String up some stones to remember your visit, especially if it's out of season.
There is nothing I like better than going to the beach. But not in the summer, when the lobster-red crowds are out in force and dogs are banned and children are easily lost. Unless, of course, the beach is in Florida or somewhere exotic. I might make an exception then.
No, our best beach visits happen when there are just other hardy souls getting windswept as they laugh at their dogs barking at the waves. Yes, we like visiting out of season. Ian has written about great beaches to visit if you're looking for inspiration.
Add a cafe, or a flask of hot chocolate and cake, into the mix and I think you have a recipe for a perfect Sunday jaunt.
We can't come home empty handed though. Our pockets are bulging with sea glass (quite hard to find we've discovered), stones with holes in them and heart shaped ones plus driftwood.
But what to do with this plethora of goodies? For some time they've been sitting in a bowl on my kitchen windowsill but after a recent beach visit I decided to make a mobile.
Here's what you need:
- A piece of driftwood
- Stones with holes in them
- String
- A drill to make holes in the driftwood.
We drilled holes along the piece of wood, the amount will depend on how many stones you have to string up or how big your piece of wood is. I used string which I appreciate will eventually rot so this hangs in our porch which is a bit protected from the weather.
Next we threaded a stone, made a large knot and kept going until we were happy with what it looked like. The top of the string was threaded through the hole in the wood and finished off with another knot. String wound and tied around both ends of the wood formed a hanging loop.
Alternatively, you can make one long string of stones by threading them on some wire wrapped around a large stone at the bottom to anchor them. Or you could string them up (if you don't have any wood) to make a garland. Or you could make necklaces out of the smaller ones or these romantic rocks. How about making a sign out of driftwood? The world is your oyster, or holey stone!
Photo: Debbie Webber
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mum
05 April, 2011
What a brilliant idea! We're all avid collectors of shells, pebbles, sea glass and driftwood from Pembrokeshire beaches and even just one or two here and there has really added up over the years. At the moment they're sitting in a bowl too but this would be a much better way of displaying the pretty ones. A good task for the Easter holidays! We might even have to go and get some more raw materials.
mum
05 April, 2011
Yep, another one with bowls of shells and pebbles here! We love going to the beach out of season too, we got a few funny looks when we had a picnic on the beach in February. I swear, it really was warm enough. Or maybe we're just exceptionally hardy!
admin
05 April, 2011
This is a lovely idea Debbie! We are fortunate enough to live right by the sea and we have hundreds of little "treasures" our children have brought back... I always have to check pockets before washing because they are always filled with pebbles :-)
We also paint our pebbles and turn them into little creatures, and sometimes we also use them as placenames for the table for special dinners. We find nice flat ones and use a permanent marker to write the guests names on, and lay them on top of the napkin.
Leigh
Ready for Ten Team