tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089836888332800562024-03-13T11:04:46.323-07:00Sea Glass Jewelry by Spirit of the SeaHand Crafted Sea Glass Jewelry made from genuine seaglass and Beach GlassDianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-62140408505576419232011-02-17T13:08:00.000-08:002011-02-17T13:08:01.352-08:00OOAK Sea Glass Necklace Extreme Wire Wrap with by SpiritoftheSea<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/67659605/ooak-sea-glass-necklace-extreme-wire">OOAK Sea Glass Necklace Extreme Wire Wrap with by SpiritoftheSea</a><br />This is one of my new pieces using the great new copper wire.<br /><img src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_570xN.215354538.jpg" width="500">Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-82347540275281491812009-12-17T09:55:00.000-08:002009-12-17T09:59:05.285-08:00We're back from our Sea Glassin' Trip!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVHyVrn2DSgaC4p98OoGrcApm4d-rATEdfYmOnXEwruaV1xE7qBa9R-Nd7Y_yLzchKFrVmjK4IrwTrtZMWDBo1T81ZteRT2lpbkx99OH5TVm3iaKYAxFYFbSkr9vJj3ISIs5_iEHoo7k/s1600-h/DSC05783.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVHyVrn2DSgaC4p98OoGrcApm4d-rATEdfYmOnXEwruaV1xE7qBa9R-Nd7Y_yLzchKFrVmjK4IrwTrtZMWDBo1T81ZteRT2lpbkx99OH5TVm3iaKYAxFYFbSkr9vJj3ISIs5_iEHoo7k/s400/DSC05783.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416265975423916882" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We're just back from our latest Sea Glassin' trip--this time in the gorgeous (and warm) Caribbean.<br />We found lots of great sea glass--especially in the Cayman's and I can't wait to get busy with some new designs.<br />I've just completed the set above --keep watching for more!<br />Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you and yours<br />from Frank and Dianne here at<br />Spirit of the Sea!Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-87385011237368329992009-10-15T15:42:00.000-07:002009-10-15T16:05:33.350-07:00Let the Festival Begin!!Hi All!<br />The Sea Glassing Weekend produced little in the way of usable sea glass--as is usually the case on the Mid-Atlantic beaches of NJ, DE and MD--better luck next time.<br />I haven't had time to even look through the few pieces I brought back--it was time to pack up for the Sea Glass Festival. As I looked at the pile in the family room I had serious doubts as to whether it would all fit in the car. We had decided against taking the truck because we were heading to Erie--land of "lake effect snow"<br />I really thought that Frank was being overly cautious but we decided on the car because of the all wheel drive.<br />Everything fit-we packed the car on Weds. and I started to relax a little.<br />We left for Erie at around 7:30 this morning. We live two miles from the turnpike entrance and it started to rain as soon as we got on. It rained for the whole 285 on the PA turnpike as well as the 123 on rt 79 heading into Erie. Amazingly, there were a few flurries mixed with the rain, the farther North we went.<br />We reached the hotel about 2:30 this afternoon and after checking in, we went out again to explore-neither of us have ever been to the Erie area before.<br />The first thing we did was drive down the road in front of the Hotel-rt 89-to the lake. It was raining but I still hopped out and checked out the beach. I found a few pieces of sea glass as well as some beautiful rocks--I filled a small box with my treasures and then jumped back in the car-out of the rain. We then drove down to the Convention Center to check out where we would need to go to set up tomorrow.<br />We got dinner at the resturant next to the hotel and here I am on the computer.<br />Frank just looked out the window and it is now snowing. The forcast for the area is up to 1-3 inches tonight and again tomorrow night. Thrills!!!<br />I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow--I'm glad we threw in the windshield scraper before we left.<br />DianneDianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-66745855487853769022009-10-09T11:17:00.000-07:002009-10-09T11:24:44.947-07:00Sea Glassing WeekendHi All!<br />Its a beautiful day and just the kind of weather I look forward to--crisp, and clear! We are heading to MD's Eastern Shore for a weekend of R&R and Sea Glassing.<br />Its a little warmer than I would have expected today--80 degrees but with a stiff breeze and lots of sunshine--it will blow away any lingering mosquitoes.<br />We will do some glass hunting here along the bay this afternoon and then tomorrow probably head up to Dewey Beach and a few others nearby --after the morning showers. <br />I'll check in later if I find anything interesting--but first I will bury the dead seagull that was laying in the yard :(<br />Enjoy the day!