

Another gorgeous find by my parents in Cape Breton. They found a few greys this summer, rare in themselves, but this one is my favourite. Its perfectly smooth, with lots of frosting and some bubbles evident in the glass, usually indicative of hand blown or very old glass. Too beautiful a piece to cover or compete with fussy metalwork, it was drilled with simple jump ring bails and hangs on a 20" sterling silver ball chain. It was freezing cold here today, called for snow last night, but we didn't get it (thank goodness as we're in the process of having new windows installed). Sea Glass hunting days are almost over for another year. How can that be?

Iridescense

2009-10-09T16:43:00.006-03:00

An unusal piece of sea glass that we found on a Halifax beach during the summer of 2008. The piece is dark brown, almost black with a beautiful play of iridescense on both sides. I've never found a piece quite like it. After staring at it for a year now, I'm finally ready to turn it into a necklace so it will be making its way into my etsy shop within the next few days!

Upcoming Shows

2009-10-05T20:11:00.004-03:00

I know, I know, its not even Halloween yet, but the Christmas craft shows are starting in just a few weeks. Which means I should be creating rather than sitting at the computer. And I will. Right after this. Or maybe tomorrow, because its late. These are the shows we're doing this season:

The Dartmouth Handcrafter's Guild, October 30 to November 1 at the Dartmouth Sportsplex

Christmas at the Forum , November 6, 7, 8 at the Forum in Halifax

Dalplex Christmas Craft Market, November 27, 28, 29 at Dalplex in Halifax

See you there!

Clothesline

2009-10-02T13:42:00.000-03:00

Laundry on the clothesline makes me happy. Probably happier than it should. Fresh white sheets dried in the sun smell so wonderful. And I will have sweet dreams tonight.

Good Earth

2009-09-30T21:27:00.005-03:00

When my husband and I are sea glass hunting, there is the slightest little bit of, ahem, competition, around who finds the best piece. If we can even agree what makes a piece "the best piece." But the day I found this piece, I won. Which isn't usually the way it goes, so let me gloat a little. The piece is quite thick, and perfectly round. When held up to the light, the glass reveals swirls of lighter green, and tiny bubbles, indicating it is very old, likely hand blown. Its bezeled in fine silver and hangs on a sterling silver box chain.

Fall

2009-09-23T17:19:00.006-03:00

Okay, its fall.
The calender says so.
Kids are back to school.
Some evenings I smell woodsmoke in the air.
But it was 23 degrees today.
23!
Degrees!
The trees don't care, they're turning colours anyway.
My daughter brought me home this leaf at lunchtime.
Gorgeous, firey orange, screaming to be photographed with aqua glass.
So I did.
Nothing worse than screaming leaves.

Blush pink depression glass sea glass necklace

2009-09-07T11:20:00.015-03:00

Labour of love the last few days, coaxing the piece of pink depression sea glass from Cape Breton into a necklace. The first step was to make a bezel of fine silver to fit the curves of the glass. Its quite a bit thicker on one side than the other:

Next, the bezel was soldered to silver sheet. I don't always back the pieces as some look better with the light shining through, and cuts down on the amount of silver used, but the silver behind this piece really highlights the floral pattern. Once the bezel is soldered to the sheet, the excess backing is cut away to be used in another project:

The next step was to form a bail by gently curving some silver tubing, which was then soldered to the bezel cup:

Now my favourite part, setting the sea glass. If this was a smooth, round cabachon, I would clean up the bezel cup first, sanding and polishing before setting the stone. Sea glass, with its non-uniform shape, is more challenging to set, and the bezel may be scratched, so I leave the polishing for afterward.

After some filing, sanding, and polishing, its looking more like a pendant. I slipped it on an 18" sterling silver snake chain, soldered on a clasp, and gave it 45 minutes in the tumbler with some stainless steel shot to harden the silver and give it a final polish.

Wish I knew the story behind the glass, where it was from, how it came to be in the sea. The Secret Life of Sea Glass, good title for a novel. Well, I would read it :)

Seaside Treasury

2009-09-03T12:56:00.004-03:00

This seaside treasury was curated by Aleutie of Montreal as a tribute to Summer, calm and soothing colours.

Etsy's Handmade Moment Video Contest

2009-09-02T16:14:00.005-03:00

Check out crankbunny's entry to the Handmade Moment video contest on etsy, its brilliant!

