Goin' Glassing

Well, it is that time of year when we close up shop, pack our bags and hop in the car to do a little 'glassing.

Glass Bottle Beach

What is glassing you say? Well it is what a seasoned beach person says when they are going to look for seaglass. Kind of like 'Gone Fishin'. This year we will be making a journey that we have been wanting to make for awhile, only reading about it on various sea glass sites and journals. In addition to visiting our dear Jersey Shore, we will be making a visit to Glass Bottle Beach at Dead Horse Bay. This particular beach is near Brooklyn NY and is so called as it was the site of several factories, many of them having the distinction of being 'glue' factories, around the turn of the century. At that time when horse and buggy reigned supreme, it was not uncommon to see dead horses along the side of the road. The carcases were eventually hauled to one of the many glue plants to...well...make glue. After the automobile became the choice mode of transportation, the surrounding area of the bay evolved into a giant land fill until it closed in the 1950's. Now, the bare land is a somewhat macabre attraction for bottle collectors as the now busted open land fill churns out into the bay and then is brought back in again to settle with the incoming tide. The city's history literally washes out and then back in again, filling the beach with shards of antique pottery, junk and of course, bottles, hence the name, Glass Bottle Beach.
Anyway, I have always wanted to 'pick' this particular spot and now about this time next week, I will be there! 
Anyway, I hope to come back with many tales of wonder from our excursion and in the meantime, if you want to read a little more of this well kept 'secret', you can read about it 
on the Atlas Obscura site here.

Seaglass Pendant

To see examples of how seaglass can be made into beautiful jewelry, visit Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy Site here. We will be putting the shop in 'Vacation Mode' while we are gone but will reopen the following week when we return.

I love to read comments so please, leave one here! I will visit your blog (if you have one) and love to comment too!


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The Tuesday Night Hobbiest

Did I mention that I have been dating someone? Actually it has been a little over five years that we have been seeing each other and have been engaged now for 3 of those years. Anyway...John league bowls on Tuesday nights and so my daughter, Bella and I have chosen Tuesday nights to start crafting.
As I mentioned in a previous post, she is making 'Beach Jars' that look something like this..

Naturally, living in Florida is conducive to visiting a lot of beaches, and on one of our more recent road trips to Bonita Springs visiting one of my oldest friends, 'Lisa Girl', she mentioned to Bella that she ought to start collecting sand and trinkets from the beach to put in jars as a memento for the trip. And so, a hobby was born.

As I have found a new found fascination with everything Sea Glass, this was a perfect way for the both of us to spend some quality time together, 'co-hobbying'.

Anyway, last Tuesday I FINALLY tried my hand at wire wrapping one of my sea glass pieces. I had watched a couple of beginner wire wrapping tutorials on You Tube (yes...that's how I roll) and went to our local craft store, AC Moore - great jewelry making supplies btw - and got down to business wire wrapping a small frosted white piece found on Ft Lauderdale beach the day after hurricane Matthew.
In case you do not know....south Floridians base a large part of their life time lines on the ebb and flow of hurricanes! I know, crazy right? Well, as it turns out, the first low tide after a hurricane is when you can find the most sea glass, and I found two out of my four piece collection that day (let me tell you - the struggles of a south Floridian Glasser is REAL folks!).
Here is my finished piece..

Hopefully one day I will make a really GREAT piece of wire wrapped jewelry, but for now, I am content to spend my Tuesday nights, practicing and watching my daughter construct her Beach Jars.

Please feel free to post comments and tell me about your hobby adventures and be sure to visit Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy Shop Here.

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The Beauty Of Byzantium

Byzantium began when the fourth century Emperor, St. Constantine, Christianized the Roman Empire and established Constantinople in Byzantium as the capital. During this era a synthesis of classical Greek, Roman, and Christian culture gave birth to unparalleled achievements in art, architecture, and jewelry. Many of these achievements can be seen in the magnificent Byzantine jewelry and Byzantine cross pendants found in archeological digs.

Our Byzantine Necklace is a wonderful marriage of round quartz beads and freshwater pearls. Quartz can strengthen all things positive. It amplifies intention, reduces stress, helps with balancing and healing, and surrounds you with protection. The best way to use the

properties of quartz is to keep it close to you at all times. This will attune it to your frequencies. Cultured or freshwater pearls are considered to offer the power of love, money, protection, and luck. Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience, to quicken the laws of karma and to cement engagements and love relationships. They are thought to keep children safe.

Early Chinese myths told of pearls falling from the sky when dragons fought. Ancient legend says that pearls were thought to be the tears of the gods and the Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying.

The First Post

Hello everyone! My name is Lisa Verde and I have created this blog to let everyone get to know me a little better. I am a working single mom to two wonderful children that are my main inspiration in life.

I am now starting to market my custom handmade jewelry online on my blog and hope to have a dedicated website in the future . Please stop by and see my creations....more will be listed in the coming days!

Thanks for stopping by!!