Infatuated With The Nautilus Shell

Posted on 02/17/2012 by
girl holding seashell

Art by Strangeling

The amazing artwork of strangeling, aka Jasmine Becket-Griffith, features the chambered nautilus seashell. The artist admits in the description of the piece pictured here, that she “loves to paint them” and she does a fantastic job of it too!

I am not a painter, and have always loved to see what talented people can do with some brush strokes and I’ll admit that Jasmine’s sea themed pictures are alluring.

Her style is gothic, and although I am not into goth, many of her pieces are so pretty.  I also love the one entitled “By the Seaside” which has two little ocean fairies playing with shells at the shore.

Read more about the Chambered Nautilus sea creature.

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Identifying Similar Small Shells on Sanibel Island

Posted on 02/08/2012 by
English: Beach at Wulfert, Sanibel Island, Flo...

Image via Wikipedia

I don’t live on Sanibel and I haven’t even visited the Island in Florida for almost 20 years, but fortunately I know of a great blogger who lives there and shares her shelling knowledge with the world.

Recently she posted some photos of four small, similar-looking seashells that she had collected from the beach and without a keen eye, you may think they were all the same.

Pam does a nice job of pointing out the differences between the Mauve-mouth drill, Pitted Murex, Ribbed Cantharus, and the Gulf Oyster Drill.  Go see!

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Cowry Seashells and a Free, Printable Coloring Page

Posted on 02/07/2012 by
cowry shells

My Atlantic Deer Cowry and Tiger Cowry Shells

One type of the Cowry shell was once widely used as currency.  It is called the Money Cowry!  ;)

The shells can be large or small and have a very shiny shell.

The Tiger cowry is spotted with dark brown blotches and the Atlantic Deer cowry (Macrocypraea cervus) is lighter tan with light spots.  Mine is four inches long.

I used to think that the lighter colored of my cowies was a Measled cowry, but they have dark centers in the spots on their sides, and mine doesn’t.

Shells of various species of cowries; all but ...

Image via Wikipedia

Besides it’s domed shape, the outstanding feature of the cowry is it’s glossy shell.

As you can see in this image from Wikipedia cowries come in an amazing array of colors and sizes and they are so shiny that it almost seems like they are made of glass or porcelain.

Help yourself to the free coloring page printout of my cowry seashells below. Just click on the picture and print.

cowry

Cowry shells

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Would You Have a Seashell Driveway?

Posted on 02/03/2012 by
Coquillages à Fadiouth, Sénégal

Image via Wikipedia

One option for a southern driveway would be to fill it with seashells. Obviously this would not work in the north and no company (that I know of) even offers it where driveways need to hold up to snow plowing. But it’s an option for those living in a tropical climate and the crushed shells add an old Florida look to the yard.

Lets list the Pros and Cons of this type of driveway.

Pros:

  • All natural
  • Good looking and light colored (cooler than pavement)
  • Porous – won’t hold puddles
  • Won’t crack or stain
  • Can be used right away

Cons:

  • Rough surface – no going barefoot!
  • As a play area the kids might not be so happy. (Biking, roller skating, scooters, etc.)
  • It will move around – shells can be displaced and end up in the lawn and nearby gardens.

Truthfully, I like the idea of having a seashell driveway, but these are things to think about.  I don’t know how the cost compares to concrete or asphalt, but it’s another option if you need a driveway in the south.  If you live near Jupiter, Florida give Brier’s Bobcat a call with your questions.

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Fairy Gardens With a Tropical Theme

Posted on 01/31/2012 by
fairy garden

The Wee Folk Play in a Mushroom Garden

A popular decorating idea is to create small garden landscapes for the woodland fairies.  I am going to say right here that I don’t believe in little fairies, but I find the concept fun.  As someone who played in a homemade, three-story doll house growing up, I do like to pretend.

Living near the ocean or in a tropical climate means that your fairies get to have gardens with unique features, such as sand and seashells. Continue reading →

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