A Grandson's Gift

This morning I woke up to find email of the happy kind: Etsy email to alert me that someone had purchased something from my shop.  In the message from the buyer section, I learned that one of my bracelets (<--- photo)  had been purchased by a grandson for his grandmother, for her birthday.  The buyer noted that his grandmother had taken him to look for sea glass when he was younger and that the bracelet would bring back fond memories of their time together.

I was so happy to hear this.

Life is made up of memories, some good, some not so good.  Holding on to the best memories brings light into our lives.  When we remember the times someone was kind to us, when they cared for us, or when they helped us see things in a new light, our hearts are filled with love and gratitude.

I think that anyone who makes art for a living hopes that their creation will find its way into the lives of people who see special meaning in their work of art, or piece of jewelry.  I feel lucky to know that my bracelet will adorn the wrist of a loving grandmother who helped create wonderful memories for her grandson.  I hope she will like it.

New Sea Glass Designs for the Holidays

I've been trying out a new technique for making sea glass jewelry.  Instead of drilling a holes in the sea glass, I am creating designs with real gold wire and adding pearls and shells. This change was inspired by my dear friend Liz McCarter who bought a sea glass necklace in Cinque Terre (Italy).

It has taken me several days to develop the technique, and quite a few of my experiments didn't turn out too well.  But I'm really happy with the four pendants below.  To me, the designs feel more organic than what I've done before.  I really enjoy this technique. 

Maggi Hambling

While researching artists who paint seascapes, I stumbled upon the work of Maggi Hambling, an artist very well known in the UK.  She is a painter, sculptor and writer.  Her scallop sculpture in Aldeburgh is one of the most famous in Britain. (As shown here.)

Here's a video clip produced for the BBC Suffolk in 2009 when The Lowry museum produced a show featuring Hambling's sea paintings.


LS Lowry & Maggi Hambling: The Sea from Rob Martin on Vimeo.

Hambling explains, “Early each morning I draw the sea, much as a pianist practices scales, or a footballer limbers up. Back in the studio, in oil paint on canvas, I try to make the waves rise in their curves of the moon, become almost solid for a second, then crash, shatter and dissolve. The sound and speed of their action is what I’m trying to paint."

"Even after all these years the sea never ceases to surprise me. Everything is always in a state of flux, everything is always changing. I feel compelled to keep coming back, to the sea, to keep painting the sea to try and capture.” "I love the fact that nothing is the same two days running.”

I love Maggi Hambling's work and would love to buy her books.

Lake Champlain Floods

As I look out my kitchen window at Lake Champlain this evening, all seems well.  It has been a calm, windless, gorgeous Spring day. 

But, the flood warning remains in effect for Lake Champlain shoreline communities in Vermont and New York today. The lake continued to rise Friday night and Saturday morning, reaching a record 102.7 feet at Rouses Point, N.Y. as of 11 a.m., and 102.84 feet in Burlington as of noon, according to the National Weather Service in South Burlington. Forecasters predict that wind and wave action will enhance flood effects on windward facing shores and possibly cause additional damage to low lying areas.“It’s still continuing to rise slowly,” said Nathan Foster, a meteorologist at The National Weather Service. “And it’s going to continue to rise slowly probably at least for the next two or three days.”

I'm going out with my camera tomorrow to take photos and look for driftwood.   Quite a lot has been washing up on shore and I'm dying to take a look.

For Earth Day

 In celebration of Earth Day, I made this cairn as a remembrance of nature's grace and beauty. The top piece resembles a heart, symbolizing a love for the Earth.







The cairn is made with seven pieces of sea glass.
- The bottom piece is ice blue and resembles glacial ice.
- Next is a very frosted, rough clover green that once was a piece of something quite large.
- Three rectangular-ish pieces in pumice green, sea foam and white.
- Then a perfectly polished pale olive oval.
- And topped with a aqua teal heart.

GraceBay.Etsy.com

Mother's Day Sea Glass Gifts

Today I made a couple of gifts designed for Mother's Day.  The cards read: "Mom, You always make being balanced seem easy" and "Mom, Thanks for staying balanced amidst all our chaos."  Many moms love sea glass and I am hoping that the little cairns will find their way to some really special moms out there.  They are for sale on my Etsy store.

Florida Shells and Sea Glass

Last week I drove to Florida as a favor to my husband who needs to trailer his boat from Florida back to Vermont.  His car needed to get to Florida.  I needed a break.  

I turned it into an opportunity to visit Washington, D.C and to hunt for sea glass in Florida.  (Smile!) Before the trip, I researched sea glass in Florida and thought that I might find beach glass in a couple of places.  The Florida sea glass was elusive, however.  I found only three pieces.But, I did find some wonderful shells and other sea treasures on Jensen Beach.  There were shells galore!  I'd love to return there for a week of beachcombing.

The Zen Calm of Sea Glass Cairns

I made a dozen sea glass cairns this week and found a beautiful, elegant way to display them.  This black tray is now for sale at Grace Bay on Etsy.

April 18, 2011 New Yorker Cover

One of my favorite magazines will be my inspiration this week for The Grace Bay Collection.  I just love the colors and the images.

Talbots April 2011 Catalog: Sea Glass Colors

 

Gorgeous clothes in the April 2011 Talbots catalog.  Beautiful colors like sea foam, cornflower and sky blue.  I couldn't help but imagine how perfect sea glass jewelry would be with this spring collection.

A Gift for Your Yoga Teacher . . .

