Lots of creating to do... new sea glass creations, old ideas...

For the longest time, I've wanted to use my sea glass in other creations. I used to decorate picture frames with sea glass and I think it's time to incorporate some of my sea glass with my collection of other ocean/beach findings into something a bit different than my handmade sea glass jewelry.

It's not that I'm bored with making jewelry...but it is about all the great beach finds that may not be jewelry quality. I think that I may have been viewing these pieces as less than desirable when they are sitting on the table, drying after their warm water, mild dish soap bath.

They were not viewed that way when I found them on the beach... they were treasured finds. But when I get them home and evaluate if they are jewelry quality, it's almost like I view them as not good enough. But they are and always have been, just maybe not for jewelry.

So I'm now excited that it's time for something completely different (yes, I borrowed that from Monty Pythons...lol) So once again, I'm experimenting with sea glass and hope to have a few new items to add to my shop. For right now, I'm not going back to creating jewelry with glass beads or semi-precious stones... I'm sticking with my passion- sea glass.

But this time, those pieces that were not quite good enough are just perfect for what I have in mind. And that excites me, just as much as it did when I spotted these ocean gems lying in the surf, begging for me to pick them up.

The images above are just a few of my latest sea glass necklaces and I have several more pieces of jewelry to share (hopefully the next images are shared BEFORE they are listed)

'til next time...

R

More Changes to the Beach, New Sea Glass Creations

Each of the last couple of trips to the beach have revealed completely different beach-scapes. Some of the local towns on LBI have been adding/moving quite a bit of sand. The sand buildup is very necessary to keep the surf off of the dunes, which protect ocean front homes.

However, for the beachcombers that frequent the area, it becomes quite frustrating. The shell beds that are often left behind by the high tides, are often buried under imported sand... and buried with the shells are the sea glass that washed up with them.

Since late last summer, I've noticed, as have others, that the shell beds that were normally be found on the beach in the winter months are no longer found on the beach. The lack of shell beds on the beach has made sea glass quite scarce. Unless you can get to the beach at low tide, and are lucky enough to find the low tide is extreme enough to expose shell or stone beds, you may find a few pieces of sea glass.

My best outing of the winter was the perigean spring tides back in November, when an extreme low tide exposed a twenty- thirty foot shell bed where several pieces of sea glass lay waiting for me.

As the waves slowly rolled in, the beds shifted and further exposed a few more ocean gems. After about 30 minutes, the shell bed was cleaned out and a quick walk for a few blocks in each direction proved a waste of time (well almost a waste, a pretty cobalt blue tiny shard was found a couple blocks down)

The extreme low tide proved worthwhile for 2 straight days. Low tide the next afternoon yielded another handful of sea glass, but the tide came near sunset and battling a cold day and stronger wind wasn't much fun (at least at that time... I've been on the beach many times since in brutal weather conditions and came home practically empty-handed)

Since that bountiful 2 day haul, this winter hasn't yielded that many pieces combined. I know there gems are out there... whether they are buried by the beach construction or sitting farther out in the surf. There may not be as many left out there, but they're out there... : )


Two new sea glass necklaces should be making an appearance in my shops later tonight or tomorrow. The first is a greenish-blue piece that has me searching my "Pure Sea Glass" book
for the name of the color. It's not quite teal, but calling it a green doesn't do this ocean gem justice.

The second piece is a light green piece with a yellow-ish tinge. It looks like it could be depression glass and does take on a brilliant bright green when held under a black light. This UV piece of sea glass has been wire wrapped and made into a necklace... it's a great piece for someone that does a lot of clubbing where the lighting will certainly change the look of the sea glass.

The sun is out today, but it's only 29 degrees... too cold to hit the beach for pictures and beachcombing...but I plan on getting some indoor pictures later today when the sun moves into a better position. Hopefully I'll have images to add later!

til next time...
R

Saying Goodbye To 3 Of My "Easter Eggs", Beachcombing Day??

Three of sea glass necklaces are heading to a new home in Illinois later today and two of the three were on the Styleboard I created for yesterday's blog (an image of all 3 are above)

The gray piece is really gorgeous and probably a bit under-priced. I wasn't sure about pricing it any higher in this economy, but I knew I could get at least 25% more at a showing. The sea glass piece was practically flawless...almost a pastel gray and very much unlike any gray I've ever owned before.

The aqua was a stunning piece also, and one that I know I probably could've sold for a bit higher (I did have a feeler from a local shop about doing a wholesale order including all 3 that sold...but an new Etsy customer beat them to the punch)

I have a pretty light green piece with a hint of yellow...probably an older shard of depressions glass. It's nicely tumbled, with no sharp edges and slightly bigger than a dime. I'll try to add a picture here on the blog of the piece under a black light... the piece is very dramatic under a black light (maybe it's an older piece of Vaseline glass??)

Severe winds are pounding us in southern NJ (and probably throughout the state and the whole east coast) These winds should have a dramatic effect on today's low tide and I'm trying to figure out how to get to the beach at low tide. The winds may push that low tide back a bit further and expose some of the shell beds.

Low tide isn't until 4pm today, which means it will be getting cold quickly at that time of the day and those 35-40 mph winds (with gusts reaching into the 50s) won't be fun to deal with.

Now if I can just figure out how to get the boys off the bus without me being there...hmmmm.

til next time...
R

New Slideshow -- My Kind Of Easter Egg Hunt!

I created a slideshow of what the perfect Easter Egg Hunt would be...for me, at least.

Sea Glass... by creationsbyrobin

Just a few of my recent handmade sea glass jewelry creations. Wouldn't it be great to find all of these beautiful ocean gems on the beach during one stroll?
I'd have to pinch myself, because I would probably be dreaming...this collections a wonderful egg-shaped beauties took quite awhile to collect ~ yes, I know there's a heart shaped necklaces included~ I thought it would look great to see them altogether in one image...thus the slideshow....enjoy!!

New Sea Glass Necklaces... Cobalt Bracelets, Cornflower Blue Earrings...

The weather was cooperating yesterday and I was able to finally take photos in natural light.

I'm still transferring some of the images to my computer, but I did get two pieces cropped and into my computer for loading.

The necklaces are made with pieces of sea glass that are in the 1/2" in length range. Some are a bit more some are slightly less. The cobalt piece was listed last night and sold earlier this morning. The green piece has yet to be listed and it will go into my Etsy shop later today.

I also have a clear/frosty heart shaped piece and a light brown heart shaped piece that will be listed either this evening or tomorrow. one of the pieces will go into my ArtFire shop, probably the frosty clear/white necklace.

I've already begun working on a cobalt blue bracelet and have been contacted about cornflower blue earrings... I'll post images of everything as each project is completed (hopefully Mother Nature will give me a bit more sun in the afternoon over the next few days)

'til next time...

R