OCEAN TREASURES

There's nothing like time at the ocean to relax our minds and bodies, lift our spirits and delight us with the treasures we find.  Our time at the beach always has to include exploring.

Have you ever noticed all the plant life that has washed up at the ocean's edge and how very pretty they are?  Look at the different sizes and colors and textures! Magnificent!

We call this last one Seaside Medley because there is a little bit of everything in it. We were able to capture a photo just before it was washed away. 

We also love to search for smooth flat rocks. . . 

to create with once we are home. 

They are awaiting further embellishment and a coat of acrylic varnish.

Then there's the rocks we find that make us smile and of course we want to give it some more personality.

And rocks we keep just because they are cool.

And we wonder who would put their feet up and sit a spell on this rock.

There's always that delightful little piece of sea glass that sparkles in the sand and gets added to our nature cabinet. . .

and beautiful pieces of shells that we will give new life and wear as jewelry.

And we never can come home without heart rocks to add to our collection. Some are just a hint of a heart, but we still see it and feel it, especially if it is found and given from the heart of a child.

Time by the ocean is rejuvenating! 
We love best to go in the late afternoon when the sun's rays have retreated some, the crowds have thinned and the air a bit cooler. There's something magical at that time of day.

“The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

~Jacques Cousteau

ROCKS AND WIRE AND PICTURES

The children and I got a head start on a gift for the dads today using rocks and wire. It is a very simple craft, although not as easy for the younger children as I thought it might be, so I helped. . . a great deal :) 

First, you find rocks that stand up well. The children chose their own rock.

Then you gather wire. I used what we had on hand. I wanted to use colorful telephone wire that we have but it's hiding somewhere in a box. So I settled for regular silver wire that bends fairly easily. And perhaps the silver wire was a better choice anyway.

Next, cut off a good amount of wire and start to wrap it like you would ribbon on a package, pulling it as taut as you can . . .

and bringing it up to the top side, twisting it tight together all the way up. Make some adjustments, if you have to, so it will be somewhat centered and stand straight.

Then you bend some of the twisted wire down into a spiral, that's the part that will hold the picture, note, recipe, etc.

The children chose the pictures they wanted and glued them onto heavier paper. We used watercolor paper. They wrote a note to dad on other colorful paper and glued it onto the back of the picture.

I think some dads are going to be very happy. What do you think?


You can experiment with different rocks as well as different wire and different methods of wrapping it.. I want to use some of the rocks I have collected already and make a whole display area for pictures. I just love decorating with nature. I got my inspiration here.