The Grace Bay Blog

The 1,000 Things Challenge

2012-01-02T20:25:00.000-05:00

A new year has begun and I have exciting news to share. I have pledged to complete the "Sell 1,000 Things" challenge by the end of 2012. I'm blogging about it over here. I'd like to pay off a credit card and bootstrap a new business. Plus, we will be putting our house on the market soon; I have to get serious about downsizing. So, all those half-completed necklaces and bracelets are finally going to see the light of day. Stay tuned. Lots of good things are to come!

A Grandson's Gift

2011-10-17T08:28:00.001-04:00

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

2011-10-05T14:35:00.003-04:00

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

2011-07-12T10:49:00.001-04:00

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

2011-05-01T19:04:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-20T12:07:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-19T22:21:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-19T09:22:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-19T09:12:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-14T22:44:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-14T10:19:00.002-04:00

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 . . .

2011-04-05T13:39:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-04-05T12:42:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-04-03T12:26:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-02T09:35:00.008-04:00

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

2010-03-01T18:38:00.006-05:00

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

2009-12-21T09:10:00.004-05:00

"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!

2009-12-15T21:35:00.003-05:00

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

2009-12-13T15:58:00.005-05:00

Eco-Christmas Jewelry

2009-11-18T09:43:00.009-05:00

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

2009-09-04T11:57:00.006-04:00

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.

Sea Glass Mini-Sculptures

2009-08-27T10:26:00.006-04:00

This week I have been working on fulfilling a wholesale order and my anxiety level has been off the charts. I keep thinking that I'm going to run out of sea glass, that I'll never have enough jewelry-quality pieces to actually fulfill wholesale orders, and that I ought to just throw in the towel.

I am, at the same time, trying to get my son ready for boarding school (we drive him to school on Saturday), trying to re-write my fall syllabus (classes start on Monday), and exercise (so that I can actually fit into my teaching clothes).

While I was freaking out a little bit, I started making sea glass mini-sculptures. I've always felt that sea glass looks the best when the colors of the pieces are mixed. I love how the greens play off the blues, and the whites play off the greens, and how a handful of sea glass can look so spectacular sitting in your hand.

The mini-sculptures are simply pieces of sea glass arranged together into little sea glass formations. Smaller pieces on the top, larger ones on the bottom. I've been gluing them together so that they stay in place. I've made about a dozen now, and am in love with them. One one hand, they remind me of rock sculptures. On the other hand, they kind of resemble sushi. They are very cute.

After I started making the mini-sculptures, I began to look through my collection and I realized that I actually have a lot of sea glass from Barbados in colors like sea foam green, light blue and sky blue. Not good enough for sea glass jewelry. But perfect for mini-sculptures. Here's a photo of a little fleet I made this morning:

They look lovely on a windowsill reflecting the light. They probably could be used in a variety of ways -- such as with cards as dinner party placeholders. (They would make great wedding favors). They'd be fun just to collect.

This is the first thing I've ever done that seemed Martha Stewart-worthy. But, more than that, the experience taught me to let go of one of my big fears which is the fear of not having enough. Spending time with my sea glass, letting the pieces find each other, making imperfect yet balanced sculptures while remembering the sun-filled days in Barbados when Luis and I found the pieces, I realized that I don't need to be so anxious. It's all going to be OK.

I LOVE to Sort Sea Glass

2009-08-25T08:42:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I had about an hour of free time and went downstairs to the basement to sort some sea glass. My husband hates the fact that my sea glass projects are everywhere in the house, so I try not to use the family area of the basement for sea glass sorting. But, I can't help myself. The light, especially in the afternoon, is perfect down there. I like to sort on the granite top near the windows.

I used to sort sea glass by looking through my collections for a specific grade of sea glass. For instance, if I intended to make some sea glass pendants, I'd find the most perfect pieces, and then put all of the rest back into the jar. But that led to a lot of sea glass spending too much time in jars, being neglected.

So now, I take a handful and try to sort my sea glass according to it's future function. For example, in the photo below, you can see that I found pieces that might become bracelets, or necklace pendants, or magnets, or mini-sculptures (which I just started to make this week). The rough pieces will go into my mosaics bin. The triangles will probably become sails for my sea glass sailboat cards. (Soon to make their debut appearance on Etsy.) I really love to hold a piece of sea glass and try to identify it's ideal end. Sometimes the purpose of the piece is immediately apparent. Other times, I pick up the piece several times before I become clear on what it should be used for.

Hogwarts has it's sorting hat. I have my granite counter.

Community

2009-08-24T12:07:00.003-04:00

There are sea glass collectors and sea glass enthusiasts all across the globe, and I'm so grateful that the internet enables us to connect with each other. One of the newest portals is the North American Sea Glass Association online community at http://seaglass.ning.com. It's such a beautiful website. Since it was launched, I've visited every day.

Last week I enjoyed artist Jennifer Judd-McGee's blog post about her visit to Lisa Hall's sea glass studio in Maine. Jennifer posted photos of Lisa's sea glass jewelry and photos of the shop. I have always wanted to visit Lisa's shop as Lisa is one of the premiere sea glass jewelry artists in the world. She is a classically trained jeweler and her work is exquisite. She is one of the few sea glass jewelers who works in gold as well as silver.

If I ever get to Maine, I'm going to go visit Lisa's shop.

I've been working hard on the wholesale side of my business this week. On my to-do list is marking up line sheets for the Fall/Winter collection. (Some great info on line sheets here.) I'm adding three new designs and need to photograph the new pieces.

Colletta stopped by with her friend from Russia to look at the gardens and we ended up talking about my sea glass jewelry. Colleta and her friend also make jewelry -- along with handmade dolls, dog beds, and other things. They had never heard of Etsy before, so I gave them a quick tutorial. There are over fifty Vermonters selling on Etsy now. Lets add some more!

(The photo is one of my necklaces photographed in the garden.)

Drilling Tutorial

2009-08-20T19:58:00.004-04:00

When Luis and I were in Barbados in July, we spent a day at Bottom Bay, a beach on the east coast we'd never before visited. At the entrance to the beach, we met a terrific guy selling beach jewelry made from stones, shells and seeds. Luis loved one of the necklaces, bought it for himself and wore it for the rest of our vacation. While we were looking at necklaces, Issa, the seller, admired the sea glass necklace I was wearing.

(Below is a picture of me in Bottom Bay wearing the necklace.)

When I told Issa that I made it myself, he expressed an interest in making some sea glass jewelry to sell at Bottom Bay. I asked if he had any diamond drill bits, which are necessary for drilling holes in sea glass. He told me he did not have any, and so I asked for his address. When we returned to Vermont, I mailed him a diamond drill bit, along with one of the beach glass necklaces I make for guys. I am hoping that one day, maybe Luis and I will return to Bottom Bay to see sea glass necklaces for sale.

I was thinking about all of this when I came across a wonderful tutorial on "The Common Milkweed Blog" on how to drill holes in rocks. The process for drilling holes in rocks is essentially the same for drilling holes in sea glass. What I love about the tutorial was how comprehensive it is. The author even talks about the need to change the water bath midway because the water gets cloudy. This is a very important, yet often over-looked aspect of drilling sea glass.

Oh, if I only had an email address for the guy in Barbados. I would send him the link!

Sea Glass Festivals This Fall

2009-08-18T13:42:00.002-04:00

I would love to attend these two sea glass festivals!

North American Sea Glass Association Festival
October 17 & 18, 2009
Erie, Pennsylvania
click here for more information

California Sea Glass & Ocean Art Event
November 7 & 8, 2009
Santa Cruz, California
click here for more information

Hunting for Sea Glass in Barbados, 2009

2009-08-17T07:55:00.004-04:00

Luis and I spent the first week of July in Barbados. The weather was perfect. No rain this year! We stayed at the Almond Beach Club & Spa, as we always do. Surprisingly, it was fairly crowded, even in this global recession. (Sandy Lane next door was virtually empty, however.) Not much about the hotel has changed and it was nice to see Tommy again at Tommy's Rum Shop.

