A NEW GOAL

TOTAL AS OF APRIL 14, 2011!




Fundraising Ideas

I am very happy and excited to announce that our Etsy community and other creative supporters and contributors of our facebook page, 'What Can You Do To Help Japan?' has met our goal of $5000 and then some! Today we reached a grand total of $5476! Therefore, we have decided to revise our goal and change it to $10,000 to reflect the success and enthusiasm the contributing artists have demonstrated. Japan needs our help so we will aim higher and believe that we will reach our new goal!

Our Vancouver Island Etsy Team leader and another VI Etsy seller, were in the Sooke News Mirror today. Way to go girls! Our story is getting out there and spreading! "It only takes a spark to get a fire going..."

Beach Wedding Hair Accessories

Mermaid's Delight - Scallop and Faux Seaweed Hair Barrette

I would be a mermaid fair;
I would sing to myself the whole of the day;
With a comb of pearl I would comb my hair;
And still as I comb'd I would sing and say,
'Who is it loves me? Who loves not me?'
I would comb my hair till my ringlets would fall
Low adown, low adown,
From under my starry sea-bud crown
Low adown and around,
And I should look like a fountain of gold
Springing alone
With a shrill inner sound
Over the throne
In the midst of the hall;
Till that great sea-snake under the sea
From his coiled sleeps in the central deeps
Would slowly trail himself sevenfold
Round the hall where I sate, and look in at the gate
With his large calm eyes for the love of me.
And all the mermen under the sea
Would feel their immortality

Die in their hearts for the love of me.

Excerpt from 'The Mermaid'
by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Have you ever seen the movie 'Splash' with Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah? I found it delightful and have seen it more times than I can recall and still, I love it. There is something about the idea of mermaids that captivates me. I am not big on animated movies and yet I Iove 'The Little Mermaid'.
Christopher Columbus recorded sightings of mermaids on his 15th century voyages, and stories about the perils of the lonely mermaid and her tempting songs were standard sailors' lore until well into the 19th century. They say that the best time to observe mermaids are fine summer days when the sea is calm and the waves twinkle in the sunlight. It is also said that mermaids are easier to see at dawn or dusk, noon or dawn, being just visible at the extreme edges of vision, far left of far right. Mermaids should never be gazed at directly or they will disappear in an instant, as fugitive as a mirage.

If you, too, have a fascination for mermaids, you will appreciate our new 'Mermaid's Delight' Hair Barrette. It is a magical accessory for any bride having a beach wedding or for any woman who simply loves the sea. We will be adding more nautical hair accessories to our site soon, so keep an eye out from time to time!

May you enjoy many magical days by the sea not be afraid to believe 'the impossible'.

Our Online Shop Featured in Cafe Handmade!

FEATURE STORY IN CAFE HANDMADE

In the Studio with Micki and Cheryl, A2Sea Creations

October 14, 2009

We are two creative friends who reside on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC, Canada; Cheryl in Nanaimo, I in Coombs. Our adventure began with me designing a beach-themed, glass ball ornament for our local art gallery’s Christmas table in 2008. They sold like hotcakes so Cheryl and I got to thinking that we ought to make and sell more. So what began with a little ornament, soon ballooned into whatever our creative brains could think up; from ‘Nautical Notepads’, to ‘Mermaid Catchers’, Seaside ‘Treasure Boxes’ to our ‘Beach Under Glass Candleholders’, beach-themed jewelry to ‘Message in Bottles’, ‘Seaview Décor Mirrors’ and more. We hadn’t taken any crafting classes… we just went with our creative instincts and before we knew it, we had shelves and shelves full of seaside treasures!

At the beginning of our venture, Cheryl and I worked at my kitchen table. This was far from ideal as my kitchen was soon taken over by seashells, driftwood, raffia, sea glass, moss, sand you name it. What a mess! It was clear that we needed to figure out a better solution. So my rarely-used guest room became our craft room. We had planned to put up shelving but when we priced out the materials, it was not an option. So our Plan B was to buy several tall, inexpensive bookshelves and a long, fold-up work table… one that we could also bring to local craft fairs.

Cheryl and I have a sort of ritual, you could say. She comes here in the morning and I put on the coffee (only good coffee, I might add… very important to the process!) and we bring out the Bailey’s and we munch on my yummy, homemade granola bars. Music is also a very fundamental part of our creative process. We usually listen to the 70’s channel on cable and sing along (badly) to all the words that we remember (which aren’t many and usually the same). As far as setting a specific time to work, this is always a challenge because we both have very unpredictable schedules. I have a singing telegram business (http://www.tickleberrytelegrams.com/) and Cheryl works part-time in a thrift store and as a house/pet sitter (‘U-Petcha’). So we aim for once a week to come together, while working on our own in between, whenever possible. Summer…well that’s another story. Our work has been pretty much on hiatus due to vacations, family and friends. But we do have a craft fair coming up, so we have been making a few things for that as well as our online store.

We take pride in the fact that we use primarily local, organic, recycled, upcycled & eco-friendly materials that we collect with our own little hands. We work with beach-combed items such as seashells, sea glass and driftwood. Even seaweed! It is not unusual to see my kitchen sink full of soaking seashells and my oven full of drying seaweed. Interesting smells come out of my kitchen! Cheryl and I are in love with the ocean so it only stands to reason that we would enjoy working with natural materials the ocean provides. It is a pleasure to go walking on the seashore while discovering what new treasures we can find and utilize!

Cheryl and I sell our products online in our Etsy store at http://www.etsy.com/shop/A2SeaCreations. I am also a photographer so I opened another Etsy online store which can be found at http://www.thesingingphotographer.com/ We also sell our seaside treasures at local craft fairs and a store in Coombs, here on the island. I also sell my photography in the Nanaimo Arts Council Gallery.

Humans need two things; connection and a sense of self-worth. Buying and selling handmade provides both; the artist receives the validation that comes with selling something they have designed and a relationship is formed as the buyer communicates directly with the artist in the customizing of their desired item. The buyer becomes more than just a customer; they are a supporter of the artist’s work and vision. Handmade products come with a personal history and unique story and buying handmade creates a sense of community with people from all around the world. These dynamics are lost in the world of large scale manufacturing.

It would be great to expand, but not so much that we lose the joy of creating for fun. Cheryl and I will likely keep creating for as long as we are able. We have not looked that far into the future as we both tend to live in the moment as much as we can, enjoying the process and our friendship. As a photographer, I am continually learning new techniques and trying out new processes so that I might keep growing in my art.

A CONTEST!

"TELL US YOUR SEA STORY" - CONTEST

Do you have an inspirational story that involves the sea? Do you have any special memories that took place by the sea? Send us your stories by visiting our shop and scrolling down to 'Contact A2Sea Creations' (on the right-hand side of our shop page.) Add your story there and walla!

The winner will be announced on April 15th (entry deadline is April 13th) and will receive a ready-to-frame 8x10 photo of their choice (with matting and archival-safe backing) by Vancouver Island Photographer, Micki Findlay. To view photos go to our new Photography Shop and pick your favorite!

The winner's name will be posted with an announcement on our blog and their story will be featured. When you submit your story/stories, please add a note saying that we have permission to publish your story. Also, if you have an Etsy shop or other website you would like to promote, (family-friendly please) add your link to your story.

Best of luck everyone!