Sea Glass – A Treasure amongst treasures!



Meet Roberta Hickey

Sea Glass Enthusiast  Extraordinaire

Authoress of

American Mom Blog

I’ve mentioned before one of my favorite things about looking for Sea Glass are the people I meet along the way.  If you plug in Google Search Words like Sea Glass and all the variations thereof  you will get daily emails of what is out there and thus begins the dive into cyber space of meeting others who are into sea glass.  THIS is how I met Roberta Hickey.

Leaving comments on blogs is a common practice and getting a response back is like getting a letter in the mail…a treat.

Roberta is very knowledgeable about Sea Glass and shares freely what she discovers and knows.  She is also very fortunate in that her local beaches provide incredible finds, the mermaids are working overtime tossing their tears at her feet.

Roberta is also providing her insights and experiences of a journey interwoven with her Sea Glass escapades.  In our communications back and forth we discovered we also have something else in common “Pancreatic Cancer”.  This nearly took my breath away.

My Mom was taken home 3 years ago after living 7 months longer than the Doctors gave her after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

This is where Roberta is at ….living in that area that is a gift of time beyond reason.

In reading her blog American Mom, I’m taken in by how interesting she is, well spoken and her ability to convey all arrays of emotion, be vulnerable yet steady as a rock and find myself wishing I lived next door to her.

Roberta is a treasure amongst treasures….I thought for a while I’d keep her to myself but then after the greed fell to the ground I knew that she must be shared as all treasure should be.

I find comfort in talking about the illness and walking with her.  We are connected for a reason and I’ll just leave that to the Lord as to how that plays out.  I’m encouraged by her rallies from treatments to continue to live life as she loves it with such an amazing spirit.  She is generous to a fault with her time, posessions  and heart.

Meet and visit my friend Roberta, find for yourself the treasure she is….You’ll be better for it.

When you visit tell her I said Hi and give her xoxoxo’s for me.

Mermaid’s Tears are often the telescope through which men see into heaven.

_____Anonymous

Fair Winds and Calm Seas,

Deborah Leon  artist/collector

mermaidspurse@att.net

www.mermaidspurseseaglass.com

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Sea Glass, Mermaid’s Purse & Fair

Mermaid’s Purse Swims in to El Segundo Hometown Fair May 1st – 10a.m. – 4p.m. Library Park, 600 Block Main Street Booth Space #1 Introducing West Wind Collection Sea Glass Jewelry Entire West Wind Collection is priced $35 and under Sea Glass and Leather for Women and Men Necklaces, Bracelets, Anklets & Earrings Shop for MOM, Graduation, Vacation, Summer Yourself!! Secret Mention…..MOM2010……to receive 25% off any purchase over $50 This applies only to Sea Glass in Sterling Silver Jewelry I’ll Be Looking For Ya!! Fair Winds and Calm Seas Deborah Leon   artist/collector 310.989.3503 mermaidspurse@att.net www.mermaidspurseseaglass.com

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I Heart You – Sea Glass Heart

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Shop Sea Glass Jewelry for MOM!

Mermaid’s Purse
Sea Glass Jewelry

Shop for Mom at Mermaid’s Purse
Mother’s Day is May 9

25%  off
sea glass jewelry
made with sterling silver
In Celebration of our Mom’s

Memento Wrapping
Have a special Treasure that reminds Mom of you
or is just a favorite object of hers?
I’ll wrap it in a setting of Sterling Silver
to become a pendant she can wear on a chain

Hurry….need 2 day lead time

Call: 310.989.3503
mermaidspurse@att.net

Shop at the web store
or visit me
May 1 at the El Segundo Hometown Fair
Library Park, 600 block, Main Street
Booth Space #1, North side of the rose garden
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Use this Code: mom2010
where indicated in shopping cart
to receive discount

Fair Winds and Calm Seas,
Deborah Leon  artist/collector
mermaidspurse@att.net
www.mermaidspurseseaglass.com
310.989.3503

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A BIG MERMAID THANK YOU

HERMOSA BEACH CLEAN UP DAY

AND

SEA GLASS FINDS

Saturday, April 17 was clean up day at Hermosa Beach sponsored by Mermaid’s Purse.  When we got to the pier there was a flurry of activity going on and we fit right in.  Spyder Surf  put on Surf Fest 3.  All the top Surf sponsors were there, Billabong, Volcom, Roxy, Reef, Rip Curl, Quick Silver, Surf Riders, etc.  There was a high school surf competition, bands, volley ball, beach tennis and of course the all important CLEAN UP…YEAY.

