Collecting Shells
A couple of weeks ago, I took my parents to the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Amelia Island, FL as a gift to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. It was part gift on my part, but also part vacation, too, since I tagged along and intended on doing as little as possible the time we were there.
One of the nice aspects of the hotel (other than the fact it was incredibly luxurious with great service) was that it was on a private beach that was never, ever crowded. In fact, one morning, I had decided to go for a run on the beach and turned around to realize I was the only person there. All you could see were footprints behind me in the wet sand. It was calming, but scary at the same time. Had I tripped and twisted an ankle or something, I would’ve had to crawl back alone with no assistance. And there you have some insight into how my mind works: I go to the deep, dark place of worst case scenarios. Anyway….
Each morning, the ocean dragged in an abundance of seashells onto the shore in a wide variety of earth tones. Instead of a random shell, there would be thousands of them waiting to be rummaged and picked through. Which led me to the question: Is it OK to collect shells?
The overwhelming consensus seems to be that it’s OK to collect shells in moderation, and only shells that can not be reused by living creatures like hermit crabs. So, shells that are clamshell shaped and are “dead” are legal and safe to collect. But, again, in moderation.
Many of the shells I was sorting through had this perfectly drilled hole at the edge of the shell. I couldn’t figure out if that was the inherent design of the shell or if someone with a Drimmel drill had made them. I assumed the first. But it turns out there are certain types of mollusks and snails that feed on what’s inside the shells, drill the holes, and eat what’s inside. That kills whatever was living in the shell and thus, it ends up in piece up on shore. What I saw was an opportunity to just collect the shells that had these pre-drilled holes.
So, I cleaned out an empty coffee cup from the trash with sea water and filled it with shells that had this hole. At home, I strung them with orange hemp string one by one….
And now I have a collection of shells strung on the door to the craft room. It’s a small reminder of my trip to Amelia Island and it was something very easy and simple to do. Instead of throwing some shells into a bowl, I can do something a bit more organized and interesting with them.
Wow, I have always wondered how those shells got those little holes!
The really small ones I’ve turned into some pretty cool necklaces. But I’ve got a boatload more put up, just waiting for a creative idea like this one!
Thanks for this idea…I’m definitely going to string mine up this weekend.
I live on Amelia Island! I wish I had known you were in town,
would have loved to have met you!
If you collect more shells perhaps you could string them up like Christmas garland – they could hang outside in a patio area or on a Christmas tree in the guest house.
Over the years I have collected many, many small shells from numerous beach trips and I have used them in my small landscaped garden area at my house as mulch – it doesn’t erode or wash away or disappear like bark mulch or mulch nuggets. Plus, everytime I’m in my garden I think about my special memories at the beach.
I also have a big jar of shells in my beach-themed bathroom – not bought shells, but hand-picked shells.
Occasionally, I will attach a shell to gift packages instead of traditional bows. I will find inexpensive, pretty shells (like sanddollars, starfish, etc.) in shell shops in beach towns and use them rather than bows. They really look special on plain brown paper wrapped packages.
Can you tell that I LOVE seashells?
Have a happy day!
Your blog is a fav. I love that you actually write it yourself in such a personal style. I also love seashells and have plans to make necklaces with my kids this summer with the holey ones.
Tied to a tree branch out on the patio a couple of strands of these would be a great “wind chime”.
Linda – great idea on the wind chime.
Danny – Looks like a great hotel, but I wonder if there other hotel choices that are “green” hotels?
Hi All,
In response to Tina’s post: If anyone is coming to Florida, we do have a green lodging guide: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/greenlodging/lodges.htm. We hope y’all visit soon!
This is a great idea, what a great way to use shells. The colors are so pretty they lend themselves well to almost anyroom while also giving the space and organic feel. It would be nice to use single shells as anchors for outdoor table cloth too!
I filled a big pickle jar with seashells we picked up as kids on vacation and my Dad wired it to make a lamp out of it. Was my desk lamp from kidhood to college.
I like what you did with the shells. I bet you’ll come up with more ideas, too.
I love just keeping shells I’ve collected in a small, clear, square vase. If I get flowers, then I’ll arrange them neatly on a side table. But it’s a nice way to see reminders of Australia, New Zealand, and various places around the world I’ve been fortunate enough to visit.
I live in Florida and the beaches are great but some can get a little over crowded (i.e. clearwater).
My girlfriend is a big shell collector which is cool but sand gets everywhere. Glad you had fun down here.
Great idea! Shells also look nice in a pot plant to cover up the soil… Also a friend of mine has a beautiful semi-antique old water bucket which I thought she has filled with shells. Turns out she just bought a big block of oasis floral foam which she stuffed inside the bucket and then topped it with a few handfuls of shells. Stuck a few dried twigs into the middle (the oasis helps them stand upright. Looks great, plus she didn’t have to empty the beach for a bucket-full of shells