Seaglassing & Wire Wrapping

sea glass in P.E.I.                                   

Category : Beachcombing

Seaglunker at work

June 5th 2013 Posted at Beachcombing
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Yesterday we had an amazing day of seaglunking (person who combs the beach in search of treasures left behind in the sea) the shores of Nova Scotia. I came onto a fabulous find when I found this thick rounded piece of brown bottle seaglass. This shouldn’t be ever referred to as beer bottle glass because it reaches deeper than a bottle of beer.  

brown bottle seaglass

This is brown bottle seaglass from a javex bottle. The purpose of the dark bottle was to hide the contents from light to prevent evaporation.  In 1913 the screw top was added and before that time it was a pop top. In  about 1940 the brown bottle of javex by the gallon sold for 18¢ in the general stores across the USA. Today after beachcombing this piece off one of the many beautiful shores of Nova Scotia this piece of seaglass wirewrapped will sell for $28. 

 

brown wirewrapped seaglass

 

I think brown thick seaglass could be one of my favourites. My next wrap will be a jewel from the Titanic in gunmetal wire. But for now I only have silver wire on the road with me. We are heading to Ontario to visit our folks for a few days then back to our little blue shack in the Maritimes before the middle of the month. 

Thank you for stopping by,  Seaglass Cindy 

 

 

Beachcombing my way

April 16th 2013 Posted at Beachcombing
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Come to think of it the ice has just left some inlets on Prince Edward Island, so it must be time to go Beachcombing. 

There is just something about the Beach that attracts an old Seaglunker like myself to the sea.

It could be the sound of the waves. I hardly think so, it must be the seaglass treasures that wash up on the shore.

PEI has many beaches, however the seaglass beaches are becoming few and far between.  I remember, it would be a few years back now, but we could sit in the shallow shores and with every wave that came in so did a piece of seaglass. Now, when I walk the beach we often stop to talk to others. You know the others, they are the seaglunkers like myself that don’t want to admit to being out after the same treasures that you are longing for yourself.  I’ve heard it all now, some say: “ah it’s good past time”,  or “we do this for our health”, some let on that “No, not looking for anything just getting some exercise”, while others say, “I collected it but throw it back when I find it”.   Today if someone asked me why I was on the beach, I’d say I was looking for inner peace and reflecting on the family’s and runners of the Boston Marathon who suffered injury from a senseless bombing. 

If you are walking on the beaches in PEI chances are you have your arms crossed behind your back, your head it down and you are passing back and forth like your looking for something, and that would be seaglass. These guys have become  quite the hunters of sea glass. Often MJ will sit down, we might have been fooled a few years ago thinking she is tired but now we know she has found a piece of seaglass. Usually 9 chances out of 10 when we walk over to her there is a piece within a foot of where she is. It is pretty bad when you beachcomb so often that your dogs know what you are looking for and try and help you out. 

Braxton is on the lookout.

This is the Bride’s Seaglass Necklace I priced and put on the shelf today

I’ve taken to doing a little different style of wire wrapping called a Viking Knit, I like it.

 

A simple Seafoam Seaglass Pendant 

This pink nugget made for a lovely pendant 

Kelly Green Seaglass has got to be my favourite all time colour to wire wrap into a pendant

I haven’t decided to price this Cobalt Blue piece yet, I’m not ready to part with it yet,  I think!

This was a fun piece of seaglass to wire wrap, clear and fancy free

 Well that is it. These days I’m waiting for the nicer weather, organizing the gift shop and working on opening my Etsy Shop.  I’ll have more to say on that later when I get a few more numbers added.  
Do you get the chance to walk the beach where you live?

Have a good week, Cindy 

Beach Combing in Portsmouth

November 16th 2012 Posted at Beachcombing
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We are making progress, slowly making out way to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Yes, we are beachcombing along the way and we found some interesting places in Portsmouth today.

This is a long nugget I found and wire wrapped today along with a few other pieces while grandpa drove from beach to beach.  I must say Rye’s Beach in the Hampton’s is and will be one of my favourite places to visit. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the beaches had the right kind of pebbles but the wrong kind of glass. These pieces are the kind, you pick up, toss over your shoulder while you say, “some day you will be ready to come back to me.” Not all sea glass is smooth and rounded from the continual rolling off the waves back and forth over sand and stone.

 

 

 

We arrived at Odiome Point state Park another spot we stop at and beachcomb on our way down the coast. This time we didn’t find any sea glass worth keeping, so grandpa decided to take a few pictures. The beach has all changed, it is very rocky now and there are sure signs of Hurricane Sandy. Although the sand on the beach is as white as snow and it was a cold day this beach had 4 beachcombers, 3 bathing beauties, and 3 dog walkers…a busy spot and a beautiful day. I found the sand so white I couldn’t help but to show off a wire wrapping I had done earlier in the day.

