I sat out on the deck in the perfect autumn weather and made something.
A lot of beach combing happened this summer in California. A little by me, during the weekend I visited Barry, and quite a lot by Barry. I came home from my trip with all the nooks and crannies of my suitcase filled with rocks and shells. We had even found a starfish washed up on the shore. I thought I could take it back with me and dry it, but boy was that a mistake! Even in two ziploc bags it spread the most horrific smell to everything near it– and turned to flattened mush. I put it on the roof at my parents house to dry, but it remained stinky and just not cool at all. Bummer.
But, I still have treasures to spare. I braved a trip to Michael’s yesterday with the kids in tow to find some shadow box frames, and I found some in the Martha Stewart crafty stuff– in my shade of green, even. I grabbed my box of shells and sticks and sand dollars, went outside with my glue and paintbrush, and it felt so good.
I stuck the finished arrangement in a cubby in my new art-room-in-leiu-of-a-dining-room. I’m making progress in there.
It’s in plain view of the front door, so if it’s going to be a mess, it’s got to be a cute mess. I finally got to the box of very gingerly wrapped bird nests, rocks, seedpods, eggs, and shells today. I wonder what the packers thought…
There was some other random junk in the box too. I had some help finding a place to put it.
There’s just something about being creative. I’ve never understood the mathematical mind at all. If I don’t scrapbook, write, or take any pictures for a while I start to feel ill at ease. I suppose mathematicians create in their own way as creation is somewhere at the core of who we all are.
.. I tried to bring home a sand dollar that we found alive about the size of a salad plate.. but we had the same thing happen. The smell and mushing so I had to leave it behind!
It was a DEAD starfish– and it had started to dry out on the beach, but once it got put in a plastic bag the mush factor took over.
I definitely understand the need to create. I really LOVED Elder Uchdorf’s talk during the RS broadcast that was about being creative and compassionate. That definitely resonated with me and I’m sure most women because it’s in our nature to have the desire to create. I love that picture of Ian… he’s HUGE!! What a cutie.
What a beautiful creation! (Ian, too! ;D ) And a great way to preserve your beach combing memories. What kind of glue do you use?