Sand Pumpkins & My Sea Shell Obsession

 "Hello to Everyone!"

 I'm sure that most of you probably thought I dropped off the face of the earth, right? Well, actually, I've been totally enjoying my life living so close to the beach and I have become absolutely

 "addicted to shellin'!"

We have a lot of beautiful beaches nearby us, but our Oak Island is the best place to find some really beautiful shells around here. 

 Our screened in porch has become the place for me to display my growing collection of sea shells.

And to fit in with the tropical beach theme that our porch is now beginning to acquire, sand pumpkins seemed like a no brainer to me.

With no spray on glue in my supplies and my need to get my project done I opted to just brush on some mod podge and then dip it in some beach sand....two layers covered best.

Now, here's a look around the room at how I have displayed them.

  An aqua bottle, with some cotton rope that I wrapped around it's neck, holds an assortment of  "whelk" centers....I call them "swirls."

An old water jug holds sand and lots more swirls.

A peek inside.

Small "augers" fill a bottle and a "cockleshell."

These are some of my bigger "cockleshells," with speckled patterns in rust.

There's a trio in my rusty, wire candlescape.

And an assortment covers the soil of our patio palm adding a bit of interest to it's base.

A patio palm stands in one corner of the room.

This is our rear entrance into our Carolina room.

Of course I had to add a few shells to this wreath along with a few leaves for fall.

  "Whelks" are eagerly sought by shell hunters and quite a "score" when one is found!

The larger ones are my 6 inch beauties.

These are shiney, little "jingles" and are quite easily found.

An endless array of patterns can be found on scallops and are fun to collect.

Bits and pieces are displayed in a cast iron urn.

These are called "shark's eyes" or sometimes "fish eyes"....tiny ones are abundant, the bigger ones are much more scarce.

"Razors" are quite often overlooked. The smaller ones are delicate and quite easily broken. 

The larger 5 inch ones are harder to find.

Another corner with a table top vignette...

 with ocean barnacles on a plate of sand

  and below in a distressed wooden tote.

Some very special, Costa Rican, shells that were given to me from a friend are stashed in my little hanging cage.

Now, can you see why our porch is, by far, our favorite room in the house?

So, you see my fall decorating has begun....next, I'll be back to share our outside look and living room mantel with you.

  Love, Hugs and Kisses,

JP

and Gucci, too!

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