We rented a car for the week and traveled around the island visiting beaches on the east coast. We enjoyed Crane Beach, Bottom Bay, Bath and Bathsheba. We also found Surfer's Point and Jed's Surfing Adventures. Jed recommended that we spend an afternoon at the Silver Sands Resort where we paid a small fee for a day pass, swam in the pool, had drinks and enjoyed watching the windsurfers.

As one of our goals was to bring back sea glass, we hoped to find a new beach where sea glass would be plentiful. However, our old beach on the west coast of Barbados was really the only place we found a lot of good sea glass this year. Here are a couple of photos of the sea glass I collected on our second day in Barbados. Lots of greens, as usual. Some pretty blues and whites as well.

Some of the pieces of sea glass I brought back from Barbados this year are truly exquisite, and I'm really looking forward to transforming them into EarthSurf jewelry. I will try to photograph the sea glass as I make more jewelry, and will try to post them on the blog.

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have spent a week in Barbados with Luis. It was so good to be back.

Sea Glass in National Geographic

2008-07-30T07:38:00.003-04:00

The "Environment" page in the current issue of National Geographic magazine is about sea glass. Written by Margaret G. Zackowitz it reads, in part:

Blame it on plastic. Sea glass - the bright bits of old bottles scoured by sand and salt water - is getting increasingly difficult to find. "We are at the end of the sea glass window," notes Mary Beth Beuke, president of the North American Sea Glass Association. "There is less glass packaging now and more recycling. Much of the glass consigned to the waves decades ago, she says "is tumbled so tiny it's almost not worth picking up."

Of course, it started out as something not worth keeping. Trash tossed off ships or washed from dumps must spend years in the water to become good sea glass. Waves churn, shore terrain, water acidity, and the composition of the glass itself all play a part in creating the smoothed shards' characteristic matte texture.

The photo that accompanies the article features several rare pieces of sea glass including a red shooter marble, and an orange piece thought to have come from a signal light.

While it is true that jewelry-quality sea glass is becoming harder and harder to find, shards of glass from new bottles, as I mentioned yesterday, are common on Barbados beaches, signaling that new trash -- a lot of new trash -- is being dumped into the Caribbean.

The absence of sea glass in the U.S is a good thing. It is a positive sign that we are treating our oceans with better regard; a sign that fewer bottles and glass containers are being thrown into the sea; a sign that recycling has become the norm. The presence of new sea glass in the Caribbean, on the other hand, signals the opposite. Where is the new, ragged sea glass coming from? Freighters? Cruise ships? Tourist boats? Island residents? In all likelihood, it's coming from multiple sources. It is not a good thing.

Trashed Up Barbados

2008-07-29T08:23:00.006-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Luis and I took our annual trip to Barbados. After we got back, I thought about what we saw, and tried to figure out how to write about it. In the past, I've been really happy about our Barbados trips. But not this year.

For the past eight years, we have spent a week in July at the Almond Beach Club & Spa in St. James, just down the road from Sandy Lane. The goal has always been the same: to enjoy our time together as a couple alone, without the kids, and hunt for sea glass.

Year after year, we'd return to the same place, and would find pristine white-sand beaches, good weather, and plenty of smooth sea glass tumbled by the Caribbean.

This year was different. Something seems to be going very wrong in Barbados.

First, the sea glass. We found loads of it. Since the beaches on the Caribbean side of the island have been shifting southward, we had to look around for it, but once we found the areas dense with sea glass, we were quite amazed by just how much sea glass was lying on the beach and at the edge of the surf. Now, you might think this was good news. It wasn't. The beach glass was rough, jagged and basically worthless. It was "new" sea glass -- "commercial grade" not jewelry-grade. When sea glass is in the ocean for years and years, it becomes smooth and polished, like a gem. The sea glass we kept finding was barely polished, meaning that it had only been in the ocean for a short period of time. This suggests that much more dumping is taking place in the Caribbean. If one can measure the health of an ocean by the amount of sea glass found on the beach, I'd say that the Caribbean is in trouble. There is too much new sea glass on the beaches.

The second change we noticed was the weather. Typically, Barbados in July means sunny days with brief rain showers in the afternoon. The Bajans hold their largest festival of the year, Crop Over, at the end of July, expecting good weather. But, the weather has been changing. Hurricane-like tropical depressions have become more frequent, and are happening earlier in the year. Previously, one could expect rain and storms in September and October. Now, the storms are coming in July and August. Is this a result of global warming? Perhaps. What is true is that it's very unusual to have four named storms in July.

Luis typically goes on several scuba dives while we are in Barbados, but his dives were canceled because of the storms, so we decided one day to rent a car and drive to the eastern side of Barbados -- the Atlantic side. We wanted to see an area called Bathsheba, known for it's annual surfing contests and it's dramatic rock formations. Driving there was an adventure. (Bajans drive on the left side of the road; there are lots of round-abouts; and the roads are not well marked.) The drive was well worth it. The Atlantic side of Barbados is spectacular. It feels like a Caribbean version of the Big Sur, or Oregon's Cannon Beach. We stopped at several beaches, and because it was raining, saw few other people. One of our goals was to look for sea glass. We found very little, and what we did find was just junk. We were very troubled by how polluted the beaches were. There is plastic everywhere. Plastic bottles, bottle caps, plastic netting, torn plastic bags, teeny tiny bits of plastic. Ugh. We saw several signs posted at the entrances of the beaches asking people not to use the beach for dumping, but apparently not everyone is complying. Some areas were simply disgusting. There was trash in the brush, on the beach, and in the parking areas.

This year's trip to Barbados made me keenly aware of how much more work must be done to clean up the beaches to and to prevent further ocean pollution.

There was one other thing about our trip to Barbados this year that really bothered me. Perhaps it's related to the ocean pollution problem.

The beach where Luis and I typically hang out has always been a nice, quiet beach. It's tucked into a little bay, and because of its proximity to the ultra-expensive Sandy Lane Resort, it's usually a peaceful, relaxing beach. For years, it has been used by the catamaran cruising companies -- particularly Tiami Catamarans - as a place to bring day trippers for an hour or so of swimming after they do their snorkling. (All beaches in Barbados are open to the public, so the catamaran companies can bring their customers to any beach they chose to.) In the past, there would be maybe one or two catamarans at the beach each day, just for a few hours. 20-40 passengers would unload from the catamaran and hang out on the beach, then get back on the boat. No big deal. It often made for interesting people-watching.

But in recent years, the cruise lines have been sending more ships to Barbados. In fact, in 2006, Barbados signed a three-year agreement with Carnival Cruise Lines that guaranteed the island a minimum of 400,000 cruise ship passengers annually over the contract duration plus revenues of $156 million dollars. (On the day of the Cricket World Cup final in April 2007, cruise ships landed a whopping 20,000 passengers in Barbados, overwhelming Bridgetown.)

So, instead of one or two catamarans in the bay, there are now triple the number. And, worse, they are jam packed with people from the cruise ships. It's crazy. I can't imagine it being very fun to be on a crowded catamaran with a bunch of sweaty cruisers. It would make me want to drink. It seems that drinking is, indeed, what they mostly do.

With the increased number of gigantic catamarans in the bay, the number of Bajan entrepreneurs working the tourist scene has increased as well. The once-quiet bay periodically erupts into a frenzy of jet skis and motor boats pulling Big Bethas and banana inflatables. The fumes, the gasses, the noise. UGH!