 


I come to find out that this awesome looking house across from Kittery Point is that of a lighhouse keepers residence. There used to be a road off the point to the house and the road was washed away years ago and the house is in major need of repair. I met up with an elderly grey haired man who put his hand to his ear as a jester for me to speak up each time he heard my mouth open. He told me he had been in this house years ago and continued to say, it’s a shame, all oak wood working and all.” Then shared with me that the house is going to be restored soon.  Of all the times we have been here we have never visited the historical downtown which apparently features some unique architectural designs that were created after 244 houses and buildings burned and were rebuilt only allowed material to be used were stone and slate.

Today was a beautiful day and we got in some extra driving and are now in Boston at rush hour and that isn’t any fun.  We cleaned our small seaglass collection from the last few days and are going to sit in front of the DVD player and see if we can match any up for earrings while we watch a movie tonight. I brought my drill bits and drill with me so I could drill the sea glass if I found any to become earrings. Come to mention it I think I brought just about everything with me, lol. You would be surprised at how much can fit in an RV. gramdpa was telling Jennifer on Skype last night that I packed even the air space.

 

Finally I’d like to share with you a small collection of inukshuk I found while sitting on a rock looking across at the old lighthouse and keepers residence. These almost tell a story, imagine each time this lonely person returns to this spot without his loved one he builds a  inukshuk because that is what they used to do years ago. I took a picture of a few of them but I didn’t count the ??? that lay around staring over the rock at the ocean waves crashing into the shore.

 

 

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend, oh did I tell you Boston is sure a busy place.

Cindy

SeaGlaSSing the Beach

October 7th 2012 Posted at Beachcombing
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A short venture took us up to Nail Pond, the North Cape end of Prince Edward Island on another short beach adventure.  This was our first time staying over night with our (new to us)  Tenement on wheels. We have ventured to this end of the Island before however didn’t stay over night and had never had a coffee on the beach over looking the ocean in the wee hours of the morning. Life was grand, oh and so was the beach and others we met while out.

 A recent purchase of a traveling house on wheels took us there, equipped with food, place to sit and somewhere to sh__ and we were all set.  SeaGlass yes that is what took us there, we were in hunt of glass and some home away from home time.

We woke early in the morning and walked the beach for hours at a time collecting seaglass with the rolling tide coming in and going out. In my opinion, it is best to walk the high tide line after the tide has gone out. However, others talk about searching for seaglass on a high tide, while others dig in rock piles. Everyone has there approach to combing the beach I like to walk a straight line up the beach and come back on another line. I’ve seen people walk to the water then back up to the tide line in a zig zag motion, while others will walk for 10 feet and come back looking in the same area with the sun in the opposite direction. Beachcombing, however and for whatever you look for it is an excellent way to pass time, relieve stress, meditate, or just ponder thoughts that need to be thunk through.

Seaglass is my pleasure however I’ve bent down to pick up such things as marbles, bottle stoppers, doll parts, and rocks. I’ve noticed also that I seem to see the green and white sea glass more often than I see the brown, and I don’t see blue and red sea glass that often at all only due to the fact that they are rare pieces and not very common. On this venture I found a yellow piece of sea glass a few blue pieces and red, not a large piece but I found red.

 

 

Braxton and Mj were our tag along and they enjoyed themselves out on the hunt as well. I’m sure Mj is a search for sea glass dog. Can it be a coincidence that she stopped short of a piece of sea glass not once but twice? I doubt, it.  They had the beach to themselves and found plenty to sniff, great distances to run and just tired themselves out doing it.

It was coming onto 4 days we had been away and it weren’t for a new check-in at the Bed and Breakfast- Guy having a dentist appointment-it going to rain all day the day after I think we might just have stayed put and picked sea glass, washed and sorted it and amazed our memories with the view. 

 Each day we were amazed to wake up to such a beautiful sunrise and come the evening we were speechless to see such a show of colour in a sunset. We made a camp fire sat out and looked across the water at the glare coming from the setting sun. It was time to fold this up, make it a memory and turn home as the rain had started and we had  a bit of a drive ahead of us. 

 

 

 

 

This was the sunrise in the morning  before we left. I know we came for sea glass but found just a bit more than that. 

 

 

The ride home was a quiet one, not much was talked about and I listened to my book as Guy drove along.  Arriving home we had guests sitting in the driveway, hum it was 3:30 and they asked for a check-in of 8pm, good job we headed home when we did.

