Sailors and Seashells

I love the ocean. Both my grandfathers were sailors and I think I've inherited a connection to the sea. I can't go too many months without, at least, sitting on a shore with my feet in the sand.

"Anne thought she left great happiness behind her when they quitted the house; and Louisa, by whom she found herself walking, burst forth into raptures of admiration and delight on the character of the navy: their friendliness, their brotherliness, their openness, their uprightness; protesting that she was convinced of sailors having more worth and warmth than any other set of men in England; that they only knew how to live, and they only deserved to be respected and loved."~ Jane Austen, Persuasion

I saw these coral necklaces in the Anthropologie catalog and thought I might try my hand at it. 

I drilled a hole in a shell that I brought back from our honeymoon at Carolina Beach. Neon is really big right now.  I didn't have any neon paint on hand, but, I used a bright orange acrylic to dip it in, so I could show you.  Then I attached a wire and jump ring to it, and attached that to a gold chain from my tangled bead box.

I also have an obsession with t-shirt scarves. I've made over 20 that I am going to give away to some teens that I'll be speaking to about style.  But I keep pulling them out of the bag to wear myself. I promise I'll put them back. :)  Give me a shout out below if you want me to demo how to make them. They are very easy.  This is my first experiment with drawing on one with, yes, a Sharpie!  And I'm quite happy with it.

cut out of the News & Observer