The yoga-inspired sea glass cairn

. . . or for anyone, really, who teaches you to be calm and balanced.

I just finished reading "Poser," Claire Dederer's wonderful memoir of motherhood and marriage structured around her adventures with yoga.  (Dear Wendy sent it to me for my birthday.) One thing is clear from the book: a good teacher is everything.

Blessings go out to all of the people in our lives who have taught us how to stay calm in difficult situations, who have taught us how to regain balance when all hell was breaking loose, who have taught us to breathe.

I was thinking that if someone has a yoga teacher they would like to thank, perhaps this lovely little sea glass cairn would be the perfect thing to slip into his or her hand after class.

It's a symbol of transformation, a symbol of balance, a symbol of nature's grace and energy.

"What is this?" the person might ask. You can tell them its a "cairn." Cairns are typically piles of stones that serve as landmarks. Since ancient days, people have used cairns to help people find their way. Often you will see cairns on hiking trails marking a path. They are also found in the sea, placed along shores and on islands and islets as navigation aids. Cairns are signs of hope that reflect balance, right orientation, and courage to continue the journey. 

This little guy's colors are beautiful: pale ice blue, beryl (with a hint of teal), white, pale aquamarine and pale cerulean. It looks a little bit like someone on a yoga mat, trying to stay in balance.

The imperfections in the sea glass - the lines, dents and sand-embedded scars - indicate that this is real, genuine sea glass. They hint at the sea glasses' story. How the fragmented pieces got tumbled around for a while, but then turned into something truly interesting.

Jump Up Green is Going to The Netherlands!

I am never more excited than when I get an Etsy sale from abroad.  (I so love my U.S customers, too.)

Leaving on a jet plane . . .

A little sea glass cairn called "Jump Up Green" is heading across the sea to The Netherlands this afternoon.  It totally makes up for this rainy, gloomy day.  Thank you, friend from the The Netherlands!

Reboot: Welcome to Grace Bay!

Readers of this blog might remember it as the EarthSurf blog.  The blog unfortunately languished for an entire year while I was kind of lost at sea.

Today I'm relaunching it with a new name and new design to correspond with the opening of my new Etsy shop "The Grace Bay Collection."  I'll still be selling surf-tumbled sea glass jewelry with my signature halyard design, but I'm expanding to include a wide variety of beach-inspired home decor, photography and mosaics.

So please check out my new shop and let me know what you think!
Hope to hear from you!

Kristin Armstrong's Amber Sea Glass

Kristin Armstrong
photo courtesy of Glamour

Kristin Armstrong has a wonderful blog on Runner's World where she writes about friendship, motherhood, hope, determination and running. It is honest and true and inspiring.

Recently, she wrote about the unexpected death of her Mom and Dad's dog, Hogan. A dog so noble and wise that his death left Kristin in deep sorrow. After hearing the news, Kristin went out for a run along the beach and found a piece of sea glass. It was amber, the color of the dog. She writes: 

Something caught my eye on the sand in front of me. It was my favorite treasure – a piece of sea glass. I am always collecting things when I run at the beach…shells, interesting rocks, sand dollars, cool feathers. I find sea glass sometimes, usually small pieces in hues of green. I guess I love it so much because it reminds me of people, rough edges made smooth over time by the pounding of life. This piece of sea glass was not green, not blue. It was amber, the exact color of young Hogan, many years ago, before he started turning white with age. I stopped abruptly and picked it up. It was huge, fitting perfectly into the palm of my hand. The edges were round and worn and I wondered how long it had tumbled before washing up in front of me. I squinted up to the sky and peace rushed over me like a tide.  It was a safe arrival message. I slid off my unseen pack of sorrows, picked up my pace and brought the treasure home to Mom.

Beautiful!

Eco Chic

I just started reading Organic Spa Magazine. It's beautifully designed, and you can actually read it online through their page viewer interface. The current issue -- eco fashion -- spotlights some very interesting, edgy designers.

I also like reading Organic Envy, a lifestyle blog written and edited by Paulina Kajankova.

EcoMom Alliance

"CBS Sunday Morning" recently ran a segment on star power in Hollywood helping to bring attention to important causes. Reporter Bill Whitaker interviewed Christienne de Tournay Birkhahn, executive director of the EcoMom Alliance. "It has been amazing to see the power of what celebrities can do when they're passionate about something," she said. Birkhahn says the involvement of actress Robin Wright helped her group attract 10,000 members and counting.

Great Doing Business With You!

I'm grateful -- very grateful -- to three people who purchased necklaces this week. Melissa, Amy & Michelle. I so appreciate your positive feedback and your business. It makes it all worthwhile!

New EarthSurf Seaglass Necklaces

Eco-Christmas Jewelry

Here's great gift for eco-Moms: EarthSurf Christmas pendants.

Green seaglass on a red silk strand. For people who want a very Earth-friendly piece of holiday cheer. I would love, love love to wear one of these on Christmas Day on Parrots Cay in Turks & Caicos.

Gala Donation Preparation

Today I've been working on the sea glass necklaces I will be donating to my son's school annual fundraiser (the GMVS Gala). I've strung the pendants on silver and gold chains. Here is a photo of the little beauties:

And another:

I must confess that I really love this particular set of necklaces. More and more, I've found great satisfaction in creating doubles (two pieces of sea glass on one clasp). The colors complement and play off each other.

What's next? My Christmas sea glass necklaces. I've been thinking about them for weeks. Now I have to make some.