Inspiration

2009-09-01T16:34:00.005-03:00

I spent a lovely afternoon with buckets of sea glass spread out all over the floor of my studio, sorting and picking out my favourites. These gorgeous pieces were all found on Cape Breton beaches by my parents. I'm most excited about the large pink piece of depression glass, its beautifully patterned and screaming to be bezeled.

I'll be busy the next few days, drilling, wrapping and soldering to get the pieces ready for my etsy shop. Bliss.

Citrus Orange

2009-08-28T13:30:00.007-03:00

I love orange, and orange sea glass is a rarity. We found this big beautiful piece this summer on our Nova Scotia shores. I think the glass was originally the rim of a bowl or decorative plate, it is slightly ridged, although that is almost worn away. I was going to bezel it, but couldn't bear to cover up any of the glass. It is a beautiful clear day, and I'd love to hit the beach, but have to go to work at my Other Life job. Sigh.

Tea With Honey

2009-08-27T09:32:00.004-03:00

Thanks Mirasol's Farm for curating this beautiful treasury. I am sipping tea right now. Life would be better if everyone had more tea.

The Garden

2009-08-26T14:08:00.011-03:00

Over the last two days, I've spread 300 kg of compost in the garden. My flowers are singing. My arms are like jello. Someone I know but see infrequently drove by and stopped. Always nice to see someone you haven't seen in a year when you're wearing (and reeking of) compost. Of course, she was totally put together. But my flowers are singing.

2009-08-24T22:08:00.009-03:00

Dear Mother Nature,

Thank you for hurricanes that are strong enough stir up the ocean and deposit all kinds of most wonderful sea glass on your beaches, but not so strong as to cause damage or harm. I'm sorry I laughed out loud when I heard the hurricane was named Bill, its just that Bill isn't a very intimidating name and I liked it better when hurricanes were named for women, but I'm over that now.

Love,
Rita

Canadian Treasury Happiness

2009-08-22T21:59:00.008-03:00

Thanks to TwentySix7 for curating this Etsy treasury of Canadian artistry, soothing blues and splashes of red and orange to spice things up!

Fishy Fishy

2009-08-09T20:54:00.004-03:00

I just posted this little fellow, a hand forged sterling silver fish, complete with hammered "scales". It was fun to make, but I got a little carried away and made him bigger than I meant to. He's definitely not the one who got away.

Sunny Yellow

2009-08-05T15:09:00.003-03:00

Just finished this custom order for a lady in the US who sent me her gorgeous piece of glass to bezel. The sunny yellow sings against the silver. Yellow sea glass is very rare, especially a clear bright yellow like this. I want to keep it. But I won`t. I promise.

Sea Glassing in Cape Breton

2009-08-02T22:29:00.006-03:00

We just spent a fabulous weekend in Cape Breton, sea glassing, snorkeling, and getting fattened up by my mother's cooking. Its as good as life gets. And then some. We found some truly beautiful pieces of glass, including the one above, but what takes the cake are the thousands of pieces my parents have gathered (and sorted!) since the ice melted off the beaches a few short months ago. Stunning pieces of glass and pottery that are screaming to be made into necklaces, earrings and art. They'll have to scream a bit longer as I have to work at my Other Life Job tomorrow, and then work on some custom orders, but should have some new pieces ready for my etsy shop by the end of the week.

Neil's Harbour beach, where I grew up. My father was a lobster fisherman and once was caretaker for the lighthouse.

Shyloh, patiently waiting for someone to throw her stick, wondering why her people spend so much time poking around on the beach.

VivalaModa Online Magazine

2009-07-20T21:12:00.007-03:00

Have you checked out VivaLaModa, online magazine? Its an amazing collection of handmade, independent designers, vintage, and all things beautiful. We are very happy to have our sea pottery necklace featured along side other jewelry designers in their Beachcombing article. Warning: I lost myself for half an hour in the magazine, beautiful finds!

Little Sea Creature

2009-07-08T20:59:00.006-03:00

The newest addition to our Little Sea Creature necklaces, our aqua jellyfish. The sea glass used in the piece is quite thick and you can see little bubbles in the glass, which usually means that the piece is very old, before glass was mass produced. One of my favourite things about making jewelry with sea glass is resusing what was once discarded material, and giving it new life. He'll be joining the rest of his family in our etsy shop and after that, who knows where he'll be off to? A well traveled jellyfish. Anyone have a wonderful idea for another sea creature to tackle?

