Beachcombing; hunting for hearts

A couple of days ago I went down to the beach after work for an hour to look for treasure. I've always loved collecting natural treasures, I was the kid with pockets full of shells and stones, the one who insisted that my parents make room in the car for my 'special' stick, or rock, or pinecone after every walk.

Beaches are some of my favourite places to scavenge. Well, some of my favourite places in general! I have almost always lived near the ocean, and I can't imagine living away from it for very long. I think my ancestors were mermaids...

I'm always on the lookout for interesting little trinkets that I can incorporate into new jewellery designs or my mixed media artworks. Pretty shells, stones, pieces of beach glass or plastic, old rope, rusty metal and driftwood are all fair game. These are a few of the shells and stones I collected, all washed by hand with an old toothbrush and laid out to dry in the sun. I'll try to remember to show you the photos of the final pieces these trinkets eventually become!

 

I have a particular love of heart shaped stones, and always look out for them. At the moment they are dotted around all over the house, on windowsills and shelves, in bags and pockets, but I'd like to gather them all up and display them together somehow. A little collection that can be constantly evolving and growing.

 

How do you display your collections of little treasures, whatever they may be? If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them!