By and large, the bay is still fairly clean. Fortunately, the people who come off the catamarans don't leave a lot of trash behind. However, as measured by the amount of glass showing up on the beaches, the amount of trash being dumped into the ocean is definitely increasing. Moreover, the increased use of the Caribbean in the Barbados area by the cruise lines is resulting in a noticeable ecological disruption.

This situation is probably going to get worse in the next ten years. The next generation of Royal Caribbean mega-cruise ships will carry 5,400+ passengers, 1200 crew and be almost 1200 feet long - and that is only one of many types of huge liners that will be coming into service in the next 5-10 years. Will they be choosing Barbados as a port of call? Bajans hope so. The cruise industry means a lot to Barbado's tourism-based economy. But ecologically, I really don't think it's a good thing.

EarthFirst Reviews EarthSurf

2008-07-08T08:10:00.001-04:00

Woo wee! EarthSurf was reviewed by EarthFirst yesterday.
Thanks so very much for positive review!

Simplicity Necklaces

2008-06-24T08:07:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I wonder if my life could get any more complicated. Even in the summer, the season of ease and relaxation, of simple suppers, flip-flops and shorts, things can get harried from time to time.

We had a really busy week last week. So I just felt like making something totally simple and uncomplicated to remind myself of the value of pared-down basics.

I created several necklaces using one single piece of perfect sea glass strung on one single piece of silk thread. I'm calling them "simplicity necklaces" because, really, what could be more simple or elegant?

Nothing fussy. Nothing complicated.

Just a reminder to ah, relax.

Summer Classics: Sea Glass Necklaces & White Shirts

2008-06-23T18:36:00.006-04:00

A crisp, clean white shirt. Perfect all year round, But especially in summer, to show off one's tan.

John Olson styled a page of beautiful summer white shirts for women for the July 2008 Town & Country. While the prices of the shirts ($298 - $950) are way, way out of my range, I was thinking how wonderful it would be to pair a crisp white shirt with a simple sea glass necklace. It would add the perfect little summer color pop to one's ensemble. So, whether you are wearing Anne Fontaine, YSL, Ralph Lauren Black Label, or Hanes this summer, don't forget your sea glass necklace.

The Reason for Beachcombing

2008-06-21T12:02:00.004-04:00

For my money, the best magazine in the world is "La Vie Claire," subtitled "Claire Murray's The Art of Living a Creative Life." It's one of the more expensive publications around. (Cover price $6.99. A four-issue yearly subscription $24.95.) The photos are exquisite, the stories are inspiring, and every issue is a keeper. What "Architectural Digest" is to upscale real estate, "La Vie Claire" is to ocean-inspired artistic entrepreneurship.

The Summer 2008 issue features an excerpt from A Beachcomber's Odyssey: Treasures From a Collected Past by S. Deacon Ritterbush, also known as Dr. Beachcomb. The excerpt is illustrated with Celia Pearson's beautiful photos. (That's one of Celia's photos above.)

With her lovely writing, Ritterbush captures the joy of beachcombing:

I believe there’s no more wonderful world than the one waiting for me out there by the sea. An hour of beachcombing, of strolling through the silky sand with the sun at my back and the endless blue horizon melting before me, calms my mind as it works my body. I always return home the better for it, with lungs full of fresh air and pockets full of interesting things. Beachcombing magic eases me through heartache, leads me to patience, and transforms my sometimes tense little life into one of beauty and hope and joy again. Sometimes, it even reminds me that the best things in life are often right there before me in the sand.

Amen.

Nautica Summer '08 Abs. I mean Ads.

2008-06-20T13:45:00.003-04:00

This summer, Nautica's magazine ads feature a gentleman wearing a sea glass and leather necklace. While Nautica sells a huge variety of things -- from clothing to sunglasses to cologne -- they don't sell sea glass surfer necklaces.

Yet.

In the meantime, get yours here.

Too Much Mrs. Robinson?

2008-06-20T10:32:00.005-04:00

Here's the copy I wrote this morning for a new listing on Etsy:

If I had a pool, I'd certainly have a pool boy, someone who looked like a young Brad Pitt in "Thelma & Louise," or like that young, handsome guy in Desperate Housewives.

Alas, I have no pool, only fantasies. Er, dreams.

As I was making this bracelet, I was thinking that it would make a great gift for the guy who mows your lawn, teaches your kids how to fish at summer camp, or shuttles you to your boat at the boat club. It's ruggedly handsome and yet cool. It would look great on a tanned wrist.

The bracelet features genuine black leather cord and genuine surf-tumbled sea glass from Barbados. It has adjustable sliding knots, and will fit just about any size wrist.

The sea glass is smooth all the way around. It is slightly curved inside to fit a wrist.

This is a terrific bracelet to wear at the beach since you can go in the water with it.

I know someone who would look really great in it!

Art from Beer and Wine Bottles

2008-06-19T10:25:00.005-04:00

I make jewelry from pieces of bottles that have been thrown into the ocean, tossed and tumbled by the surf, and washed onto the beach. I'm fascinated by the idea that a person can take something totally mundane and ordinary -- like a beer bottle -- and turn it into art.

Today I had the great pleasure of finding out about a very cool artist named Brian Western who also makes art from beer and wine bottles. He, too, has a store on Etsy where you can see (and buy) his work. Here are some photos from his store of his glass leaves made from wine and beer bottles:

Brian cuts the leaf design from the curved sides of beer bottles. It gives the leaves an appearance of floating, twirling and a falling. Typically, to achieve this effect, a glass artist would have to use a kiln to soften and curve the glass. Kilns are expensive, and consume lots of electricity. Brian's technique utilizes the curved properties of existing bottles.

On his blog, Brian writes "The leaves bring together a bunch of my favorite activities--meandering through my neighborhood collecting leaves, emptying local and exotic brews in order to reclaim the amber and green glass, and listening to music while cutting glass, copper-foiling and soldering the pieces together."

SO Cool!

All In a Day's Work

2008-06-18T15:29:00.006-04:00

Some new sea glass and leather Earth-friendly bracelets with adjustable sliding knots. For guys or gals.

They are available at my Etsy shop.

Jack Johnson and Surfrider

2008-06-17T09:25:00.002-04:00

The Surfrider Foundation has been selected as one of a select group of non-profit organizations handpicked by Jack Johnson to participate in his 2008 world tour and help launch his All At Once campaign.

Surfrider Foundation plans to use the opportunity to roll out its new "Rise Above Plastics" campaign, which seeks to educate people on the detrimental impacts that plastics have on marine environments.

A Wise Soul at Work in the World

2008-06-15T14:26:00.000-04:00

I had the recent pleasure of purchasing some of Cynthia Emerlye's cards from her Etsy store and I think that I will be buying all of my friends her cards for all of their birthdays this year. Her art work is exquisite, and what is more, her words are deeply wise and soulful. In addition to being an artist, Cynthia is also a well known life coach who raised six kids and has worked with Franklin-Covey. In a world so filled with the coming and goings of unbalanced celebrities, it is such a pleasure to find out about a true Renaissance woman who exemplifies the ideals of creativity, intelligence and soul-filled living.

EarthFirst's 25 Hottest Guys in Green

2008-06-15T09:46:00.001-04:00

EarthFirst has completed it's "25 Hottest Guys in Green" series. A very interesting group of guys.

A lot of familiar names at the top of the list - Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt, Leo DiCaprio, Eddie Vedder, Jack Johnson. Most of the guys on the list aren't household names, however. I found their bios fascinating. Graham Hill founded the popular environmental site Treehugger, which provides valuable green content to over 100,000 visitors per day. Chris Ingham Brooke founded Environmental Graffiti, the most popular green blog in the UK and the third most popular worldwide. Josh Dorfman is the host of the Sirius Radio show The Lazy Environmentalist, and founder of the eco-friendly furniture company Vivavi and its green real estate directory offshoot, ModernGreenLiving.com. Shea Gunther, EarthFirst publisher co-founded Renewable Choice Energy with Quayle Hodek.