ROAD TRIP WINNERS!

2009-07-02T08:13:00.004-03:00

Congrats to the Trans Canada Etsy Team Road Trip contest winners! Etsy user Nepp145 won the gorgeous prize pack and HipEHoops won the rug. We had lots of entries and lots of fun, thank you to everyone who participated.

TRANS CANADA ROAD TRIP EVENT!

2009-06-20T08:45:00.006-03:00

Our wonderful Trans Canada Etsy Team is having a virtual road trip and we are giving away two amazing prizes! The promotion runs from June 20th to July 1st.

During this time, when you make a purchase from a participating shop, you automatically earn one ticket into a prize draw for every $10 you spend (before shipping is added to the total). So if you spend $10, you will get one ticket. If you spend $50, you get 5 tickets.

If you mention the promotional code "Road Trip" in the notes to seller when you check out, you can earn one additional ticket into the prize draw.

There are two incredible prizes!

A $350 Prize Pack consisting of all these handmade items:

And a $175 Handwoven Rag Rug:

The rag rug was woven by Pegg, FiveForty, using tshirts that were sent to her from all the participating team members across Canada. It is a wonderful collaboration bringing together our members from coast to coast, and beautifully executed by Fiveforty through her artistry and skill.

So here is how you win! From June 20th to July 1st, any purchase you make from the participating shops will get your name into the draw. You get one ballot for every $10 that you spend. On July 2nd, we will draw for the winners. Remember, if you mention the promo code "Road Trip" when you make your purchase, you will get one extra ballot!

Here is a list of participating shops and prizes that each shop has donated to the prize pack. Remember, you earn 1 ticket for each $10 you spend (prior to shipping costs) in these shops:

Enthral
(prize pack contribution: three pairs of earrings and a set of hair elastics, retail value $22)

Five Forty
(prize pack contribution: a suncatcher, retail value $42)

MyHandboundBooks
(prize pack contribution: leather journal, retail value $39)

i Heart That Dance
(prize pack contribution: handmade bag, retail value $35)

Laura Bucci
(prize pack contribution: cup cozy, retail value $12)

rjcharms
(prize pack contribution: earrings and a bookmark, retail value $17)

Rikrak
(prize pack contribution: bib, retail value $21)

Off the Hooks
(prize pack contribution: crocheted hat, retail value $20)

Too Aquarius
(prize pack contribution: two necklaces, retail value $20)

Pixel8ed
(prize pack contribution: recipe book, retail value $10)

Tangente
(prize pack contribution: a catnip mouse, retail value $8)

Inkyspider
(prize pack contribution: brooch, retail value $9)

Kootsac
(prize pack contribution: set of reusable produce bags, retail value $10.50)

Prairie Peasant
(prize pack contribution: journal, retail value $20)

Carvel Country soaps
(prize pack contribution: $20 gift certificate)

Bovine Bubbles
(prize pack contribution: $20 gift certificate)

Sea Glass Designs
(prize pack contribution: necklace)

Piggy Tails
(prize pack contribution: stationary)

String Me Along
(prize pack contribution: set of hair pins, retail value $27)

Paisley Baby
(prize pack contribution: wet bag, retail value $13)

We hope you have fun participating in our virtual road trip, Happy Canada Day!

*It is also possible to get one entry without making a purchase by writing a short essay describing your favorite Canadian thing (place, person, food, book, band, artist etc) Tell us why you love it and what it means to you. Then, send in your entry by contacting Sara through her Etsy shop.

BOTANICALS

2009-06-16T17:06:00.015-03:00

June is one of my favourite months- our gardens, without a sign of life just a month or two ago, are green and lush, with spring flowers spilling over the grass and drinking up the rain. To celebrate, we've chosen some of our favourite pieces of sea pottery with botanical prints and adorned them with whimsical, tendril-like sterling silver bails, just in time for summer. Our botanical pieces are newly listed in our etsy shop

LOULOU Feature!

