Category Archives: Collections

From Russia with Love

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I’m not referring to the James Bond spy film, but lately some treasures from Russia have found their way home with me.

[I don’t even want to get started on the politics of Putin — he’s an absolutely horrible person and now among the world’s most hated, and for good reason.]

Since part of my family emigrated from Russia and Ukraine, probably to escape the vicious pogroms, I have an inherent affection for Russian collectibles. (Also ballet and vodka, haha.)

I have a hazy memory of playing with some Russian/Ukranian nesting dolls, or maybe it was simply my overly overactive imagination because I certainly don’t have them now, and I know that I would never have discarded them.

I went to Goodwill and saw this complete five-piece set of Russian nesting dolls for $3.99. I have a feeling that no one knew what they were, that the largest doll opened up, so SCORE for me.

The matryoshka, or nesting doll, is one of the most quintessential representations of traditional Russian peasant life, as a relic of quaint serf culture. Russian children learned to count with these handpainted beauties. Matryoshka dolls are used to illustrate the unity of body, soul, mind, heart, and spirit.

I can add the dolls to the beautiful Kohkloma bowls and spoons that were gifted by a generous neighbor.

In the mid-17th century certain handmade goods being created in the village of Khokhloma. Tableware was carved out of wood and then primed with clay, linseed oil. and tin powder before being hardened in a kiln. The result was then painted with floral patterns in red, black, and gold. One theory as to how the craft first started is that “Old-Believers” hiding out in forests around Khokhloma used these techniques to make it appear that the items were made out of something more substantial than wood and that gold was actually used in their decoration.

I have a Russian lacquer box that my mom gave me when I was in high school. She told me it was very special and I should always save the box it came in, which I did. It’s signed by the artist on the back and numbered, which makes me think it might be valuable. (No, the Angel Kids can’t have THIS box.) I wish I had started to collect them; I’ll put that on my wish list.

Maybe one day I’ll find an authentic Faberge egg at a thrift store and end up on Antiques Roadshow. A girl can dream, right?

A Box of Nothing

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I rescued this treasure at the thrift store, an adorable penguin box crafted of Capiz shells from the Philippines. Used extensively for jewelry and even window panes, it’s the shell of the oyster, Placuna placenta.

The way the light hits it is stunning and artistic for such a small thing.

I love little boxes.

And bowls I can fill with owl and hawk feathers I discover in my garden or on walks.

This sort of reminds me of Mary Oliver, “Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.”

No darkness here as you can see, but I guess I’ll have to fill my box of nothing with something, probably and predictably rocks or seashells, and then it will no longer be a lonely box of nothing.

Angel Chat: High Energy and Squishmallows

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I haven’t done this in a while; here’s a compilation of random high energy Angel chat…read all the way through to learn about Squishies.

“Grandma, watch me brush my hair! Grandma, watch me, no, right now! Looklooklook!”

“Grandma did you put the picture I drew for you on the refrigerator?”

“Mom, I totally freaked Grandma out!”

“Grandma Princess Rosebud, I totally freaked you out, right?”

OMG she really did (and yes, they really call me Grandma Princess Rosebud). We were at the park and seemingly for no reason at all, she took off running and was headed OUT of the playground gate faster than I have EVER seen a four-year-old run. What I didn’t know was that she had spotted Dad and was breaking all land speed records to jump in his arms.

“You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“T, remember how I totally freaked Grandma out?”

As a reminder, this is a verbally precocious four-year-old and she was absolutely astonished at my “freaked out” reaction.

All I know for certain is that I guard those kids’ lives with a fierce laser-focused intensity, and I had no idea why she was running OUT and away, as that had never happened before. The kids stay close to me and I have my eyes on both of them at at all times. Their safety is my number one priority.

“Grandma, how long do I have to hold your hand to cross the street?”

“Until you’re ten, ‘cos that’s when Daddy stopped holding my hand, but if I ever say it’s super important to hold my hand, please agree to do it because it’s my job to keep you both safe, right?”

“Oh, okay.” (Insert teenagerish eye roll.)

“Grandma, look at this Pokemon card. Is it real or fake?” How about this one? How come you always can pick out the fakes?”
“I played chess with my friend.” “Why don’t you play chess Grandma?”

“Grandma, do you know what? You haven’t been very annoying for a few days.” “I just thought I’d tell you that.”

“Well, my little friend, thank you for sharing because now I will work extra hard to be annoying!”

“Grandma, did you send more puzzles? Really hard ones? How many pieces?”
“T, I sent you two Pokemon puzzles, one with 100 pieces and a really hard one with 300 pieces. Do you think you can handle it?”

“Yes, I can handle it, Grandma!”

“DAD, GRANDMA SENT ME A POKEMON PUZZLE WITH 300 PIECES!”

“How about ME, Grandma?”
“Your two puzzles each have 48 pieces, my smart little angel.”
“But that’s not hard enough!”
“When you’ve completed those a few times, we’ll see about moving up to the next level, OK?”

“Grandma, did you send us more Squishmallows?”

“Yes, I absolutely did. Don’t I always?”

Are you dialed in to the Squishmallow craze? You probably are if you’re a mom or grandma. It started a couple years ago when the kids received one of these very soft, very squishy stuffies and the addictive desire for more multiplied. It seems to have become a worldwide phenomenon. I admit I love them too and can’t stop collecting the new releases. If I had to count, I’ve probably bought the kids each about thirty-five, so that equals a grand total of SEVENTY Squishmallows. (Since they MUST have the same ones. I always buy TWO.)