The accomplishments go on and on.

Kudos to EarthFirst for shining the spotlight on such intelligent, creative and strategic Earth activists.

Calling All Authors

2008-06-13T17:38:00.002-04:00

Have you ever wanted to write a book that will help people lead greener lives? Now is your chance. Chelsea Green Publishing in Vermont is sponsoring a proposal contest. Tell them about a Green Guide you would like to research and write, why you’d like to write it, how it should be illustrated, and a bit about yourself. If you’re one of up to five winners Chelsea Green will offer you a publishing contract that includes an advance of $1,000 against royalties.

The Chelsea Green Guides have helped thousands of people learn how to create a green household, become a biking commuter, or redesign your business operations to waste less and recycle more.

If you've ever had an idea for good idea for the next Green Guide to Technology, Green Guide to Travel, Green Guide to Remodeling, or Green Guide to something else, jump fast. The deadline is July 4th.

P.S. I wish that when my kids were little there was a green guide to crafts. I would have loved a resource that helped me find nontoxic paints, clays, etc!

No More Cookies

2008-06-11T15:16:00.002-04:00

Today on Martha Stewart, Martha's friend talked about turning 50. I'm going to turn 50 soon. (Not this year, but in a few years.) And I could relate to what Martha's friend said about the need to diet and exercise. All of a sudden, I seem to have outgrown all of my clothes and it's not like I'm eating any more than I did before. I'm just getting old! Damn old!

In about a month, Luis and I head off to Barbados for our Anniversary. The only clothing allowed in Barbados when hunting for sea glass is the bikini. I better start running about 10 miles a day.

Head First

2008-06-09T23:14:00.003-04:00

I was out in the garden looking at the pansies that had wilted because I had forgotten to water them and surveying the amount of weeding I have to do before putting down the mulch and sort of feeling sorry for myself for no good reason when I happened to see this bee. He was dive bombing into the flowers. His butt was covered in pollen and he seemed totally intent on hitting up each flower as fast as he could.

I need to get some of that bee's summertime work ethic. Make hay while the sun shines and all that good stuff.

EarthFirst's 25 Hottest Girls in Green

2008-06-08T13:05:00.005-04:00

EarthFirst has just concluded their week-long series "Top 25 Hottest Girls in Green ." Some might rail against the idea of yet another beauty-based attention-getter, but I found the series to be really interesting. Most of the gals on the list aren't girls at all -- they are definately women. With very interesting jobs. Several have Ph.D's.

Green is sexy, yes. But also ambitious, intelligent, thoughtful, articulate and dedicated.

Sea Glass and Silk Strands Necklaces

2008-06-06T11:01:00.005-04:00

The boys' 8th grade graduation from Mater Christi School was yesterday and it was a very nice ceremony. Like most parents, were so proud! Seems like yesterday Chris and Cody were just grammar school munchkins and now they are soon-to-be high school students in suits and ties.

The day went by so quickly that I didn't get the mulch into the front garden. But I did take some time to photograph some of the sea glass and silk pendants I made for Etsy. I experimented with shells as a way to display the jewelry, and am happy with the results.

This particular necklace is on Etsy in my store. While making it, I was thinking the poem that goes "When I am old, I will wear purple . . ."

Handpicked by Etsy - Yes!

2008-06-05T10:28:00.002-04:00

What a great start to the day! I checked into Etsy and discovered that EarthSurf was on the front page this morning in the Handpicked Items. The theme was surfing. There was a nice variety of surfer-related gifts. The daily Handpicked collections are one of my favorite things about Etsy, and I'm totally jazzed to have been included.

One of the items in the collection really caught my eye -- the surfer wallet by Dumb Kids Designs. I checked out their shop and found at least six wallets I'd like to buy. So that's on my agenda today -- buying some of Dumb Kid's wallets, along with weeding the front garden, laying down mulch, going to the post office, taking a run with Chris and then going to the boys' 8th grade graduation. Ya hoo!

Eco Father's Day

2008-06-04T13:47:00.003-04:00

The Alternative Consumer kindly included EarthSurf on its list of Green Gifts for Dads for Father's Day. There are some really cool things on the list like a jute hammock and bamboo polo shirts. I especially like the eco surfboard and surfing supplies from Greenlight Surfboard Supply!

Experiments in Photography

2008-06-04T09:40:00.000-04:00

I've been working on my digital photography techniques and think that I've found a couple of tricks for photographing my jewelry.

Photograph the piece on a variety of different backgrounds and choose the best one. I photographed this necklace on six different colored backgrounds. A large piece of Martha Stewart paper I bought at Michael's worked the best for this particular piece, a tricky one to photograph since the sea glass is white.
Photograph in natural light. I took the photo of me wearing the necklace upstairs in the master bathroom where there was tons of light. The photo of the necklace in the garden was taken at about 5pm when the summer light was becoming more diffused in the trees. I think that both photos represent the colors in the truest way.
Avoid using a flash since it tends to flatten the sea glass's appearance and puts too much sheen into the silk cords.
Photograph the piece being worn by someone. I'm the model in the photo above. I had to airbrush out some of my freckles since they were dominating the shot!

All the Way to the Ocean

2008-06-03T08:53:00.003-04:00

I bought a terrific book for kids to send to my nieces and nephew, All the Way to the Ocean by Joel Harper, illustrated by Marq Spusta with a foreword by Laird Hamilton. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Surfrider Foundation.

It's about two little surfer dudes discovering how household waste and pollution get into the ocean and damage sea life. I just love the illustrations, especially the underwater scenes.

The author's brother is musician Ben Harper who surfs and is involved in ocean conservation. Collin Dunn's video interview with Ben is available on the Treehugger blog. Very cool guy. I think he wrote the song "She's Only Happy in the Sun" for me. ha ha.

Unexpected Beauty

2008-06-02T11:19:00.003-04:00

I've been making surfer bracelets this week. As I was
looking through my collection of sea glass for pieces the right size and shape for for the bracelets, I came across a couple of shells that Luis and I had found on the beach. I don't know what type of shell they are, but I so wish that I knew. The colors of orange, white and yellow are really nice. Because the pieces were in the ocean for a long time, they look more like flat stones rather than shells. I decided to create surfer bracelets with a couple of the larger pieces and they turned out great. The big one I'm keeping for Luis. The smaller one I listed on Etsy. It's too small to slide over a man's hand, but is perfect for a woman.

One of the challenges of making jewelry with surf-tumbled sea glass or surf-tumbled shells is that each piece is one-of-a-kind. Nature makes each piece unique, so even if you wanted to replicate a certain bracelet over and again, you just couldn't do it. The worrier in me wonders if I'll be able to continue to find enough surf-tumbled sea glass -- or surf-tumbled shells -- to continue making and selling Earthsurf eco-jewelry. The optimist in me says "Don't worry about the future." There is unexpected beauty everywhere.

Earth-friendly gifts for the groomsmen

2008-06-01T14:52:00.003-04:00

I made more guy-stuff this weekend and was thinking that these would make great gifts for groomsmen if someone was planning an eco-wedding. I see khaki pants, white shirts, boat shoes . . . so handsome.

We were planning to spend some time on the boat this weekend, but rain was in the forecast. Luis and K2 raced on Saturday in the rain. It was cold, and the wind wasn't great, but Luis was really happy with the way the race went.

Etsy Spreadsheets

2008-06-01T12:02:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I spend way too much time online when I really should be in the basement working on my business. The trouble is, there's just so much great stuff a person can come across by accident when surfing. Case in point: the two Excel spreadsheets I happened to find that will help me manage my business finances and get real about costs of production. The first one straight from Etsy. It's a Sellers Worksheet and the nice thing is that Etsy's fees are built in. The second, jeweler Chris Perry's spreadsheets that helps one calculate the actual costs of doing business and then allow you to set wholesale and retail price for your items.

