Sea Glass, Beach Combing Etiquette. Don't Be Rude !!

Sea Glass And Beach Combing Etiquette 

Don't Be Rude, Give A Girl Some Space!

Good morning fellow beach combers.

I never thought that I would consider writing an article on this topic but
here I am. lol 

This morning while I was at the beach minding my own business, I was startled by the sound of rocks under feet. I looked up and this couple that also searches the shoreline quite frequently were digging three feet away from me. Within a minute or two I had one on either side of me, digging in the same pile of rocks that I was digging in. I don't know about you but I have a method when I sift through the rocks and having someone dig right next to you will mess with your mo-jo, Am I Right?

They made sure to box me in and continued to dig as close to me as they could get. They were sure to dig in every pile of rocks within five feet of me for the next 20 minutes. Yes, I totally understand that it is a public beach and I have no rights over it. lol  This shoreline I am talking about, is a 5km stretch so there's no reason why they needed to be up right my nose.

I decided that I would start to make my way up the beach a bit and give us some space between us. Her husband was right on my heels. I lingered in a small pile for a minute and he stopped at the pile of rocks next to me. By this point I was starting to get annoyed and feeling quite crowded. Instead of flipping my lid I decided to double back the way I came. Within minutes the wife was on my heels again. I tried to pop over to different piles of rocks and every time I turned around she was there. Finally after 40 minutes of this nonsense, I packed it in.

This is extremely rude behavior. It ruined my morning. I haven't been able to get to the beach for some ME time in weeks and I was really looking forward to it. I am super bummed out that this was how I started my morning!! I hit the beach before I had my first coffee. That is how excited I was to head over there this morning!!

So here I am sitting on my couch with my coffee, sorting through some of my past treasures instead!!

When you take your next beach combing stroll, please remember people need their space. Some people need the beach to decompress from a stressful week. What happens if you disrupt a decompression??? You run the risk of an explosion. lol

Not to mention digging withing 3 feet of a stranger while there is 5km of seashore to roam is RUDE. Respect other people space!! Head and personal!!

The Creating Process, What Goes Into Each Piece Of Sea Glass Art!

The Creative Steps To Creating
 My One Of A Kind Sea Glass Art

There's Much More To It Than
Scooping Up A Handful Of Sea Glass
And Gluing It Down!

Beach Combing
It's a beautiful morning, the tide is almost out and it's time to hit the beach. I grab my beach bag with my empty containers and my trusty rake. Down over the bank we go. My honey and I make a day of it. Giving ourselves plenty of time on either side of low tide to ensure ample time for beach combing!
Sifting through the sand and pebbles looking for our little mermaids tears and other treasures!

I usually find a large pile of pebble sized rocks, have a seat and start sifting through! To me it is the most relaxing feeling. (I am not a gardener, not from lack of trying but because the salt water here kills EVERYTHING, lol) I now understand why gardeners love to garden so much, the raking and digging are so soothing, so relaxing.
Beach combing is one of my most favorite things in the world to do! I am lucky enough to have a man who also enjoys it as much as I do, and we live across the street from the best shore line in Nova Scotia!!



Washing
Into the soapy warm water they go to be washed by hand ensuring that all salt, sand and seaweed are removed. Once they are clean they are placed onto a big towel to dry.



Sorting
In the first sorting step the pieces are sorted by color only. Green, White, Blue, Purple etc. Sometimes this process is a little time consuming but it is so much fun and well worth it. I love things sorted and organized!




More Sorting And Shining
The second sorting step is for quality! Now it's time to sort out the best quality pieces for our very own collection. Red, Pink, Purple, Marbles, and other rare finds. Then comes the best part (For Me Anyway) I like to coat the best pieces of sea glass with coconut oil. I place a very small amount in the palm of my hand rub them together, grab a handful and just work them around between my hands. (A little goes a very long way) Coating them with coconut oil helps give them that fresh out of water look. Getting rid of that dull salt look. They look so much prettier to me this way. Then I place them into their matching jars.




And A Little More Sorting
(No I Promise I Am Not Crazy, lol )
This is where I really get down to business. This sorting step is for pieces that will later be used in my sea glass art pictures! Sailboats, seagulls, hearts, and all of the other accents for my one of a kind sea glass art.

This is probably the most time consuming of the sorting steps. It can take me an entire evening to sort out enough of the perfect pieces for 8-10 pictures! I have them all organized into their own containers to make my life much easier and my collection a little more organized!

Placing & Gluing

This can be a tedious process and usually it takes me a few days to get each piece in each sea glass picture just right. Each one has a couple of drafts it goes through before I actually glue them into place. Often I will place them and then look at it from across the room and swap out any pieces that don't quite fit!