Seaside Tinkered Treasures

If you are lucky enough to live near a beach of some kind, then you know the treasures that lie on it.  As an East Coast gal, collecting shells, driftwood and fairy tales, was a part of my upbringing.    With the new book Seaside Tinkered Treasures by Elyse Major, I can turn my findings into little gifts from the sea.

Using items from the seashore, holiday essentials, and things you will already have in your home, she has recreated the feeling of summer in these beautiful souvenirs of days spent by the sea. Mermaids made from laundry pegs, shell-topped jars, a beach cottage built from lolly sticks, or a windchime constructed from sticks and shells, are just some of the unique ideas to help you keep your happy summer memories alive throughout the year. Many of the projects use recycled materials, and "tinkering" requires no specialist tools, equipment or techniques – anyone can do it! As well as the 35 projects, there are "Fancy This" alternatives for many of the items, substituting different materials or changing the colours for a different look.

I have always been fascinated by seaside homes and though we do not live on the beach, we visit it numerous times a week during summer.  Seaside Tinkered Treasres helps us to keep the magic of the shore alive in our home.  My daughter was enamoured with this book and though our seashell haul this year is pitiful, we have still found many crafts to create within the book.  My personal favorite is the Front Porch Picnic (or fairy furniture as we call it) that we were able to create together. It was complimented by vintage Liberty of London fabric and a mini tea-set my daughter's great-great-aunt gave her that very day.  My daughter plays with it often and uses her handmade peg dolls.  Up next are Merpegs (peg clothespins transformed into merpeople), and Tinkered Terrariums using the pink sand we have from Bermuda.