I would much rather make stuff, put it on Etsy and just watch the sales roll in, not making an issue over how much I spent on supplies, marketing and all of the other costs of doing business. But the spreadsheets will serve a very important purpose: to keep me honest.

A few months ago, I read Mommy Millionaire by Kim Levine and she couldn't emphasize enough the importance of keeping good books. It takes time to enter the data on spreadsheets, but the benefits of having empirical evidence is worth it.

Oh, Athleta!

2008-05-30T08:59:00.004-04:00

My Athleta summer catalog arrived yesterday, filling my head with dreams of the beach and ocean. They have the best clothes for active women. I flipped through the catalog ooing and ahhing. It made me want to set and achieve some major fitness goals so that I could reward myself with one of their fabulous bikinis, tunics, beach dresses or running outfits. I've become a huge fan of skorts and Athleta has the best selection I've ever seen. Check out their contest for a week of surf camp in Mexico at the Las Olas surfing school for women. I know I'd love to go!

The Joy of Color

2008-05-29T10:24:00.003-04:00

So much going on at this time of year. Between baseball, awards ceremonies, graduation, end-of-the-year BBQs and get-togethers, high school orientation, preparation for camp, doctors appointments and birthdays, etc, etc . . . we are always be on the go. But it's such a beautiful time of year, filled with so much color. A great time to be out and about. I wait all winter long for May/June when the lilacs, daffodils, tulips, grass, and trees fill the landscape with color. I love the color so much, I want to wrap myself in it, roll around in it. I want to be part of the color that is around me.

There's not much time in the margins for making things to list on Etsy right now, but this morning, I listed a bracelet I made from sea glass and blue quartz. This design is one of my favorites.

When I first started making these bracelets as gifts several years ago, I found myself feeling especially peaceful and focused. I did some research and learned that blue quartz is said to bring a sense of order to all things. It releases fear and bringing courage to one's life. It is also a boost for creativity and expression. Blue quartz helps to reduce problems with scattered mind and disorganization, and brings mental clarity. According to gem expert Robyn Harton, blue quartz helps one to see and accept reality, and react to it intelligently in one's behalf. It can lift depression and replace it with peace and happiness. In the psychic and spiritual realms, blue quartz brings spiritual development. It can also help a person express their spiritual thoughts and dreams. In addition, blue quartz is excellent for peaceful mindfulness or meditation.

It could be that the stones’ properties contribute to the good vibes. Or, it could be that the colors simply reminded one of the water, and how peaceful one feels when spending time looking at the ocean. Maybe both.

The item is for sale here.

Before and After

2008-05-28T11:55:00.006-04:00

I just think that everyone in a bathing suit looks cooler with surfer jewelry. Don't you?!
(The retouched photo is from a Macy's Father's Day flier. Click it to make it big enough to see.)

Earth-Friendly Father's Day Gifts

2008-05-27T02:38:00.002-04:00

What do you get an eco-dad like Brad Hall, Pierce Brosnan, Tom Hanks, James Taylor or Jon Bon Jovi? Where do you go for a unique green gift for the guy in your life who cares about the environment?

I made this bracelet for Luis last week and he loves wearing it. So, I'm going to try to make a few more and put them up for sale on my Etsy store, hopefully in time for Father's Day. I think that it would make a great Father's Day gift for someone who lives green and champions environmental issues.

The sea glass symbolizes change. It was once just a fragment of a broken bottle, nothing more than a piece of glass with sharp edges. After years of being tumbled in the surf, bounced around by the waves, smashed into rocks, it was transformed by nature into something completely unique. No two pieces of sea glass are alike. Just like dads, I think. Even though they might have been tossed around by life a bit, they become more loved and more valued with each passing year.

For the Guys

2008-05-26T16:45:00.006-04:00

Luis and I built the raised vegetable beds this weekend and planted the tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, and basil. I added marigolds around the borders to detour the bugs. How I love this garden.

Father's Day is approaching quickly, so I've been working on my men's designs. I now have four different designs.

Open Studio Weekend in Vermont

2008-05-24T13:38:00.003-04:00

It's Open Studio Weekend in Vermont! Hundreds of the state's artists and craftspeople have opened their studio doors to the public. Our family has always loved this weekend as it gives us a chance to talk with some of our favorite artists about their work. After Luis returns from his sailing race, we'll probably grab the boys and head to Stowe and visit a few of our favorite galleries. My jewelry is for now sale at Wild Fibers in South Hero, one of the participating galleries. I stopped there this morning and got to chat with a gal who was buying one of my EarthSurf pendants. It was satisfying to make that connection.

Eco-Friendly Papers

2008-05-22T09:07:00.002-04:00

Congratulations, David Cook, winner of American Idol Season 7. I was so happy to see you so happy.

For some time, I've been searching for eco-friendly paper. To most companies, the term "green" is defined as the amount of recycled content in their papers. I'm interested in other factors as well: is it tree-free, chlorine-free, made from alternative energy sources? I stumbled across Legion Paper which has an extensive green line, searchable by eco-friendly category. The selection is extensive; prices can only be found on the downloadable catalog. It is, nonetheless, a terrific information resource.

Browse and Save the World

2008-05-21T09:46:00.003-04:00

I just downloaded the Flock "Eco-Edition" browser. Flock is donating 10% of the revenue generated by searches to a green organization. At the end of the year, users will vote for the organization that will receive the money. That in itself is pretty cool. Additional benefits: it looks great, and it makes it very easy to keep current with all things green. Flock is powered by Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser.

Earth-Friendly Tradeshow Giveaways

2008-05-16T11:01:00.004-04:00

When I was a kid, my Dad would take us to the Consumer Electronics Show at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago where we would walk the aisles picking up free trade show giveaways like pens, key chains and other little do-dads. Ever since then, I've wanted to do the same -- to give people a little gift with my logo on it as they walked by my booth. I'm not quite at the stage where my business is ready to order a whole gigantic case of promotional items, but when it is, I'm going to turn to Boundless Networks Green Promotional Products. Very cool trade how giveaways made from recycled materials. Nice colors & designs. (My first order would be a case of their eco-pens.)

Hemp Wedding Gowns & More

2008-05-15T09:23:00.003-04:00

Yesterday's Burlington Free Press Living Home section featured a front page article about Vermont clothes designer Tara Lynn Scheidet. "Fashion for a Better Future" by Myra Mathis-Flynn told how Tara Lynn started her wearable art business out of her home Sutton, Vermont. Curious to learn more, I checked out Tara Lynn's website. I fell in love with her embellished eco-wedding dresses made from hemp and silk. I want to have another wedding just to wear one of her dresses. (The photo is from Tara Lynn's website.) Reading more about Tara Lynn in a fascinating online article by Kellie Cavagnaro, I learned that she donates 5% of her profits to National Resources Defense Council.

Free Quickbooks Accounting Software

2008-05-13T11:15:00.002-04:00

Hey, entrepreneurs, did you know that you can download Quickbooks Simple Start 2008 for free? First, visit the Quickbooks website. Download the .exe (application) file. Once the application is launched, you will connect to the Quickbooks site for the official download. Depending upon the speed of your connection, the download can take a while. (Mine took an hour.) This is a great thing to have as it helps you keep track of your start-up expenses.

Upcycling: Trash to Treaure

2008-05-13T07:06:00.003-04:00

Here's a cool new term for the 21st century: upcycling.

"Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value." (Wikipedia)
"The process of converting an industrial nutrient (material) into something of similar or greater value, in its second life." (Dictionary of Sustainable Management)
"Upcycling is the conversion of items that have outlived their commercial usefulness into new things that are functional or beautiful, or both." (Upcycle.ca)

EarthSurf upcycles glass from beer and wine bottles into eco-jewelry (with help from nature).

