It's the first day of spring today so I went for my first beach walk - yay! I can only say that it can't get any colder, or can it? The recent storms have certainly churned up the sea and even exposed an old pillbox.

Pillboxes are concrete dug-in guard posts, normally equipped with loopholes through which to fire weapons. The originally jocular name arose from their perceived similarity to the cylindrical and hexagonal boxes in which medical pills were once sold. They are in effect a trench firing step hardened to protect against small-arms fire and grenades and raised to improve the field of fire. Pillbox, Wikipedia link

I found a few pieces of sea glass and pottery, not good enough for jewellery, but interesting all the same. And, the sun finally decided to come out on my walk back which made it a lot more pleasant - hope it stays out for a while :)

I hope you're surviving the 'Beast from the East' and keeping cosy. I'm busy editing photos from a trip we had to Goa at the end of Jan, beginning Feb and I think it's making me feel colder!!

I'm also editing photos of my strandline finds (beachcombing) for my newly re-opened Etsy shop 'The Strandline Finds' in which I sell all sorts of beach finds from my local beach - including sea glass, beach pottery, driftwood and holey stones. Some of the pieces are for collectors and some are for crafts i.e. mosaics, pictures etc. Here is the link if you would like to have a peek   www.etsy.com/shop/thestrandlinefinds

I have quite a stock of things to add as I've been collecting for years and I'll be adding more as and when I find them.  If there is anything in particular you would like just send me a message and I'll do my best to help :)

Went for my daily beach walk this afternoon and is was the same as yesterday and the day before - no sea glass or so I thought! Walked along to the North Pier, took some photographs and started to walk back. There was a freezing wind blowing and the sky was grey, but then I saw it, a sparking piece of bright seafoam sea glass lying on the sand. What a find and my only piece found today!  Check out the video below - pity we don't have feelavision, then you could feel how cold it was :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thank you to all my wonderful customers - here's wishing you all a very healthy, happy and prosperous 2018!

Maureen x

The Strandline Finds

Over the years I’ve amassed a great collection of sea glass and beach finds and was selling pieces that I didn’t need for jewellery making on Etsy. As I was tidying my workroom yesterday I though I really need to re-stock my Etsy shop with some of these wonderful pieces, and so, with a New Year starting I re-opened my Etsy shop ’The Strandline Finds’.

Wow! On my beach walk today I headed north to Birling Carrs in a north wind - one step forward and two back! Very exhilarating - but needed drop scones and tea when I got home :)

Video: https://youtu.be/Emior1uGFbA

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If like me you love diamonds then this article is a must read - oh wow!

A star is born with The Art of de GRISOGONO Creation I necklace, which tells the story of a remarkable diamond from mine to masterpiece.

Click the link

I was out sea glass hunting last week when a very low and very noisy skein of Canada Geese flew over - nearly fell over trying to catch a shot on my phone :) Why is it when I haven't got my camera with me something like this happens? Tell myself - Always Take Camera!!

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I found this wonderful bottle stopper on my local beach in Northumberland and at first I couldn't make out what it was, then it struck me 'Barbie' :) I posted on a group, Seaglasslovers on Facebook and someone identified it as a Vintage Castagnon Armagnac Brandy Decanter Bottle Knight Figural - Yey!!

Wow! Where has the last month gone - I'm supposed to be posting daily - eeek!

I got these super little bezel set sea glass pendant back from the assay office after being hallmarked and started listing them on my website, but what happened, I got side-tracked with orders, new designs and sea glass hunting, but I'm determied to get them all listed this weekend - keep checking as it's quite a long process :)

Wow! 3 years already! On 27th July 2014 I tweeted Theo Paphitis at #SBS (Small Business Sunday) about my business and was lucky enough to be chosen for a retweet to his 500K followers. What a boost for your business!!

If you have a small business and would like a big boost don't forget to send @Theo Paphitis #SBS a tweet about your business each Sunday between 5-7.30pm. Theo chooses 6 small businesses and gives them a retweet to his (now he has) 504K followers! 

Read all about it in this article

I was going to do some gardening today but the weather put paid to that with grey skies and rain for most of the day so  I went into the studio to make bangles and boy did I make some :) The photo shows the bangles, which are sterling silver, being lightly hammered to give them some texture and shine. Tomorrow I'll add a tree of life or a starfish charm to each one (which will be soldered, so no more lost charms) and polished ready for sale.

These are what the bangles will look like when they are finished...

We've just started to add these little Town Talk Silver Storage Strips to your order to keep your fine silver items shining bright.

Over time any sterling silver jewellery exposed to air will tarnish. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals. It’s the other metals, primarily copper, that make sterling silver tarnish. The copper reacts to moisture and sulfur in the air, causing the sterling silver tarnish. Silver tarnishes faster in areas with high humidity and air pollution. Chemicals like hairspray, perfume, deodorant, body lotion, bleach, etc., can speed up the tarnishing process.

• The best way to prevent tarnishing is to store clean, dry sterling silver in a dry airtight container, like a Ziploc bag, airtight container etc.

• An anti-tarnish strip with the silver jewellery in a Ziploc bag or airtight container helps to absorb tarnish-causing elements.

The Strips absorb atmosperic pollutants which can cause the silver to become oxidised and can help silver to retain its bright colour over time. To ensure best results replace the Strips as often as possible.

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Fabulous morning for sea glass hunting! I ♥ the beach :) Do you have a beach near where you live?

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I've added to the sterling silver seashell theme these tiny cast sterling silver cockle shell drop earrings - so delicate and pretty!

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On Monday I thought I'll get back on my blog in earnest and start with 'Today I'll be making', but here we are on Thursday and I'm just posting the makes today !!  I'll definitely get more organised and post regularly to keep you up to date with what's going on in my studio :)

Below is a pic of what was on my bench on Monday - cast sterling silver cockle shells just back from my casting service - 12 tiny and 12 medium all ready to be sanded, soldered and polished. The tiny ones will be attached to delicate bracelets and drop earrings and the medium ones to chunky bracelets and possibly necklaces.

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