“You can't have everything. Where would you put it?” Stephen Wright - comedian



"What do you do with all those shells?' is usually the question I get after I go on & on about my latest shelling excursion to a non-sheller. Usually their eyes are glazed over and they stopped listening to me after my first junonia story. (That's the brown spotty shell, right?)


This is actually an on-going conversation I have been having with a particular bil from Pennsylvania. To answer his "What do I do with all those shells" question - I send him emails from time to time with pictures of toilet seats made with shells, clothing embelished with shells, & the last time we were together I gave he & my sil a little shell craft I made myself from Sanibel shells as a token of affection and to remind him that there is no end to a shell's usefulness.  It is just not right to leave a nice shell behind on the beach unless of course it is occupied. 


For the really serious shell artists & collectors the social event of the Shelling season is The Sanibel Shell Show. Malacologists, Shell collectors, enthusiasts, & artists gather at the Sanibel Community Center for 3 days of conchology revelry & fun. This year the Sanibel Captiva Shell Club is celebrating a new exhibit at the Baileys-Matthews Shell Museum called "World's Record Size Shells". I'm going for the first time and you can bet I'll be taking lots of pictures. Take a look at last year's show featured on the Fine Shell Art Blog.
The Sanibel Shell Show is a juried event for the artistic & scientific. 
The Sanibel Captiva Shell Club has lots of shells for sale
 There are lots of awards & trophies to win


For the rest of us mere shell mortals we're just happy to surround ourselves with shells any way we can. The possibilities are as endless as our creativity, imaginations, & square footage of our homes.

We put them in jars

Put them on plant stands

Make lamps out of them

Put them in a shadow box
Spruce up a coffee table - This was made by Sheller Carla from Bonita Springs, FL

Cover the path outside your door with shells
I love to commit a random act of shelling kindness. Visit Rhonda @ Blue Creek Home to see how.


Rose Petal Tellin - They are just darn pretty to look at.
 

Comments

  1. Gypsea NurseJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:06 PM

    Personally.. I don't think one could ever have enough shells!
    Awesome post!!
    Smiles~
    Cricket

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪January 24, 2011 at 11:48 PM

    I did linger on a toilet with a seat made of shells.

    ReplyDelete
  3. iLoveShellingJanuary 25, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    My husband has the same shelling disease.... he can't leave a shell on the beach. Only problem..... he doesn't use them for anything. He doesnt make crafts and he's not into decorating. He just loves to bring them home and line them up to show me he got better shells than me. There in lies the problem, he usually wins.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Simone @ Doberman's by the SeaJanuary 25, 2011 at 8:20 AM

    I love this post! Love the sanibel cup and I want to go to the shell show! Have a nice day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:47 AM

    If I come to the Sanible Shell Show, do I have to wear a shell leisure suit?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Linda @ A La CarteJanuary 25, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    I put them in jars to enjoy their beauty! Never too many shells! The Sanibel shell show sounds awesome. I want that coffee mug!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Drawn to The SeaJanuary 25, 2011 at 12:57 PM

    One of the prettiest things I've seen is the conch fence on this post: http://tresortrouve.blogspot.com/search/label/conch%20shells

    Oh, if only...

    ReplyDelete
  8. rjerdeeJanuary 25, 2011 at 5:53 PM

    Great post...that answers my question about what you do with all those shells...I especially like the one about shells on a path but surely those shells aren't shells you treasure! Who would walk on a treasure?

    ReplyDelete
  9. TootieJanuary 25, 2011 at 6:05 PM

    I like what you said. :) It's all too true! Love the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  10. DonnaJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:24 PM

    I love, love, love the shell lamp! It's gorgeous! And a shell pathway would be awesome, I would feel like I was at the beach every day!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Leo January 25, 2011 at 10:30 PM

    Great photos. Is that a lamp you made? It is so pretty! And is that your shadow box? I love the color blue. I want to go to the Show - but I just don't like crowds...and I am afraid it will be super crowded. I will have to ask Pam what the crowds & traffic is like. Hope you are having a great week!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. jmacJanuary 26, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    You're killing me here!! Killing me, I tell ya!!Less than two weeks and I'll be on one of those beaches filling my bucket up to overflowing!!!!!
    Cannot wait!!! When is that shelling show?

    ReplyDelete
  13. ShellbelleJanuary 26, 2011 at 4:40 PM

    And sometimes they end up in a coat pocket, only to be discovered on a cold day when you need a little sunshine.

    I wonder what my kids will do with all my shells when I'm gone? Maybe I better leave them to you.

    ReplyDelete

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