Here are some great upcycling projects using common materials from around the house (t-shirts, sneakers) from Upcycle.ca.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T11:39:00.003-04:00

Happy Mothers Day to all moms out there. Here in Vermont, the weather is picture-perfect for Mother's Day -- bright, clear skies, warm breeze. A spectacular spring day.

We went to breakfast at Sneaker's super-early in order to beat the crowds. The Bloody Mary's and omelettes were terrific. Then we went to Gardener's Supply in Intervale, walked around admiring the gorgeous plants and flowers, and bought some tomato plants. (It's cool that they donate 8% of their profits to improving world gardening and the environment.)

Chris surprised me by baking a Mother's Day cake which was so yummy and good that I had three pieces.

The day's other high point was discovering Eco-Endure products by Univenture. I have been searching for an alternative to plastic packaging, and came across Eco-Endure by chance. The material is recycled polypropylene and is 100% biodegradable. (Univenture is a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.) I've been thinking about doing a direct-mail campaign using clear envelopes, but didn't want to use plastics, so Eco-Endure is a perfect solution.

$117,000

2008-05-10T15:37:00.002-04:00

Did you hear the news? Salary.com calculated the average amount of money women would earn annually for "Mom jobs" was $116,805.

Salary.com said its survey of 18,000 moms asked participants to quantify the hours they spent working each week in the roles of housekeeper, day-care center teacher, cook, laundry machine operator, computer operator, psychologist, facilities manager, van driver, chief executive officer and janitor, Salary.com reported Friday.

So, the next time my husband doubts my contribution around here, I'm going to remind him of my market value: nearly $117,000.

Etsy in the News

2008-05-09T10:36:00.003-04:00

Martha Stewart's Show. "Twenty-seven-year-old Rob Kalin took a leap of faith in 2005 when he founded the website Etsy.com, a Brooklyn-based online marketplace for all things handmade. . ."
The handmade CEO: Etsy founder Rob Kalin

by Stacey Higginbotham on Tech Confidential. "Rob Kalin, the 27-year-old founder of online craft market Etsy Inc., is living proof that you no longer have to be a techie to be a technology entrepreneur. . ."
Handmade 2.0 by Rob Walker, The New York Times. "Browsing Etsy is both exhilarating and exhausting. There is enough here to mount an astonishing museum exhibition. . ."
Wallstrip with Julie Alexandria. Video chat with Etsy founder Rob Kalin.

Making Progress

2008-05-08T13:09:00.005-04:00

I have a new website! EarthSurf-ecojewelry.com. The copy is finished and all I need to do is load photos of the jewelry. It's hosted by Yahoo, and I found that it was much easier to design than my previous website hosted by GoDaddy. I also have have new EarthSurf Etsy shop. I will be selling my sea glass jewelry alongside of many talented artists and handcrafter entrepreneurs. Just have to get the photos up. I placed a supplies order from one of my suppliers. The shipment should arrive next week.

The latest issue of Islands magazine arrived today and it's spectacular. It features the winners of the 19th Annual Photo Contest. I'm partial to the 3rd place winner: a photo taken by Ernest Manewal in Sitka, Alaska of the the Dog Salmon Festival's welcoming canoe. The paddlers in the canoe are magnificent!

We subscribe to several travel magazines. "Islands" is by far my favorite. When I read it and look at the photos, I am reminded of how beautiful our world is, how full of color and life and magic it is.

Commitments

2008-05-04T22:41:00.003-04:00

It's time to take stock of my commitments. When I started EarthSurf, I decided that I would use as little silver or gold as possible in order to avoid participating in the exploitation of mine workers. I would not purchase supplies made by poorly paid workers in China or other countries. I'd use recycled materials and hand-made materials rather than industrialized products.

Today, while shopping at Michael's, the craft store, my commitments became clearer as I perused the new bead isle. Michael's has a new section called "Naturals." There's leather, hemp and cotton cord, shells and wooden beads. Nice enough stuff, but it's all packaged in plastic, and it's mostly made in China. I was tempted to purchase a package of wooden beads for a new EarthSurf design as the bead size was perfect, as was the price, but then I remembered my commitments. The wooden beads are factory-made, packaged in plastic by poorly-paid factory workers, and shipped thousands of miles, consuming a lot of energy in the process. If I had bought the beads, and added them to my designs, who would have known if my beads had come from Michael's instead of a local source? Who would have known that they were made in a factory in China and packaged in plastic? Many my customers would not have known. But I would.

With the greening of everything, going "natural" seems to be the trend. But the term is tossed around with vague, ambiguous meaning. How can something made in a factory in China be "natural"? It's not. And we shouldn't pretend that it is.

Good Bye Winter!

2008-04-04T11:40:00.001-04:00

It's been a long, rough winter. Although I had big plans for working on EarthSurf throughout the winter months, my day job -- teaching college as an adjunct instructor -- exhausted my energies. I think that this semester was the hardest one ever. Lots of challenging students.

The bright spot this semester was becoming friends with another adjunct, Marta, who is one of the smartest, funniest people I've ever met. Without Marta's friendship and camaraderie, I'm not sure that I would have survived the semester. (The RateYourStudents blog also helped a lot.)

Over the winter, I acquired a few more tools and got my drill press back into working order. I also created a website and purchased a piece of artwork by the brilliant and talented Jessica Torrant to use with the EarthSurf logo.

My immediate goals: to finish the pieces I have in production, photograph them, and get my ETSY shop up and running. The semester ends on April 22nd. Thank heavens !

Greenwashing

2008-03-13T13:28:00.002-04:00

"You can't swing a dead hippie in a big-box store these days without hitting some sort of green boast on a label. Partly recycled. Energy efficient. Eco-friendly. Natural!" writes David Roberts in March's Fast Company.

Roberts notes, however, that TerraChoice Environmental Marketing found that 99.9% of the green-advertised products it researched committed the sin of "greenwashing" -- making green claims while failing to mention significant environmental drawbacks including travel costs and energy-intensive manufacturing processes.

Is better labeling and eco-enforcement the answer? Roberts says no. Ours is an economy "built on trade in material and energy waste." A better solution, he writes, would be to declutter our consumer culture. "The challenge of green living is simple: Achieve the same quality of life using less stuff and less energy."

Barbados Sea Glass Photos

2008-02-21T19:52:00.000-05:00

I photographed some sea glass yesterday. Made me long for the beach!

Pale colors of sea glass with rough edges.
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Blues. My favorites. Hard to find.
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Green beach glass with rough edges. Very easy to find!
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Brown sea glass with rough edges. Also very easy to find.
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Pale sea glass with smooth edges.
Hard to find.
Perfect for EarthSurf eco-jewelry.

The Drink Pouch Dress

2008-02-21T18:55:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday night, gifted young Korean pianist Soyeon Lee wore a dress made of soft-pouch juice containers at her solo recital at Carnegie Hall .

According to the New York Times, "last summer, a few days after attending a Live Earth concert at Giants Stadium, Lee walked through the Princeton University campus, where hundreds of schoolchildren were participating in summer camp programs. She noticed trash bins overflowing with juice pouches. She contacted TerraCycle Inc., a company devoted to making consumer products out of garbage."

With Soyeon's guidance TerraCycle and Honest Tea commissioned ninA vAlenti to design a ball room gown, made from over thousands of juice pouches collected through the TerraCycle's juice pouch brigade.

Cool story! Until I read about Soyeon Lee's dress I did not know that BILLIONS of juice pouches end up in landfills each year. TerraCycle has launched a wonderful program to encourage people to collect the pouches, send them to TerraCycle and raise money for their favorite charities. More info about the program and Soyeon's dress is here.