It is thanksgiving weekend, time to spend with family and friend and reflect on what we are truly blessed for and thankful for.  I was told over and over this summer that I was a blessing to guests who visited the tea room and enjoyed themselves to no end and went home and wrote me emails telling me so, that feels good. Do you reflect on something that makes you feel good? You should… until the next time take care my friend

Sea Glass Cindy

 

 

 

 

 

Sea Glassing a Bottle Stopper

April 17th 2012 Posted at Beachcombing
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The days are getting warmer and closer to summer. This has to be my favourite time of year when the ice leaves the shoreline and new discoveries wash up on the beach.  Yesterday we dropped what we were doing and headed to Souris Beach to do a little beachcombing.  My new buzz word is seaglassing, it all means the same thing “I’m gone to the beach.”  

It was a beautiful day

Seaglassing

Perfect for bending and stooping 

Then! to my surprise I found one of the four things I have been looking for while beachcombing for sea glass, a bottle stopper. Laying in its beauty, old, history, glass and dating back to maybe 1860?

Then the happy dance

bottle stopper sea glass

Amazing is the feeling when you find one of these  bottle stoppers while sea glassing beachcombing.  Early drug bottles were produced for formulas.  Sent empty to local druggists or doctors and they had the task of filling it with dry or liquid prescription.  These bottles called apothecary-style bottles were to protect dry medicines and chemicals from moisture intrusion or oxygen exposure. When your druggist filled the bottle they most likely sent you home with a cork fit stopper as the glass stopper didn’t travel well on horseback or buggy.  

An apothecary stopper was on my list of “must find” while beachcombing.  It’s a great prize to a sea-glass hunter,  just ask me, here we are days later and I’m still ecstatic about it. I don’t know what I’ll do with my find but you want to bet I’ll have it on display somewhere about the house.  Truly, a great number of these bottles were made between 1850 and 1900 and mostly in clear glass.  The glass stoppers in tea drop shape were also made at that time for perfume bottles.

 apothecary druggist bottles with glass bottle stoppers

 Imagine getting Phantom Powder instead of Hair Tonic…

My Favourite Find

glass bottle stopper

Do you beachcomb where you live? Have you ever found a bottle stopper? Next I want to find a ceramic doll face. Soon we will be busy with the Tea Room and Bed and Breakfast and won’t be able to comb the beaches of Prince Edward Island as often as we’d like. 

Barn I added to PEI Through a Lens  a facebook page I made that has just photos of all my favourites from seaglass, to wirewrapping, barns, bales, lighthouses and then some, follow the link and check it out. 

barn in Prince Edward Island

 Well that concludes another day at the beach. Hope to see you beachcombing some day.

~cindy

Gone to the Beach

December 31st 2011 Posted at Beachcombing
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Gone to the Beach

thermometer indoor/ outdoorWhen someone mentions the phrase “gone to the beach,” you sort of think of beach towels, crowds and sunny days. On Dec 31 in Prince Edward Island, Canada the phrase gone to the beach paints a picture of cold, windy and ice caps on the water. What would drag you out of bed at 5:15 at a temperature of -5  to make a lunch and head to the beach? You guess it, Sea glass

 

 

Beachcombing in the Winter 

beachcombing in winterBaby its cold out there! So why bother? There are a couple of reasons one takes to the crisp cold sea shoreline of PEI in the Winter. First- it won’t be crowded, second- the beach won’t be picked over for seaglass, third- we are busy in the summer months and can’t always get to the beach to replenish our supply, and fourthly-  Winter tides are different and although there is no special time for collecting sea glass, it is said that winter is the best time of the season. Winter brings higher tides. The tides will bring about more sea glass onto the shore. winter beachcombing seaglassts always windy in PEI and so you don’t have a choice but a windy day is preferable  with more than thirty knots,  because the wind will expose sea glass from under the sand. That said be sure to search for sea glass in and around the high tide mark or line. Then if you add rainy to that windy day you will find only seasoned beachcombers collecting sea glass. Nevertheless, one needs a lot of seaglass to make a matching pair of earrings so I had better get rough and ready.

I’ll return later today with my winter seaglass finds and frost bit fingers.

Thanks for stopping by my blog post on Gone to the Beach, I hope you rather enjoyed what I endure just for glass, not just glass but Seaglass.

~ Seaglass Cindy

Seaglass by the Sea Shore

December 29th 2011 Posted at Beachcombing
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hunting PEI for seaglassI am a passionate lover of seaglass.  As a child I remember always wanting the shiny toys like a lite bright, now that I’m older not much is changed. Being close to the shore and hearing the ocean washing back and forth has a calming effect. Treasure hunting the shores of PEI and hunting for sea glass has magical moments.  seaglass washed onto the beachesPerhaps I’m reclaiming my young days and that is what attracts me to the ocean, the beach and calls me to sea glass hunting.  I am a beachcomber of seaglass, collecting the shiny pieces of  sea glass after mother nature tumbles it onto the shore.