<br />DianneDianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-61519158361290878072009-10-06T13:16:00.000-07:002009-10-06T13:42:31.045-07:00Sea Glass on the Beautiful Island of BermudaWe took a cruise to Bermuda at the beginning of September. We went by RCL on the Explorer--one of our favorite ships. It was our fourth time on the Explorer--we love that ship because it goes out of Bayonne NJ and we don't need to fly -its an easy 2 hour drive from home. We also love that ship because it goes to Bermuda--a Sea Glass Lover's Paradise!! We arrived in Bermuda early in the morning and we were among the first people off the ship. We took a ferry to St George where we picked up a cab to Alexandra Battery. We could have walked--we have before!--but it was hot and the way is steep. Its about 1 1/2 miles and that wouldn't be so bad but we knew from experience that we would be carrying back a lot of sea glass and it can get really heavy. When we got to the beach, there was hardly anyone there. A few locals with their kids taking an early swim but they were packing up when we arrived. We met two fellows from another cruise ship who arrived right after us--they were snorkling and picking up a little of the glass. We were there roughly two hours and it may seem amazing but in that time we collected 51 pounds of glass--and we were picky! It was low tide and more glass is exposed at that time. The fellows who were snorkling told us that when you are out in the water and your ears are underwater you can hear the glass rolling in the waves.. It is so loud and there is so much it sounds like someone is routing through the silverware drawer in their kitchen. We brought along a nice supply of 1 gallon zip lock bags and as we filled them we placed them in our tote bags. When we were finally ready to leave we called for a cab and headed back to the ferry in St George. Our bags were a little heavy on the walk from the ferry back to the ship and it was really hot that day. When we were going through the security check to get back on the ship, the security crew got a kick out of our "haul"--not many people pick the trash off the beaches and bring over 50 pounds of it home with them!!<br />Can't wait to go back--its really a sea glass paradise.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3orXnWEGh3c&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3orXnWEGh3c&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-13870834964727225812009-10-04T16:40:00.000-07:002009-10-04T17:02:42.211-07:00Glass Net Floats--The Ultimate Sea GlassHi All!<br />We've spent this afternoon assembling the collection of glass net floats that we will be offering at the Sea Glass Festival. We've been collecting these floats for over 25 years and we have used them as decor in the beach house. The beach house is really, really small and the net floats number over 200--talk about overkill!<br />I decided I would cull the herd-so to speak-and offer some of the bigger floats at the festival. When I was collecting them I never worried about where they were from or anything like that--I liked the color and many of my floats are newer decorative pieces--not just the old authentic net floats. I don't care--I like them all. Most of my large floats--the beachball size are old and signed as are quite a few of the smaller ones. These are the ones I will be offering at the Festival so it will be great pickings for any serious collectors. I have them from Japan (signed and unsigned), Russia, Portugal and Germany, so if net floats are your thing--make sure you stop in and see us at the North American Sea Glass Association Festival, Oct 17 & 18, Bayfront Convention Center, Erie, PA. Of course we will also be showing our <a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com">sea glass jewelry </a>as well but I'm happy none of these glass floats ever got reduced to the frosted shards but have survived intact after years of floating at sea.Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-26527130134332018392009-10-03T15:25:00.000-07:002009-10-03T15:50:36.571-07:00I can see the light.....!!Hi All!<br />Well-the sea glass festival is almost here. As one who never does shows, this has been a challenge. When I finally was sure that I was actually accepted in the festival--June--I began diligently building my inventory so that I would have enough to make a respectable showing. All this in addition to maintaining inventory on the website. During this time of inventory building I have also expanded my interests and "skills"--I have fallen in love with lampworking. As I explained it to my daughter, I feel I have finally come full circle. My interest in beads has been long standing--I've collected antique beads for more than 30 years. When I began making jewelry about 8 years ago, I wouldn't consider including any of my collected beads because I was sure no one but me could appreciate how special they were--why waste them? I guess I still feel that way or maybe I'm just selfish but I still don't want to share any of my collected pieces just yet. The interest in lampworking isn't really new--I've loved each and every lampwork bead in my collection --But I have recently begun to make a few