I’m so proud to say that the teenagers, our future keepers of this earth made a strong showing.  Outfitted with trash bags and disposable gloves we dispersed to do our thing..collect trash.

Yes….SEA GLASS was amongst the trash picked up, but of course it never made its way into a trash bag, the Sea Glass was safely tucked into the lining of pockets to be shown after.

Helping to clean were young surfers, Boy Scouts, students serving to get community service credit, Moms, an attorney and more importantly great attitudes and fantastic workers.

Penny found a styling piece of emerald green Sea Glass from a bottle neck.  She also found the largest trash item…a nasty 5 gallon paint bucket sitting in the sand.

MORE PICS OF THE CLEAN UP BRIGADE DOING AN  “ACT OF GREEN”

Thank you soooooo much to all that helped.  For myself, my bag got so heavy I couldn’t drag it anymore and asked a kind beach comber to toss it away for me.

I found a handful of Sea Glass most of which is usable for jewelry while cleaning.  *TIP:  look along the debris line to find Sea Glass also, not just the shore line.

It was a glorious day and much was accomplished.  Another thanks goes to the Earth Day Org. for bringing to the foreground that we must continue to be good stewards of the amazing possession we call Earth.  This year is their 40th anniversary.

Fair Winds and Calm Seas,

Deborah Leon  artist, collector

Be sure to subscribe to Mermaid’s Purse to receive the newsletter and get the 5 part series about Sea Glass.

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SEA GLASS JEWELRY – AN ACT OF GREEN

Mermaid’s Purse

Sea Glass Jewelry
Join Me for an “Act of Green”
In celebration of Earth Day

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Coastal Creations & Design

Big Write Up on Mermaid’s Purse

Sea Glass Jewelry

South Bay, California  Girl gets Noticed

Coastal Creations & Design

Seaworthy Products for Those That Fancy the Sea

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Original Sea Glass Jewelry Creations by Daniel Renee & Deborah Leon

One of the great things about writing a blog like Coastal Creations and Design is the ability to attract wonderful folks that share the same common interests. As fate has it, we recently received a few favorable comments to a current post from two very talented artists, and both create exceptional sea-inpired jewelry from beach-combed sea glass. So I checked out their websites and Wah-lah! . . .the inspiration for another coastal creation. (See what writing a nice comment to our blog might bring you!)

Click :      Coastal Creations & Design to read more.

It is a thrill to be recognized for my artwork in making Sea Glass Jewelry. Being paired up with Danielle Renee is most impressive and an honor.  In this emerging niche of  Sea Glass Jewelry which is very competitive, it’s great to be recognized with a stamp mark of quality.

Thank you to all my clients, followers and visitors.  It’s fun sharing and creating for you.

Fair Winds and Calm Seas,

Deborah Leon   artist/collector

meraidspurse@att.net

www.mermaidspurseseaglass.com

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Sea Glass Jewelry-Percision Drilling

SEA GLASS

THE RIGHT DRILL BITS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

KNACK

Drilling Sea Glass for Jewelry is a knack but with the right drill bits that knack is made a little easier…in fact, a lot easier.

SHAPE

As you see in the pic, the shape may seem confusing to most of you.  It’s not sharp and pointed at the end with graduated spiral edges.  My drill bits are barrel shaped.  WHY?  We are grinding Sea Glass NOT cutting it.

Using this type of drill bit reduces the shattering of Sea Glass.  The time to make a hole in the Sea Glass is much quicker also.

DRILLING

To get the  cleanest and straightest dill holes, I always start with my smallest drill bit.  It’s the size of a needle and is the one I use the most.  After the  1st hole is made I graduate to the next drill bit til the desired size is achieved.  Yes, it means changing the drill bits about 5 times….but that’s the nature of getting the best hole without cracking the Sea Glass.

When drilling your piece of Sea Glass, set it in the water with your piece of wood or sponge underneath ( be sure water covers the surface of Sea Glass ).  Many use a marker to mark both sides of the Sea Glass to assure a straight line.  I eyeball it unless the Sea Glass is so dark I can’t see through it.