EcoMoms

2008-02-16T10:52:00.000-05:00

I've been making regular visits to the Green Mom Finds website. It's like having a best girlfriend who knows about all of the best earth-friendly, toxic-free things you need for your family. As interest in "going green" increases, more and more "green" products are entering the marketsphere. It's great to have a website like Green Moms that helps moms find the good stuff.

The International Herald Tribune recently did a story about the EcoMom Alliance. The story also mentioned greenandcleanmom.blogspot.com, eco-chick.com and the web-based organization the Center for The New American Dream which advocates reducing consumption and offers brides a gift registry that can "help you celebrate the less-material wedding of your dreams."

I think that moms are at the forefront of the green movement in America because we make most of the decisions about what the family brings into the house and consumes. Becoming more aware of what other moms are doing helps me make better decisions for my family.

In the International Herald Tribune article about the EcoMoms Alliance, Patricia Leigh Brown writes:

At last year's Step It Up rallies, a day of environmental demonstrations across the country, the largest group of organizers were "mothers concerned about the disintegrating environment for their children," said Bill McKibben, an event founder and the author of "The End of Nature." Women have been instrumental in the environmental movement, from turn-of-the-century campaigns to save the Hudson Palisades and California sequoias to the Love Canal toxic waste activist Lois Gibbs. In public opinion surveys, women express significantly higher levels of environmental concern than men, said Riley Dunlap, a professor of sociology at Oklahoma State University. In recent years, he said, "local lifestyle activism," much of it driven by women, has been on the rise, a trend that is likely to continue, he said.

Rock on ladies!

Recycled Paper Products

2008-02-07T08:28:00.000-05:00

I've found three terrific sources for recycled paper products.

Paper.com carries a comprehensive line of tree-free, chlorine-free, recycled and FSC certified paper products. Envelopes, letterhead, you name it. Many colors.

Green business cards are available at Green Field Paper Company. They will print business cards on hemp-based paper or recycled paper.

Watabaran is a Nepalese company working with fair trade that produces recycled handmade paper products including paper gift bags, eco friendly gift boxes, and paper notebooks. Founded in 2001 by Björn Söderberg, the company employs eight women and eight men. According the the Watabaran website "The company is situated in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, a city that has great problems with pollution. There is garbage in every street corner, spreading diseases among people and animals; the water is so polluted, it is undrinkable. Other problems faced are high rates of unemployment and poverty; many families can not even afford to send their children to school. Watabaran was created as a response to these problems. . . Watabaran ensures a good working atmosphere, fair salary, insurance and paid vacation combined with strong democratic and environmental values." The company recycles paper collected from the city dumps in Kathmandu. The colors of the paper products are rich and vibrant and the products can be shipped to the United States. I am totally, completely in love with the Watabaran philosophy and products!

Learning Excel

2008-02-06T11:31:00.001-05:00

Like any new small business owner, I need to learn how to create Excel spreadsheets. And I need to learn fast! Online, I found a basic tutorial of Excel. Also, I'm using Google Documents spreadsheet so that I can access my accounting log from anyplace at anytime. This is a new thing for me, and I'm excited to make it work. Previously, I kept track of expenses on paper. But I would constantly loose things. Youch.

I have finalized the EarthSurf logo, have ordered business cards, and registered my domain name.

Phoebe Cates on "The Big Idea"

2008-01-29T08:40:00.000-05:00

Phoebe Cates was on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch last night to talk about her cool store, "Blue Tree" and her jewelry line "Give Them the Moon."

Phoebe talked about how she used to keep a dream book filled with clippings of the kinds of things she would put into a store, if she ever owned one. Her children used to joke with her about how she'd cut things out of magazines and "put them in her store." As time went on, the idea of actually owning a store became a real desire. One day while having coffee after taking her kids to school, she saw that one of her favorite stores, a children's toy store that had been around for ages, was closing. The store was for rent. Phoebe had a flash of inspiration: that's my store. So she cashed in her earnings from the movies she'd been in, and went into business.

Blue Tree is a store unlike any other. It sells an eclectic selection of clothes, accessories, jewelry and fun things for men, women & children. After watching The Big Idea interview, I checked out the Blue Tree website and was really impressed by its originality. A store as unique as Blue Tree should have a clever and different kind of website. Blue Tree does. Hat's off to Phoebe and her web designer. Nice site!

Before opening her store, Phoebe was busy talking care of her family. She is married to the actor Kevin Kline. When Donny Deutsch asked Phoebe if Kevin was very supportive about Phoebe's idea to open her own store, she said that Kevin was not. He wanted to know who was going to get dinner on the table, who was going to walk the dog. How was she going to have enough time for him? I could really relate. My husband is essentially the same way. In his eyes, my first and most important job is taking care of the house and family. My second most important job is my college teaching job. My business comes third. I understand where he is coming from, and I know that I have obligations to keep. But lately, all I want to do is work on the business. I love everything related to EarthSurf so much that I could easily spend all of my waking hours on the business. The upside is that since I know that I have to take care of other things before I can work on EarthSurf, I work really hard and really fast to get household chores and stuff out of the way so that I can get back to what I really love. I am more tired at the end of the day, but it's a good tired. I wake up thinking about the EarthSurf project that needs the most attention on that day, and try to figure out a way to carve out some time so I can get to it.

Balancing obligations and passion is not always easy. Trying to fulfill your dream while still being a "good wife" isn't easy either. Listening to Phoebe Cates tell her story to Donny Deutsch, I felt relieved to know that I'm sure not alone with this experience. Even celebrities with money in the bank face the same kinds of challenges. I would love to visit Blue Tree sometime. It sounds like such a great store.

Remembering a Good Day

2008-01-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

One day I was collecting beach glass by myself while my husband sat nearby reading a book. I noticed an older gentleman watching me from a few yards away. After about ten minutes, he approached me.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm hunting for sea glass," I replied. People often approach me and ask what I'm doing standing in the surf, eyeballing the water, picking up little things, putting them in my net bag. (Some people think I'm catching fish!) I've gotten used to being an object of curiosity, so I'm happy to explain what I'm doing to anyone who asks.

"Oh, sea glass. I love it," the gentleman said. "I used to collect it when I was a boy. Can I see what you've got?" I took out a handful of wet sea glass from my bag and showed him, and he nodded in approval. "Nice."

"You can actually save yourself a lot of trouble and make sea glass, you know," he said a moment later. "I make it myself. With a rock tumbler and some acid wash. I put it into my aquariums." I hope your fish are OK, I thought. Their eyes are probably bugging out from the chemicals. But he seemed so proud of finding a way to concoct fake sea glass that I hated to burst his bubble.

"Well, that's great, but I really love looking for sea glass. It's fun to see what you can find on any given day, since each day is different," I said, smiling. He nodded. I turned my gaze back to the water.

He tipped his cap and gave me a wave as he walked back to his resort. I saw him again the next day when he brought me a handful of sea glass he had found on his walk.

"No you keep it," I said. "It will remind you of when you were a boy. It will remind you of your vacation. You could take it home and put it in your aquarium." But, still, he wanted me to have the sea glass he had found. I thanked him and added his pieces to my wet net bag.

Only later, when I was sorting my catch for the day, did I realize that one of the gentleman's pieces was a large pale lavender piece of sea glass. If I had found it myself, I would have remembered. The color is very rare.

When I was making EarthSurf jewelry this morning, I came across the piece in my "special collections" box, and remembered the gentleman and that lovely day on the beach. I would love to make him something with the piece like a key chain fob, and find a way to give it back to him. Hopefully he isn't putting fake sea glass in his aquarium any more.

I regret not saying something about his poor fish.

