The Work-y Work-y part of it.....part one.

Yes, strolling by the sea, waves lapping, gulls calling and the sun shining.  What an idyllic way to go to "work" finding beach glass!

But....that's not even a small part of creating beautiful frosted gems.  I have to then sort the glass, and sort the glass, and sort the glass (you get the picture).  It takes good eyes and some creativity to match Mother Nature's gifts to what  I can use for pendants and earrings and bracelets. 

I generally use white paper plates to sort on.  They show the colors of the glass truer than on a counter top.  Also they are cheap and if the glass is wet or dirty, I can just throw the plate away. 

This morning while waiting for my tea to brew, I was quickly sorting some beach glass in to a couple of piles.  The top one is the "probably can use" pile and the bottom one is "can't use".  The can't use pile has pieces too large, pieces not shaped right or pieces that are still a little shiny.  These I throw back into the water and will get them another day when they are beautifully frosted all over.

The other piles are mermaid's tears (smooth tiny rocks) and shards of "frosted" pottery. 

I know that this looks like a big haul - but it wasn't from one trip to the beach.  My husband looks out for glass when he launches his boat or canoe and we both pile up our finds over several days or a week before the sorting begins.

Next blog, I'll show you the sorting room!!!