Starting at a low speed ( #2 on my Dremel dial ) to minimize the vibrations, I drill 1/2 to 3/4 way through the Sea Glass, turn it over and drill from the other side.

SAFETY

Good lighting and glasses for safety are a MUST!

GOT QUESTIONS?  SEND A COMMENT!  I’ll answer your questions.

MERMAID’S PURSE NEWSLETTER:  Offering  a 5 Part Series on SEA GLASS for Subscribers ONLY.  It’s FREE, INFORMATIVE & FUN.  IT’S GETTING GREAT REVIEWS.

TO GET YOURS:  Fill out form at top, right corner of this page.  SUBMIT…you’ll receive a confirmation email.  CLICK the link….you’re on your way to the world of  Sea Glass with Mermaid’s Purse.

Fair Winds and Calm Seas,

Deborah Leon  artist/collector

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Drilling Sea Glass

Starting my venture in making Sea Glass Jewelry required I get a hand drill.  Have you ever been to that great big tool department in Home Depot?  Scary!

Thanks to the advice and guidance of my husband, he led me to my Dremel 400/XPR.

I bought a drill press at the same time.  A drill press is a stand with a mount to attach the hand drill.  It has a lever to guide the drill up and down.

I  saw this used in a video for drilling Sea Glass and it appeared to have more control and stability.

After about a month of using it..I started drilling the Sea Glass using the Dremel, held in my hand .  To my surprise I could feel the amount of pressure better and I actually had more control over the drill this way.  Go figure.  I’m sure the drill press will come in hand another time.

It is super quiet and easy to hold.  Not heavy or full of vibration.  The power is more than sufficient for drilling Sea Glass.  The motor doesn’t get hot on me.  The settings dial is super easy( there are 10 settings)  Most Dremels come with a nut and a collet.  You’ll probably need to purchase a couple of other collets in different sizes to accommodate  the different sized drill bits.

Like anything else the hardest part is developing the muscles in your hand to get use to holding it vertically straight while drilling the Sea Glass.  It comes in time,  just like learning to play a musical instrument.

DO NOT COMPROMISE in getting a good hand drill.  There are lots out there and several are very cute and miniature…they won’t get the job done…don’t get sucked into cuteness:)

Next time we’ll talk about drill bits.  Any questions?  Be sure to leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.

This Mermaid is super tired and ready for sweet dreams.  Good Night.

Fair Winds and Calm Seas,

Deborah Leon  artist/collector

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Sea Glass Hunting & Making Friends

One of the best parts of  looking for Sea Glass are the people I meet along the way.  This Monday was no exception.  After a few times you begin to recognize the other collectors, exchange names and compare finds.

Bruce appears to be a regular, a Manhattan Beach resident who walks the beach because it’s therapeutic for his back, and it turns out he and his wife are nutty for Sea Glass.

Tim Harris hit the jackpot finding a decent sized piece of cobalt blue Sea Glass.

Running into each other Tim just couldn’t contain his excitement and had to do a little show and tell about his cobalt blue find.  His excitement infected me to being totally thrilled for him.  Sooo…he agreed to a mini photo shoot.  Sweet!  Happy Hunting Tim, here’s to finding a Ruby of the Sea the next time.

Continuing my journey I collect trash that has been tossed ashore by this years storms.  Passing by Moms playing with their kids, I offer trash bags and ask if they can do a little cleaning while playing.  They are very obliging.  (I always carry extra trash bags to hand out )

My last unexpected meet on this expedition was a delightful, sweet woman by the name of Robin.  We talked about our finds, etc. and upon learning that I do this for my business she insisted that I take her finds and she hung out for a while to help me look for more Sea Glass.  Robin…thank you…so generous and gracious.  Enjoy the rest of Spring Break with your daughter and family.

Hunting for Sea Glass is so much more than just the find to make jewelry. It is the Sum and Total of the whole experience, delightful people, salty air, song of sea birds, the ebb and flow of the tide, wet feet, sun upon my face, cleaning my favorite place, and for a moment in time…being in communion with the creator of all creation.

Fair Winds and Calm Seas,

Deborah Leon  artist/collector

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