Fresh From Nature's Mold

2008-01-25T11:16:00.000-05:00

I came across an interesting article by Ruth La Ferla in The New York Times Magazine. "Fresh From Nature's Mold" is about the back-to-nature movement in jewelry design. An excerpt:

The look of nature is hip, and not just because, as some people insist, it reflects a concern with preserving the environment. More than seeming politically ''correct,'' the style represents a rejection of the slick, showy excess of the past 10 years. Tom Binns, for one, began making silver, driftwood and sea-glass jewelry because, as he puts it, ''I was gilded out. I had a theory about getting away from the corporate identity of a certain kind of dressing.'' Sandra Constantine, who buys jewelry for Barneys New York, believes stylish women are forsaking much that's artificial for an artisanal look. Until recently, she observes, ''anybody who had a glue gun could make jewelry and sell it. But it doesn't work that way anymore. Women are responding to the personal feeling and sensitivity that go into a piece.''

One Can Dream

2008-01-23T12:49:00.000-05:00

I just received the following in my email box:

If you love the diving in Cayman and you respect and want to protect the environment, consider the new Cayman Diving Lodge which is proud to be the first, and only, Green Certified Resort in Grand Cayman!

Sounds great! I am all for green certified resorts! Now, if I can just win the lottery next week . . .

Telling The Story

2008-01-23T09:20:00.000-05:00

The story of EarthSurf is pretty simple. I set out to create beautiful Earth-friendly jewelry for men and women using surf-tumbled sea glass and other natural materials. I wanted to find a way to do what I love, raise money for important causes, and make a difference.

Most days I can't wait to work on my business, whether making jewelry, working on marketing or learning more about the process of making and selling things. On the days when I am discouraged because I just don't have enough time to do everything that I'm supposed to be doing (taking care of the kids, cleaning the house, doing my day job), I turn to recorded episodes of "The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch." I can't seem to get enough of his interviews with entrepreneurs. Deutsch is a fabulous interviewer on par with all the great television interviewers out there (Charlie Rose, Larry King, Studs Terkel). Watching "The Big Idea" is like mainlining adrenaline. It's a guaranteed feel good rush.

Recently, Donny interviewed Michelle Austin, founder of Fluidity:Fitness Evolved. Michelle told her story about how she came up with the idea of a ballet-based exercise program and how she and her Dad designed and developed a stand-alone ballet-bar. It was basically a problem-solution story. Michelle once had a big butt and wanted to change it. After taking numerous dance-based exercise classes, she determined that there had to be a better approach, so she became a self-taught expert on dance, exercise physiology and anatomy, and created a very innovative course designed to work the entire body, but especially the backside. She also felt that wall-mounted ballet bars limited the instructional design of her courses, so she needed to find a way to create a stand-alone bar that would be stable enough to support a person's weight and wouldn't tip over or rock. She turned to her Dad, a physics expert, who came up with several prototypes. Michelle tested her prototypes with actual people in gyms. The concept was a hit, and Michelle and her Dad went into production.

After watching the interview, not only was I re-motivated to take care of all of the little chores I had to do before I could get back to EarthSurf, I was motivated to purchase the Fluidity products. If I had come across Michelle and Fluidity in a magazine, or if I had simply seen her infomercial, I doubt that I would have made the decision to purchase the package. But the interview gave me insight into the story behind the product -- the ups, the downs -- the way Michelle's Dad played an important role -- the reasons why Michelle's innovation helped her solve her own physique dilemmas. I think that Fluidity is a great product, and I can't wait until my package is delivered. Hopefully my butt will look better in a couple of months after I use it. (No before/after photos will be posted. Ha ha.) But, really, it was the story that sold me.

Lessons in E-Commerce

2008-01-22T18:08:00.000-05:00

My day job allows me to work from home a few days a week which is great for multi-tasking. Grade some papers, create some quizzes, throw in a load of laundry, vacuume, answer students' email, grade more papers. Today I was supposed to do a lot of day-job related tasks, and yet all I could think about was e-commerce. I am trying to find the right e-commerce platform for online sales. I probably spent way too much time online comparing various e-commerce alternatives.

Here are a few of my lessons learned. C/NET is a good place to find reviews and information about various hosting options. Look for "Editors Choices" and read the User's Reviews. The charts that compare various hosting plans and prices is invaluable.

The ECommerce-Guide website is another good source of information. I read a few articles on the site and found out about the free e-commerce websites at Fast Commerce.

There is a lot available, and the amount a person could spend each month on e-commerce ranges from a few dollars a month to a few hundred dollars a month. Lots to learn!

Buy Handmade Pledge

2008-01-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

At Christmastime, I found out about the "Buy Handmade" pledge though one of my favorite artists on Etsy. It was probably one of the highlights of the holiday season for me. I bought some really cute kids stuff on Etsy, and then became inspired to make some handmade presents of my own. For my nieces and nephews, I made double fleece "cuddle up" blankets. They were a hit with the little ones. Erin, Julia and Alex take their blankets everywhere, Aunt Carrie reports. I'm not so sure how the older cousins received their gifts. M and H are notorious non-writers of thank you cards. So, I just hope that they liked their homemade gifts. Who knows. It's the thought that counts, right? I also gave handmade bracelets and necklaces. My mother-in-law is so sweet. She tells me that she loves whatever jewelry I make for her, and, not only that, she wears it, too! I love her!

My other handmade gift caper involved making grain-filled spa pillows, similar to the ones you can purchase from Green Daisy. My husband did not like the cooked corn smell in the Green Daisy Wuvits, so I filled my pillows with wheat berries. It's slightly more expensive than corn, but not so smelly when microwaved. I gave them to all of the boys' teachers, and promised to make more for the boys' skiing and snowboarding coaches. They are perfect after skiiing/snowboarding, especially if you have achy muscles. My friend Robbie says that I should go into business making and selling the pillows (which I have named "The Vermont Comfort Pillows"), but my heart belongs to my sea glass. Lately, that's all I can think of.

The Big Idea

2008-01-18T13:26:00.000-05:00

I'm hooked on the CNBC show "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch." The show is about people who turned ideas into businesses. Most of the people Donny interviews are self-made millionaires, though from time to time he talks to people who aren't making a lot of money but are living very happy lives.

Recently, Donny interviewed Michael Gates Gill, author of How Starbucks Saved My Life. Gill was a down-on-his luck 63 year-old unemployed guy with a degree from Yale and a silver-spoon childhood. One day, he stopped in a Starbucks in NY for a cup of coffee, and the manager, a wonderful person named Crystal Thompson, encouraged him to apply for a Starbucks job. Broke, with no experience in retail (and no other employment options), Gill took the job. It turned into a life-changing experience. He wrote a book about it. Tom Hanks has optioned the book. The Wall Street Journal called it "One great read."

Michael Gates Gill's interview with Donny was wonderfully inspiring. The theme was "find what you love to do." Gill never expected that a job as a barrista at Starbucks would become so fulfilling. And yet, that's what happened. With nothing to lose, he strapped on the apron, went through the training, listened, learned, and had a ball. Gotta give the man credit.

Find what you love to do. That's really what it's all about.

Anita Shreve on Sea Glass

2008-01-10T14:27:00.000-05:00

I often think that sea glass itself is not unlike old houses in that it, too, suggests stories of previous lives. Sea glass is essentially trash -- bits of glass from ships that have gone down or garbage that has been tossed overboard. The glass breaks and then is weathered by the sea and washes up onto shore. The shards take on a lovely patina and come in many subdued colors. Sea glass will not break. I have spent many hours on the beach collecting sea glass, and I almost always wonder, as I bend to pick up chunk of bottle green or a shard of meringue white, what the history of the glass was. Who used it? Was it a medicine bottle? A bit of a ship's lantern? Is that bubbled piece of glass with the charred bits inside it from a fire?

Anita Shreve

Be Your Best Self

2008-01-01T14:30:00.000-05:00

There is a Japanese proverb that literally goes 'Raise the sail with your stronger hand,' meaning you must go after the opportunities that arise in life that you are best equipped to do.

- Soichiro Honda