Loads of Buttercups

I finally got around to sorting those shells, and what a massive pile it was.

I figured I had at least 100 Buttercups. I was waaaaaaaaaaay off!

How about over 100 off....

Like, um.....287 Buttercups. I counted twice! That doesn't include the really bad broken ones that I tossed in a flower pot, either.

I also have a bunch of  different types of Tellins, including Atlantic Tellins. They are a really cool shell. Really thin, and it looks bent. I didn't get any pics of them....so you will see them in something I've made one of these days. One of the Atlantic Tellins is a bit thicker than normal, or normal from what I've seen, and will make a nice necklace.

You may remember seeing the exoskeleton of a horseshoe crab a couple of posts ago. Hubby found the lil guy on Caladesi, and the birds had picked him clean. A bunch of sand and junk had washed up into his cavity, and started coming out while I was washing him.

 .....along with this little cutie!

 Isn't it darling?!

I'm just glad to have the first 3 cleanings finished!

My awesome piece of coral!

These Olive shells are HUGE!

Love these little Whelks and this small Banded Tulip!

I've been watching too much American Pickers....I started calling my mini shells my "smalls". Hahaa!

 The really tiny shells totally fascinate me!

Coastal towns use shells and shell crush in place of mulch. I caught this olive out of the corner of my eye walking through the parking lot after dinner one night.

It's a little beat up, but still has some shine to it.

I have been working on some of those projects I have been wanting to finish. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment to be checking them off my list.

I had a custom order recently to create a necklace. It was fun, and I love doing custom orders!

I also had my first International order!!!! I've sent to Canada before, but that's still in North America. I've sent to Hawaii a few times also, but that is part of the United States regardless of the fact that it's across the Pacific. This time I sent something to SPAIN!!!! Del's Shells goes global! WooHoo!

Now, back to those projects!

Framed Seashells

On Sunday we were planning on going on a little outing, but the weather was so nasty we decided to stay in and do some little projects around the house.

I started to organize my craft room, and ran across some frames I had put away before Christmas, with the intention of doing something with them when I had time.

I have to make time for things, because I never have spare time on my hands. I'm always doing or making something.

The frames were kinda ugly...

so I hit them with a few coats of bronze spray paint.

I needed an insert, like a backer board...

I cut cardboard to fit inside, coated it with tacky glue, and dusted them with sand.

I chose 3 appropriate sized matching shells...

and sprayed them with high gloss sealer.

My little project was coming together!

and there it is!

and I still have room to add a little something.

The longest part of the project was the drying times. Very simple, very easy!

Now I have to make the time to finish my list of projects, and it's pretty long.

First, I better get my crafty space ready to store more shells!

Sweet Regrets

Ah yes, those sweet regrets!

I have been so engaged in an assortment of activities that I do have some regrets.

I regret that I haven't had time to sort my shells yet. (and it has been raining daily!!)

excuse the backyard, the dogs have had a heyday out there

I am so curious as to how many buttercups are in these piles.

I like rocks, too!

I also regret that I haven't had a chance to reorganize my work space. But you aren't going to see that!

I regret not being able to work on my shops, too.

The sweet part is... dom ta da dom!
I've been working on some custom orders!

And I did do a little playing over the weekend.....

can tab glued to driftwood to make a hanger

 I saw this on Pinterest! using pop tabs as hangers! Okay these are Shae's energy drink tabs, and actual pop tabs have 2 holes and can be screwed on. The original poster of this grand idea was
http://blog.makezine.com/2011/01/19/make-projects-hang-a-picture-from/

This is a piece of Mangrove driftwood!
I apologize for the poor photo quality. It has been dreary out for days, and with UV 90 Shade Screen on my windows the lighting in my house is poor at best.

I also kiped/kyped some shells from my new pile.
Not many, just three.
That's my next post!

I have several new pieces to list, and I'm dieing to show you, but I still need pictures.

Aarrgghhh the madness lol!

At least the madness is fun!

Views of Florida

This past week has been a whirlwind of activity for me. I have been busy and running around like crazy.

I finally managed to take some time and clean that pile of shells. Whew! What a job! I didn't think I'd ever get them finished. Now, I have get to sort them. This is actually almost as fun as finding them in the first place! Reliving the finding part, and remembering exactly what we did find. I try not to ooh and aah too much while cleaning them, or I would never get finished!

About the running around part- I'm in great need of certain findings (jewelry making parts) to complete some projects. I searched my town up one side, and down the other looking. Nothing, Nada, Zip of what I was looking for. You gotta be kidding me!

So, I search Etsy. The only ones I can find came from China. That's a longer wait than I want to wait to get my stuff. I have things to finish! So, I didn't order. I pondered on it for a while, and then thought, maybe they are listed differently. Just search for __________. And that was the secret. Not everyone calls this component by it's full name. Aha! So I have orders coming from various places across the USA. I can't wait for my supplies to get here!

Anyway, I wanted to share some more pictures from last weekend!

This boat is big! It's called the SCREAMER. I bet it is! When those engines kick in and it takes off, it looks like a SCREAMING good time. We are going to do this one of these days!

The Mangroves are so awesome, and provide a home to many species of fish and sea life.

                                      I love Palm Trees!

This mural is amazing! I would love a closer picture, but this was snapped out the window at a stop light.

I can't ever take too many pics of birds and wildlife.

Oh, the beauty of a Gulf Coast sunset. Every one is different. Sometimes the sun disappears into the ocean. Other times, into the clouds. The sky tinged in pinks and purples.

This shell was cool, but very much taken. Can you see the slipper shells adhered onto it in the 2nd pic?
How cool is that?! hermit crab beat me to it though....bummer.

If everything goes as planned, I'll be back soon with a shell post!