DIY Sea Shells and Sand Display

This is a very quick inexpensive way to bring home a tiny bit of your beach vacation.

All you need is a few shells -ones you have collected from your relaxing walk on the beach or you can buy a bag of shells.

I was browsing around in The Christmas Tree Store and I saw a small net bag full of beautiful small whole shells. Usually the shells I find on the beach are fragments. But I still love the broken shells for their special charm. 

Next you need some sand from the beach and a clear glass jar or bottle to hide your display. 

Pour in your sand. Layer in your shells and presto! Your own beach display for your desk or table top. 

I saw sand and shell displays at the beach for $6.99 and up. You can make this in under ten minutes for free or very little money. 

Thank you for reading my blog post. 

Comment below if you have ever made a beach display before. 

Earrings of The Day - Indian Inspired Burnished Gold Openwork

These gorgeous earrings are my latest purchase from Versona Accessories. I love that store. It feels like I am going to accessory heaven when I walk into the door. 

The design reminds me of the openwork intricate jewelry you would find in India. The motif could be either a stylized star or ornate flower. 

I paid only $1.99 for these "go with every single thing" in my wardrobe earrings. Versona not only has a huge variety of different styles of accessories and clothing but the prices are very reasonable and there are always very good markdowns. 

Thank you for reading my post!

Thomasina

Tangled Art Set - Goodbye To Store Sale

The Disney store in a local mall is closing. I am so sad about this. Every time I would go to that mall, I would stop into that store to smile at the happy atmosphere.

I got a Tangled Art set as a saying good bye gift to the store. 

I always loved shopping the clearance shelves. The merchandise doesn't go on sale very often but when it does, it was really worth it. 

Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies. Rapunzel is an artist and this always made me identify with her. Also she did not let her isolation make her bitter but maintained her creativity through some very lonely and difficult times in her life.  This was very inspiring and motivating to me. 

The cover of the plastic art set case. It has a push button closure. I hope this does not break over time. Love the cover picture. 

Enclosed were three sets of the same small stickers, small sized pencils, a slim blank sketch book, two tubes of liquid glitter (gold and purple), a set of ten color watercolor paints. A soft bristle brush was included too. 

The set was marked down to $9.99 then an extra 25% off. The total with tax was $8.02. 

Honestly, this is still a bit more then I would like to pay for cheap quality art supplies. These type of art sets are for children to play with. 

I use art supplies like theses for sketches and journaling. For art pieces you want to last for years and be displayed, I would suggest paying more money for better quality materials. 

This is a lovely sweet picture of her. 

These are the watercolors. 

I love art sets especially ones with fun graphics on the cover of the cases. 

Sorry to see this happy place for children leave the mall but I can still visit the store in Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh. 

Do you buy inexpensive art supplies or do you only buy the better quality ones?

Thank you for reading my post!

Rubber Stamp of the Day - Vintage Ladies

Love these new rubber stamps I got at Michael's craft store on sale for $4.99. They are beautiful ladies from the 1920s. Flappers, a cloche hat, an opera coat, gazing into a mirror and a stylish open back lavish evening gown and Josephine Baker dancing wearing a banana skirt (my least favorite one).

This is a view of the back of these thin rubber stamps. They would be perfect  and easier to use if they were mounted on wood. But that would make them a lot more expensive. 

Made by Hampton Art. I will have lots of uses for these stamps on cards, in my journals, and making my on gift wrapping.

What craft projects are you using your stamps for lately? Comment below. 

Thanks for reading post!

Stop Waiting. The Moment Is Now.

Ron Jon Tote Bag and Flower Pen Clearance Haul

This is a reusable bright coral color tote I got for just $1.29 at the Myrtle Beach RonJon store at Barefoot Landing. 

My favorite item I got on clearance is this pretty flower big barrel pen for only 88 cents. Of course I had to get several of this. 

Ron Jon is one of my favorite stores to browse in when shopping at the beach. I say browse because the prices at usually a lot higher than my only buy on sale for $10 or less strict budget. 