of my own. Very enjoyable and now I have a supply of beads that I can part with as I incorporate them into my <a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com">sea glass jewelry</a>. My lampwork has taken an exciting turn--I have begun to use sea glass for my lampwork beads. I have used some of the pieces that are not suitable for jewelry--with breaks and unfrosted edges and such. Many of you may not know it but here on the Mid Atlantic Coast, I'm lucky if one piece in 100 is JQ (jewelry quality) The percentage is much better with my glass that I find on Bermuda and Puerto Rico but I still have thousands of pieces of sea glass that I will probably never use for anything. So, now I have found a way to use them. This way I am able to exactly compliment the sea glass used in a jewelry piece with the lampworked beads in exactly the same color. My regular customers have been the first to see the new look and have loved them!! I will be showing these pieces at the Sea Glass Festival later this month but here is a sneak preview.... I'm sure it won't be long before someone else "comes up with" the same idea-just remeber, you saw it here first!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4uunVl-7EHsjQ2KMLkOJqgIG0YQUU4eBnqpE-HUZyn-PqPBGJc_aKYxb_Nel158XY1dZRBvKNoQKXXXHWqnpgX2QEVFdxkdr8XEJTIukO4aYPz3nOBYVIRyb9s1afchadHbwWjgfPGgg/s1600-h/DSC05479.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4uunVl-7EHsjQ2KMLkOJqgIG0YQUU4eBnqpE-HUZyn-PqPBGJc_aKYxb_Nel158XY1dZRBvKNoQKXXXHWqnpgX2QEVFdxkdr8XEJTIukO4aYPz3nOBYVIRyb9s1afchadHbwWjgfPGgg/s400/DSC05479.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388508281443838450" /></a>Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-52005904474644763702009-08-19T18:28:00.000-07:002009-08-19T18:34:44.745-07:002009 North American Sea Glass FestivalHi All,<br />Just a heads up! The 2009 North American Sea Glass Festival is fast approaching!<br />It runs October 17 and 18, 2009 and this year is in Earie PA.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7rxYzGOUfsN9UZLt5AO2cU0SsEaSlH70BO0gsZq3WACtxa2Xl5fX70TCZIlEk9Px1vE0RNNxyQOJPThAF1rtp3_MhJjpbu5z8Ch5gxbUfBii2LJMWv9mnU8qBWnF4XkcPnPK3xRFZIw/s1600-h/DSC05394.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7rxYzGOUfsN9UZLt5AO2cU0SsEaSlH70BO0gsZq3WACtxa2Xl5fX70TCZIlEk9Px1vE0RNNxyQOJPThAF1rtp3_MhJjpbu5z8Ch5gxbUfBii2LJMWv9mnU8qBWnF4XkcPnPK3xRFZIw/s400/DSC05394.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371852826784467522" /></a><br />If you would like to pick up custom orders at the show--please make sure that your order is placed early! Thanks--see you there!<br />~Dianne~<br /><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://api.ning.com/files/UVK5X8*SnJCJdCzflJjVuSenjnCIn2QELjYxNR6EY2uY0R2DqKTYCOlKqVQdBcGwI*PzY4-EDeVg5bG3aDowYf*oUqBpl*ES/etsybanner.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="40"/><br /><br><br /><a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com">Sea Glass Jewelry by Spirit of the Sea</a></p>Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-47933775229931409042009-08-14T16:44:00.000-07:002009-08-14T19:53:12.933-07:00Healing Properties of Sea GlassWe've been doing alot of research and reading over the last few weeks on the healing properties of gemstones and the related attributes of color in general. Scientific studies are providing more and more credance to these ancient beliefs. Most of us wear certain colors of clothing and tend to shy away from others--how fascinating that there may actually be a correlation between the colors we wear and the way we feel!! This correlation has been applied to gemstones for years and now even more is surfacing as relating to color in general. <br />Sea Glass comes in a rainbow of colors! You can find it in just about every imaginable shade. Every collector has a favorite color of Sea Glass that they have chosen or are looking for. But, we have found that, more often the color chooses the person. Each color has individual qualities that the new owner is attracted to. Color Science tells us that every color draws specific energies to the wearer. People lacking in a certain energy are naturally drawn to it, so someone needing more peace and tranquility in their life will tend to choose blues and greens. People seeking more energy and vitality tend to want more vivid colors like red and amber. We have included the qualities of each color in the chart below. <br />Not all colors are created equally! Some colors like red and orange are rare while other colors like white and emerald green are plentiful. Richard LaMotte in his recent book "Pure Sea Glass" has provided a resource for gauging the relative rarity of a particular shade. You can check the chart on our web page for the rarity of your favorite color of <a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com/seaglasscolors.htm">Sea Glass</a>!Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-30758532448998161132009-07-15T17:24:00.000-07:002009-07-15T18:43:42.149-07:00Hunting for Sea GlassHi. We just came back from a weekend on Maryland's Eastern Shore. We've had a retreat there for the last 27 years and sea glass collecting has been a favorite pastime. We started out hunting for arrowheads but it was discouraging to keep coming home empty handed so we started picking up the smooth colorful bits of sea glass, too. The collection has grown to amazing proportions over the years and one of the things that everyone asks when they see our sea glass is...where do you find it all? They will then go on to say they've never seen any on the beaches---but of course they have! Its everywhere and finding itcan be fun and sometimes a real adventure. The methods of finding the glass are as varied as the locations you search in. On some beaches we search the high and low water marks and scan the area in between. Here in Maryland, along the ocean beaches, that method yields a few small pieces most trips--its better in the fall and winter because the sea seems a little rougher and the waves are more productive. Also-they don't groom the beaches then and there are fewer people. Our place is on the back bay. The bay itself is very shallow and the slightest wind can bring waves but at other times the water can be as smooth as glass. I have found glass in the rougher muddy areas along the bay for years. The smooth sandy areas seem to allow anything that washes in to wash right back out but the muddy rough areas hold onto much more. I've videoed my latest hunt--I don't find much but the quality is usually pretty good. Some of the glass is pretty old--the Snow Hill Area has been settled since the late 1600's. In addition , there were some devastating storms in the 1930's and 1960's with alot of destruction--we still find occasional pieces of tiles from the bowling alley that is long gone.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/O53pvvkuQc4&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/O53pvvkuQc4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />In some places it is more productive to work the incoming tides--we enjoy standing in the surf with our backs to the waves--amazing what washes by. We have found tremendous amounts of sea glass this way on the Dominican Republic and also Barbados.<br /><br />Another method we like to use is snorkeling--just off the beach beyond the curl--I use a small sieve attached to a 4 ft dowel because I don't like to dive (never could get the hang of clearing my snorkel so I stay on the surface and scoop what I see) This method is a favorite in St Thomas and some areas of Puerto Rico.<br /><br />In some areas the sand is so light and fine--its coral sand rather than the quartz sand we get here in the Mid Atlantic--anything heavier, like sea glass, sinks down into it and is quickly covered. We have a favorite beach in Bermuda where you see no sea glass on the surface of the beach but if you stand in the surf you can see it wash in and a simple sieve is all you need to separate it from the coral sand. Doing this doesn't disturb the sea floor as much as each wave does so it really isn't a problem from an ecological stand point.<br /><br />Matching your sea glass hunting techniques to your location --and sometimes using a little ingenuity--can result in pieces that you might not have found otherwise.<br /><br />Much of our hunting is done in the Caribbean while we are cruising. When you only have a limited time on a given beach on a given island, low tide can't be an issue---we have whatever tide we have at the moment and a little perseverence and ingenuity can make for terrific collecting and many times you will be the only collector on the beach. Sometimes others have watched us and joined us--most in a friendly unobtrusive way --some rudely diveing between our feet to "beat us" to whatever. Its a great window on human nature and its important to enjoy it and view the glass a a gift from the sea and not something owed you.<br /><br />Every beach is a little different and its surprising how much glass can be found when you learn how and were to look.Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-3444196602563345482009-05-14T16:54:00.000-07:002009-05-14T16:58:42.403-07:00WOW - Tons of great Sea Glass!!Hi All,<br />We are just back from our wonderful 2 week Caribbean cruise to the Virgin Islands and the West Indies--what a blast. You won't believe how much Sea glass we found. The first stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico---we got there late in the day and there was a political demonstration that blocked traffic so we never made it to the beach--no sea glass here this time!