shell canvas.

One of the many things I love about my new house is that it is only about an hour drive to ocean. I love just walking the beach and listening to the crashing waves.. Yes, you can call me a hopeless romantic, but I find it both calming and inspiring. 

While walking the beach, my magpie instincts start kicking in full force.  I once heard a saying that went something like "I'd have a longer attention span if so many things weren't so shiny!"  Sad, but true. I totally get distracted by anything shiny and pretty!  I usually end up with quite a few shells in my car... I have a tote on my deck just for drying shells. LOL! 

So, here is my latest shell project...

 Stamp: Inkadinkado "Beauty Stems from Here"

Ink: VersaMark

Creative Inspirations Paint: Fuchsia, Green Olive

Other: Embossing powder, rhinestones, Glossy Accents, jump ring

I'm not really liking it on the wire choker, but I haven't found the perfect beads to string with it yet...

CI paints are a water-based paint, so when putting it on something like jewelry, you have to seal it to prevent water smearing it. I couldn't find my spray sealant when I was working on this, so instead, I mixed a little paint into a glob of Ranger's Glossy Accents, then painted that on. It worked fabulously! It took longer to dry than if I had just painted, but my colors won't run!

I love how it is a one of a kind. I will never be able to duplicate it because I will never find a shell exactly the same... I'm really enjoying using shells as my canvas!

Now to find the right style beads... any ideas?

~Kassi