The Essential Beachcomber

It all started one windy, rainy, freezing night on the beach.  Lion's paws are an unusual find on SWFL beaches.  I just had a feeling that the storm that had been blowing for a few days last winter had stirred up the Gulf of Mexico enough to wash some goodies ashore.  I ran out to the beach after work with my flashlight and low & behold I was right.  There was a line of deep water shells all the way down the beach.  Since I was the only person crazy enough to brave the cold & go on the beach after dark I had the whole wrack line to myself. I scored some nice lion's paw fragments and  1 lion's paw that was intact.  After looking at them & cleaning them up I could just see they would make a great mermaid tail if I was to mosaic them. I started picking up orange scallops for the scales & worm shells for her hair.  All my junonia fragments would come in handy as well.  I mentioned my idea of doing a mermaid mosaic off & ...

It appears chili & cornbread are an amazing creative catalyst.  For those of you who have grown weary of my constant whining for the last year over my mermaid mosaic ....the glueing has commenced.

The creative process really sucks sometimes.  I was so pumped  to get going on my mermaid mosaic.  I have literally been jabbering about it for a year to anyone who would listen.  I had found a piece of coral  that inspired me. It literally screamed "Mermaid!" (or Dolly Parton but worm shell hair would not work for Dolly)  Nine months later after gathering all the shells I needed I found the perfect frame at a thrift store. I was gaining creative momentum.   I primed the frame and was just pondering my adhesive choices when bam.... life happened.  The Hubbs went into the hospital for 10 days & he has been my focus ever since.   As a blogger there are many lots of times that I stare blankly at the screen trying to dredge up some clever witty idea from deep within my right brain to post about. You know the feeling - My last post was 5 days ago - What can I write about?   Today I stared at that blank canvas for hours hoping so...

What do this and this                             and this box have in common?                         Do I have to state the obvious? One stormy beach day last December I picked up the curvaceous piece of coral and it was screaming mermaid mosaic to me. I am by no means an artist but I know enough about acrylic paints to be dangerous. I can hot glue with the best of them & I have the scars on my pinkies to prove it. I started getting a vision for my mermaid mosaic and as I found the right shells for her hair and tail I started throwing them in my old tin now known as "the mermaid box".  I've been yakking about this project for 9 months.  My creative energy works like that.  I have to verbalize it so I can mentally see it.  Well, it's time to either cut bait or fish so to speak.   So, I have the inspiration ...