<br />Next was St Thomas. We never seem to find too much glass here and this trip was no exception. Here again--May day celebration with blocked roads and traffic agravation--wrong place at the wrong time. Then came St Martin and much better luck--even if it was Carnival Time. We found a great driver (Tony)who actually knew what we were looking for and he took us to several great sea glass beaches. We had a great time with him and plan to do it again next trip. Next stop was Dominica. It was our first visit to this lovely island and we were told there wasn't much glass to be found here---Boy were our sources wrong!!! We found a really great driver (Roy) who took us to some fabulous beaches. There among the rocks and black sand, we found some of the best sea glass we've ever found--copious amounts--Roy even helped us look and amazingly-he was the one who found the nice nugget of orange. We had the best time--even in the rain.<br />Next we went to Barbados--again good hunting on even a public beach during the incoming tide. Again, we ran into a festival with road closings and traffic jams but our driver (Jockey) got us where we needed to go with no problem. Our final stop was St Kitts and we found a rousing ONE PIECE of glass. Someone had to have been there just ahead of us!! Was it one of you?? Anyway--we had a wonderful time and I spent my evenings on the ship working on <a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com/">sea glass jewelry </a>using some of the great stuff we found. I'll be adding it to the website soon so keep an eye open.<br /><br />~Dianne~<br /><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img height="40" alt="" src="http://api.ning.com/files/UVK5X8*SnJCJdCzflJjVuSenjnCIn2QELjYxNR6EY2uY0R2DqKTYCOlKqVQdBcGwI*PzY4-EDeVg5bG3aDowYf*oUqBpl*ES/etsybanner.jpg" width="200" /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com/">Sea Glass Jewelry by Spirit of the Sea</a></p>Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-35717172102171579842008-11-07T10:33:00.000-08:002008-11-07T10:41:48.836-08:00Sea Glass Jewelry is finally ready!!I am so pleased that I can Finally tell you that the web site is funtional. I will be tweaking it from now until forever-just like I do the others--but everything is up and running, so it you like <a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com/">Sea Glass and Sea Glass Jewelry</a>, please drop by for a visit.<br />This weekend we are in Maryland so I hope to hit some beaches for some new treasures--they're calling for rain so I guess it will be just me and the sea gulls-which is fine.<br />I'll post when I get back home--I am so spoiled by the Fios highspeed at home that I can barely function with the dial-up here! LOL<br />Talk to you later and I hope I have some beach finds to share. Another coastal storm just swept though yesterday so it will either be very good or nothing at all!Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-60791021447222141282008-10-22T05:47:00.000-07:002008-10-22T10:19:58.644-07:00My Sea Glass Web Site---Its getting closer...!I am finally coming down the home stretch on the new website. There has been so much else going on. I had <strong>wedding jewelry</strong> to finish up for <strong>two bridal parties</strong> and then got a <strong>rush order for a bridal party of NINE</strong> (!!how do you let that go till the last minute?!!). NO PROBLEM! Everything is delivered and everyone is happy so the world goes on and I am back finishing the website. I hope to be done by the end of the week. If you want a sneak peek- here it is --if a link doesn't work, it will soon!<br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"><a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com/"><strong>Sea Glass Jewelry</strong></a><a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com/"><br /></a><a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com/"><strong>Spirit of the Se</a><a href="http://www.spiritoftheseaglassjewelry.com/">a<br /></strong></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"><strong>Stop by if you get a chance and let me know what you think. I still have a lot of photoing to do in addition to writing the pages but the basics are finished and the site is functional.</strong></span></div></span><div align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"><strong>Well-back to work--have a great day!</strong></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"><div align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"></span></span></div><p><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"></p></span><div align="center"></div>Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-51886110375373242212008-10-20T17:50:00.000-07:002008-10-20T17:56:42.951-07:00The Sea Glass Festival in Lewes on Oct 11 & 12 was wonderful. What a crowd! We had limited time to spend in Lewes but we certainly enjoyed the time we had. It was great to meet some of the people I had only known by user id on ebay. I was really amazed at the number of people crowded into the Virden Center--all excited about sea glass. Well-welcome to the club-alot of us have been excited about it for years. It was really nice to have the Festival here on the East Coast this year and I heard rumors that Erie, PA is being considered for nest year. Can't wait.!Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-86146845028659044782008-10-05T11:03:00.000-07:002008-10-05T11:15:29.570-07:00Sea Glass JewelryHi<br />Just back from Maryland's Eastern Shore. We spent some time on Assateague Island sea glass hunting--wasn't very productive. The storm last week really swept the beaches clean. Found a few small pieces but overall the hunt was disappointing. Saturday we went to Chincoteague, VA . and went seaglass hunting on Chincoteague Island. We had a little better luck there but the beaches were surprisingly crowded. Hopefully most of the folks were looking for shells?<br />We will go back as the Fall season brings the cooler weather. The increased wave action seems to make for better hunting--this weekend the sea was very calm.<br />Does anyone have any favorite hunting sites in that area? Let me know in the comments--always glad to hear from other sea glass enthusiasts.<br />New weekend we will be at the Virden Center in Lewes DE for the sea glass convention--really looking forward to that!Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308983688833280056.post-65139677798386319642008-10-02T04:34:00.000-07:002008-10-02T04:55:03.984-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4V17XqEh4SDhAP_p3Ppqpl8ss1DncmHMRjRNnyttYfj3_9_kh0Iz358wi43dmzVXccM_Aa5cuKyXd64C_rI-GgpUy1NyH17jm8n71Z7aD-Thq3u6hsVe9cVAHfHfxkclQjqd1ENa7uY/s1600-h/DSC04065.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252523671248954482" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4V17XqEh4SDhAP_p3Ppqpl8ss1DncmHMRjRNnyttYfj3_9_kh0Iz358wi43dmzVXccM_Aa5cuKyXd64C_rI-GgpUy1NyH17jm8n71Z7aD-Thq3u6hsVe9cVAHfHfxkclQjqd1ENa7uY/s320/DSC04065.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Hi--and Welcome to my blog!</div><br /><div>I've established this blog to share with you some of my sea glass searching adventures as well as to show you some of my latest jewelry designs. I've been a little slow on building the website and hopefully that will evolve soon and I can show you that as well.</div><br /><div>I'm a 61 year old grandmother, who loves walking on the beach. For as long as I can remember, I've kept my head down --searching the sand as I walked. For the last 25 years I've diligently searched for arrowheads. I've trained my eyes to ignore the shells and other debris and have concentrated on those elusive bits of ancient handworked stone. I've found many along Chincoteague Bay and still search for them. Through the years I have picked up thousands of sharp glass along the beach--worried that someone might step on it and cut themselves. Somewhere along the line, I discovered sea glass. Its beautiful worn frosted appearance always appealed to me. Lets face it--though the lovely worn frosted pieces aren't plentiful, there are certainly more of them than of arrowheads waiting to be picked up and it kept me from returning home empty handed. I saved the frosted gems in a bowl for the sun to shine through. When my husband retired, we found that we loved cruising-especially in the Caribbean. There, too, I found more bits of beach glass and happily carried it home. The sea glass has long ago outgrown the bowl in the window but the desire to collect it has never slowed. I finally realized that incorporating it into my jewelry would satisfy both the collector and the creator sides of me and that has brought me to my latest passion--sea glass jewelry. I have sold many of my pieces through shops at the beach and at first worried that the jewelry would erode too much of my sea glass collection but I found that it just inspires me to find more. Even my husband has gotten into the beachcombing and collecting and gets just as excited (almost)as I do when we find a great color. My jewelry is made only from sea glass that we, ourselves, have found. Sadly, there is now so much recycled, tumbled, fake sea glass out there that I don't buy my glass from anyone. All of my jewelry is made from the pieces we have found that are without sharp edges and that are totally "frosted". This is a very small portion of the glass that we find--the rest simply fills containers for us to smile at when the sun shines on them and the glass comes to life. I always try to keep in mind that this glass started as trash-tumbled in the waves until it landed on a beach-it is actually liter we pick up. Isn't it strange that our folly of dumping our trash into the ocean has rewarded us with these wonderful little treasures from the sea? Considering it's origins, I find it difficult to refer to any of it as flawless or gem quality as so many do--I simply use my best pieces to share with you the beauty that has been provided by the action of the waves and the sea.Our glass has been collected form the East Coast, Bermuda, the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. Thank you for looking and I hope you will enjoy my glass as much as I do.</div><br /><div></div>Dianne~SpiritoftheSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01459595781670358683noreply@blogger.com