Today's Words To Live By Everyday

I am reminding myself everyday to always try new things.  Fear will always to to stop me. Being tired will try to stop me from be persistent in reaching my goals. 

Just try. It doesn't hurt to try. Most of the time trying is absolutely free. 

Try your best and if something doesn't work out then revise your plan of action. 

Believe in yourself and try. 

Thanks for reading my post!

A Mermaid Lit From Within

She is a beautiful mermaid. She is a sculpture. And she is one more thing...

She is a "lamp". According to a sales associate, there is a light inside her tail. 

I discovered this beauty while on a beach vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC. While browsing in the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove, I was on the stairwell,  I looked down into at the center where the water sculptures are featured and there she was.

The piece is a very dark almost black bronze color. Beautiful delicate facial features. The smooth tail is covered in a mosaic consisting of many pieces of light and dark green glass. The gorgeous mermaid tail is one of the most eye catching elements of the sculpture.

After a bit of research, I am sorry to say I don't know the name of the artist or the name of a company that made her. Information about how to contact the Gay Dolphin store will be linked and at the bottom of this post. 

There are two of these mermaids in the store, this one was near the back. The mermaid is about the size of a small child. You would definitely need to have a large open space to display her properly. I was also told she can be displayed outside.

Of course beauty has it's price - $ 899.98. Wow! This is a lot of money. It is a striking piece of art. Maybe someday I will be able to buy it.

This mermaid sculpture is the most beautiful piece of mermaid art of this type I have seen. I get so much inspiration every time I go to the store and see her. 

The Gay Dolphin website does not give you the entire experience of this full to the brim with gifts and souvenirs landmark  store in Myrtle Beach. 

Gay Dolphin Gift Cove

910 North Ocean Boulevard

Myrtle Beach, SC

(843) 448-6550

The store is open year-round. 

Have you ever visited this store before? Comment down below and tell me. 

Thanks for reading my post!

All photos have been taken by Thomasina. Please do not take them without permission.

You can contact me at thomasinawords@gmail.com

Have A Happy Blessed Healthy And Prosperous New Year!

A calming picture of an ocean wave and sandy beach in Myrtle Beach, SC. 

It is a new year and time for a new start. Treat everyday as a new beginning blessed with positive change . 

I think of the ocean and the sand, as having a give and take relationship. 

Each new day (the sand) has to endure the power and debris the ocean (life) throws at it. The ocean is relentless in it's purpose to crash waves onto the sandy shores. 

Life is always putting us through changes that are either going to break you or build you into a stronger wiser person. 

The sand in this picture has been swept clean by the ocean. Each new day will always have it's problems. Think of the next day as an opportunity to start fresh and not hold on to the negative past. 

Hope is never lost as long as you are willing to put forth the effort to move forward towards finding positive solutions. 

As tiny as a grain of sand is, somehow every day it survives the daily pounding of the surf. One day it's on the beach then next day it is one the ocean floor. In either place it can overcome and survive.  

The clean sand left by the ocean is a clean slate much like a new year full of new days. 

We all must use each precious day to it's greatest potential. 

Have a happy wonderful new year!

Thank you for reading my post!

All photos have been taken by Thomasina. Please do not take them without permission. 

Foggy morning at the ocean

This is my first time experiencing fog at the ocean. Be aware, this not a blurry pic. It was pea soup fog . "Dracula ridin' to port up in his boat in a horror movie" fog. LOL!

Pardon the dramatics but thick fog over a huge spanse of deep water was kinda freaking me out. 

At first, no one was on the beach (Myrtle Beach, SC if you are new to my blog) it seemed creepy, lonely and endless. After a while, I saw some rather spry senior citizens walking their dog like "this is no problem where everybody at"? 

I had a good laugh at myself. A bit later, I ventured outside into the misty air just as the fog was burning off in the sun.

 During this beach trip, I saw the ocean in other types of weather besides sunny for the very first time. Needless to say, I definitely have a very healthy respect for the power of the Atlantic ocean. 

Nature is big, beautiful, and ever changing. But nature has a tremendous amount of both power and mystery.

Thanks for reading!