2009-06-03T21:25:00.003-03:00

We're very excited to have one of our necklaces in LOULOU magazine's June issue! LOULOU is Canada's shopping magazine. Look for us on page 40, Eco-Buzz, featuring earth friendly products (you may have to look hard, because its a tiny picture, but exciting nonetheless!).

Handmade Wedding Bands

2009-05-22T17:16:00.030-03:00

This custom wedding band is one of a pair made for a great Nova Scotian couple who will be married in July. They designed the rings themselves, preferring simple sterling silver bands with the curved design to represent their love for the ocean, as well as each other. See the ring come to life below.

1. The sterling sheet (0.8 mm thick) was measured to ensure the right ring size, and cut with a saw. A’s ring size is 7, so the silver needed to be 56.5 mm in length.

2. The silver strip was stamped with the couples' initials. These are new stamps, a finer font than my other ones, just got them from Rio Grande.

3. The small hole was drilled in the band to allow the saw blade to be inserted. A curved line was cut freehand down the length of the band, taking care to stop before the stamped initials.

4. To prepare for soldering, the edges of the band were sanded so that they met flush, tightly enough so that you don’t see light through the joint.

5. The band was fluxed, to clean the joint and to prevent firescale from forming on the silver. I solder with a Smith’s Little Torch, using propane and oxygen. To solder a joint like this, you want a bushy flame with a soft hiss, blue with a bit of orange. After soldering, the ring was pickled in an acid solution to clean it.

6. To make it perfectly round, the band was then put on the ring mandrel, and hammered with a rawhide mallet. Now it looks more like a ring.

7. The ring was then sanded with increasingly finer grades of sandpaper (from 180 to 600) to remove scratches. To give it a mirror shine, it was then polished with silicone discs. To finish it off, the ring was tumbled with stainless steel shot for fourty five minutes.

And there you have it, a sterling ring to last a lifetime.

Home Sweet (you know the rest...)

2009-05-19T21:00:00.004-03:00

Its always exciting to find pieces of sea pottery with images, and houses and castles are my very favourite. And bittersweet, because we're trying to sell our home right now, which isn't my favourite thing to do. It probably doesn't help that what would be a dining room (if we were civilized folk) is my studio, crammed with our sea glass finds and floating in silver dust. This piece of sea pottery is bezeled in fine silver and hangs on an 18" sterling silver snake chain. If you'd like to see more pics of this, visit the listing in our etsy shop (and buy my house please).

New in our Etsy Shop

2009-04-11T15:50:00.003-03:00

I had fun making these rings- there's something about hammering metal that just makes a girl feel good. A set of three hammered sterling silver stacking rings, one with a bezel set piece of soft green sea pottery rescued from a Nova Scotia beach. The rings may be worn together or separately. They will fit size 7 1/2 to 8. If you'd like a set of rings in a different size or with a particular colour of sea glass, we'd be happy to do a custom order for you.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23550836

TransCanada Team Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-06T16:58:00.004-03:00

Spring has Sprung! The Easter Bunny hopped over to the TransCanada Etsy Team and left some eggs behind!So we decided to host the first ever TransCanada Etsy Team Easter Egg Hunt. 29 shops are hiding 20 eggs and one person will win a $15.00 coupon* to redeem at any of the participating Etsy shops. Click on the link below for the fun details.

Happy Hunting!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5343947

2009-03-31T20:16:00.002-03:00

Congrats to MeLLie for winning the earrings! Hope you enjoy them.

Indienorth- Win Free Earrings!

2009-03-02T17:40:00.009-04:00

Indienorth is a Canadian indie business collective who is running a giveaway for a pair of our Sun on the Water earrings. Check out their blog here- and maybe win :)

Halifax Craft Fair

2009-02-05T09:32:00.004-04:00

Come and visit us at a craft fair organized by Ashton's Art http://www.ashtonsart.etsy.com/ to support a trip to Africa where Ashton will be working with women with HIV. Admission is by donation and you're sure to meet some of your favourite etsy folk!

Press Happiness

2009-02-03T16:43:00.004-04:00

Many thanks to FASHION Magazine reporter Nadine LaRoche for her appreciation of items with a little history, and for her article about our sea pottery jewelry. Follow the link below to see the full article.

Thanks Nadine!

http://www.fashionmagazine.com/blogs/fashion-reporters/2009/02/03/halifax-sea-glass-designs-cries-mermaids-tears/