I know, I know, I know it might seem excessive, but that’s what grandmas DO!

I just found these ADORABLE giant Halloween Squishmallows and yes, these will be presented soon…

Some stay here to be loved while others are held on the flight home. I send a new one pretty much every month which is the reason for the question.

They come in smaller sizes too, and brilliantly branched out into other merch — I’ve even gotten Angel Girl Squishmallow socks.

Pineapples, tigers, and dinosaurs, but I really love the enchanting unicorns, don’t you?

Moonstone Beach | Sea Glass Treasures

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Since it’s just about time to honor June’s Full Moon, it seems like the perfect opportunity to chat about Moonstone Beach, another sea glass location I need to visit. It’s in Cambria on California’s Central Coast.

It’s said that at Moonstone Beach beach you can find moonstone agates plus jade, jaspers, and other semi-precious stones.

Here’s a photo of some of my beach glass collection. Red is the third most rare type of sea glass, and I only have a couple pieces of that color.

Did you know? Orange is the most rare sea glass color. Turquoise is the second most rare color and the rarest type of blue sea glass. Red is the third most rare sea glass color and yellow is the fourth. I guess white and green and brown are more common to find because I have a lot of those colors, probably because most bottles were crafted in those colors.

None of the beaches around me have sea glass OR many seashells, although we have an abundant and endless supply of ROCKS.

October Obsession: Selenite

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Happy October! I can’t believe it’s almost the end of another year, can you?

Of all the colors of rocks and crystals from which to choose, I’ve become obsessed with WHITE selenite.

Abundant with moon magic, it was named after the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene.

I first had a little piece and then I brought home a much larger tower, and I just got an adorable selenite bowl to hold many of my smaller crystals and special stones.

Selenite has a very high vibration and strong healing properties. It also has the extraordinary ability to completely remove negative energy from our body, home, and our belongings.

https://www.villagerockshop.com/blog/most-common-faqs-selenite/

All You Need Is…

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There’s a growing collection of animals at my front door, along with seashells and rocks, of course. Hedgehogs and bunnies along with frogs and turtles and owls welcome everyone to Casa de Enchanted Seashells.

These are brand new additions to the family…and best of all for my thrifty self, they were both on sale.

Pocket Treasures

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Since tomorrow is the full Wolf Moon in Cancer, I reckon it’ll feel intense and emotional. If yesterday’s volcanic explosion in Tonga and tsunami alerts up and down our west coast is any indication, there are powerful energies above and below.

Three precious treasures found their way into my pocket this morning and came home with me.

I took them out one by one to admire their beauty: a feather, a rock, and a penny that looks old but is from 2021.

They have no real connection; I found each of them in different locations along the path. I often see rocks and feathers but it’s more unusual to find coins, especially since it seems that we don’t use them like we used to. Most of the time we pay with a card, right? We might carry a few dollars with us; coins not as likely, so it was something shiny that caught my eye.

Anyway, now they’re safe and that makes me happy.

Gathering

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I could have written these words. As I look around Casa de Enchanted Seashells, I see feathers and rocks and driftwood and seashells, so many seashells.

They are my true and stalwart friends.

In every room, I can touch and feel and recreate the time and place they were collected and lovingly gathered: local beaches, Anza-Borrego, Zion, Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Painted Desert, Grand Tetons, Pinnacles, Pacific Northwest–a weaving of memories.

And yes, they bring a smile to my face.

Easy DIY Mod Podge Candle Decor

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We had our first winter storm today with some hail, so I needed an indoor project.

I love to embellish pretty much everything, usually with seashells, but not always. This time I decided to Mod Podge a silk scarf onto plain glass candles that came from the dollar store.

The scarf was an old Laurel Burch cat scarf that I must have inherited from my mom because I never was really a Burch fan. I’m not sure why I had originally cut it up, but there was enough material left over to beautify three candles.

The art of decoupage is so simple yet so satisfying.

1. Cut the fabric to the size of the glass container.
2. Brush a good amount of Mod Podge on the glass.
3. Carefully place the scarf on the glass and press firmly.
4. Brush on more Mod Podge. The silk adheres really nicely to the sticky glue and there’s enough time to push out all of the air bubbles.
5. Let it dry for about an hour and then paint another layer of Mod Podge onto the surface.
6. Let dry.

That’s it!

I’m beyond pleased with the results!

All lit up and glowing. They look even better than I thought they would. The best thing is that when the original candle burns out, I can replace it with a votive.

Rock Solid

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The call of love sounds very hollow among these immobile rocks.
-Gustav Mahler

I love rocks as much as I love seashells. I’m drawn to all shapes and sizes, colors and textures. Each one has a story to tell. They’re alive; warm from absorbing the sun, cool to the touch when it’s chilly, and shiny wet when it rains. They change but stay the same. I can trust them and that’s important to me.

Rocks are composed primarily of grains of minerals, crystalline solids formed from a chemical compound arranged in an orderly manner. The aggregate minerals forming the rock are held together by chemical bonds. Immutable bonds of love.

This is my very own dry river bed. I hauled each and every rock with my own two hands; thousands of them; a true labor of love.