My passion for seaglass has become my hobby, well I should be honest it has become an obsession.  Sometimes we can record the journey that a precious gem has taken by the colour shape or type of glass.  
Jadeite seaglass wrappedThis piece of Jadeite dates back to 1940’s. Martha Stewart made Jadeite very popular increasing it’s value. I’ll save the research theory for another time. It ‘s hard to believe that glass was once made of sand. Glass becoming part of the sea again; washing back and forth with the elements of sand, stones and the tides. Turning the glass and tumbling it over time into a precious gem of seaglass, depositing it onto the shore for you to find. The glory of the hunt hunt for me is the end result after I have wire wrapped it into a beautiful piece of jewellery. 

Thank you for visiting my sea glass by the sea shore blog.  It is considered a good day when the sun shines bright and the seaglass sparkles on a sandy shore.

Take care my friend,

~ seaglass cindy

Beachcombing

December 17th 2011 Posted at Beachcombing
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Why Beachcombing?

beachcomb PEIWho could resist the fun free frolic, walking the shores of an ocean beach as the tides change the colour of the sand under your feet. If you are anything like me you won’t refuse beachcombing when the call beckons you to the ocean.

I think beachcombing gives off a child-like magic that perhaps I’ll find treasure lurking the shore and that might be what drives us to the shore.  Perhaps its the idea that years ago ship went down off the coast and treasure went with it, pirates, gold, china all sitting on the ocean floor wanting for a storm to bring it to the surface, maybe.

For whatever your reasons beachcombing is becoming a busy activity around here and it totally overtakes your mind body and spirit.  The activity of beachcombing is great physical activity with all the walking, bending and climbing that one does to try and get to that venture for treasure. Not to forget how spiritual this experience can be as well, relaxing and rejuvenating. 

Where to Beachcomb:

PEI beachIdeally, everywhere that man has been and water joins the shore you can beachcomb the area and find treasure of the sea. However there are conditions that make beachcombing a better time and that is after a storm; a low or receding tide, in the Winter, and early in the morning are all good times to head out. If you take anything away from this, remember to get there first.  It’s like going to a party after all the food is picked over, you don’t want that so get out there early and get the best treasures first.

 

What you need to go beachcombing with:

I know, this is simple math…go to the beach pick up shiny stuff, fill your pockets and you’re done.  Yes, that is all there is to it but before you head out be sure to take the following. Good running shoes or rubber boots, a container plastic bag or cloth to collect your treasures, sunscreen, water to keep hydrated, sunscreen, high protein bar, oh and your camera to take photos of your find with the beach behind so you can scrapbook it later.

There you go! fill your boots:

Often I hear the term, “take pictures and leave foot prints.” I’m sure this term is used for you to follow the rules of the beach as they are posted and please stay off the dunes. The vegetation on the dunes is what protects the sand from eroding away. I don’t think the term means, ” don’t take away.”  I’m a Sea Glass lover and I figure it is only trash so I don’t have any grief for taking almost every piece I see. When I have been out I also have grabbed from the beaches of PEI shells, urchins, driftwood, and I’m rethinking what I could do with plastic these days.

Beachcombing Treasures:

beach glassFinding treasures on the beach is like playing eye spy only for riches.  You can count on finding some nice shells, ridged ones and flat ones all empty I hope.  Island red stone is among the shiny smooth stone found on our beaches. Lobster traps, ropes, floats and wood or leather from the frames. Sea life, like ocean trout that are trying to swim up a small stream by the thousands, crabs and starfish. Smoothed sea glass, pieces of bowls window glass, coloured, hobnail dishes and my favourite blue old Noxzema remains.   Driftwood of all sizes. Clay brick that fell off a barge. Pottery that was discarded because of a flaw. Doll parts, remains of small dolls be it an arm or leg. Piece of pipe that was once smoked by a pirate. Plastic of all kinds, messages in a bottle and lobster elastics of all colours. Then last I have found these black rods that I think were used along the top of a fish net. 

Beautiful beachcombed jewellery:

white seaglass from PEI

 

 

 

 

 

How to display your beachcombing finds:

  1.  Turn it into wearable jewellery
  2.  Make a picture or decorate a frame.
  3.  Placed in a vase or bowl to be admired.
  4.  Wire wrapped lamp shade.
  5.  Window suncatcher.
  6.  Turn it into garden art.
  7.  Wire wrap into a keychain.

At the end of the day, beachcombing is a relaxing rejouvinating activity that can be shared with someone you love or a piecful experience that clears the cobwebs in your head. Your treasure is the find, the art, the creation  to keep as a memory or to share with someone dear. Each time the treasure is looked upon it brings back the happy memories of the beach.

~ Queen Beach Cindy

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