Meet my babies
I think it is time to introduce my sand jars. This is pretty much the one thing that I collect, after a brief pencil-collecting stint in the early 90s. My coolest pencil came from the Smithsonian museum and had a clear body with tiny rocks inside.
I got the idea for the sand collection in a Martha Stewart Living magazine. They featured a photographer's home and in one room they had a huge collection of spice jars filled with sand from every beach their family had been to. Of course, their family had been to places like Greece and Russia and Croatia. Which I have not done so much.
This, to me, seemed like a great idea. It's a free souvenir, and I love going to beaches. Once I started the collection, it was amazing to see the differences between the sands. People who have traveled with me have been very patient with me and my burning need to get sand for my jars. Others have been so kind as to offer to bring back sand for me when they travel. One coworker even brought me back Irish sand from the Dingle Peninsula. I have decided after much thought, though, that I can't keep doing that. The jars have to represent beaches I've actually stood on myself.
So far I have sand from beaches in Alaska, California, Lake Michigan, Florida, Oahu, Kauai, Idaho, Utah, England, Gran Canaria, and British Columbia in about 40 jars. I would like to add sand from Greece, Croatia, New England, and the Bahamas to the mix. So if anyone wants to send me there I promise I'll take a picture of the resulting sand jars and send them to you.
So. What about you? Any other cool collections out there?
I'm Steph, a librarian and mom of 3 (not sure how that happened). Let's chat books, food, Sumptuous Literary Adaptations, poop, knitting and maybe some crazy Mormon Feminism.
21 comments:
My 7th grade science teacher collected sand. I thought this was the coollest idea ever . . . which was probably because I had a giant crush on him, but still, cool idea. Nice penmanship, by the way.
I've collected glass figures for a long time - like the stuff from Krystal Kreations that used to be in the University Mall. And I'm thinking of starting a Willow Tree collection because I'm not sure how much longer I can resist.
I have collected coins, money, thimbles, and picture books. My favorite thing to collect is smashed pennies that have pictures of places I have been.
Hey that's cool! I brought some sand and water back from Hawaii when I was there in October. But it is in one of those little water bottles that Delta gives you on the airplane.
I collect pins and books. I have tons of books. Most of them are still at my parents' house because I have no room for them in my apartment.
What an awesome collection! And so nicely displayed. I'm impressed.
Things I've collected:
- penpals (and letters from them)
- erasers (not the pink school erasers...mine were shaped like animals and I even had one shaped like the Statue of Liberty)
- books (not that I meant to collect them...I just seem to have a lot)
- Ginny dolls
- antique canning jars
I think your New England sand should come from the beach at Walden Pond. Following some very illegal, but very fun night swimming.
My MIL collects sand as well. She picked some up from a beach in Florida only to have airport security become suspicious (it was, after all, fine white powder) and apparently after concluding it was nothing to worry about, they dumped it all over the inside of her suitcase. Jerks.
I collect maps. Only I don't have the rule that I have to have been to the place first, so people can feel free to send me maps from distant climes. (The farthest anyone has traveled so far, just to get me a map, is New Zealand.)
Alas, my sand jars sit in the last unopened box from the move. No shelf space that was up hight enough...perhaps I'll rememdy that situation this weekend!
I've got sand from Yuba lake I've been dying to unload...
I collect eighteen inch (18") mini bats from each baseball stadium I attend.
When I was single I collected girls. After I tried them all I picked the best one for me. Alas, I don't have a girl collection any longer.
The only sand I've ever collected is the sand found in my shorts and ears.
A sand collection is pretty cool. I used to collect post cards as a kid and now collect key chains from places I've never been to. People have surprised me by picking up stuff for me I have ones from Sweden, Japan, Switzerland, Paris, Rome and the Millennium Wheel in London.
Those jars are so cute! Where did you buy them?
I know you came to NC shortly before your depature to England. Should I be offended that our beach didn't have sand cool enough for collecting? Honestly, the south is totally discriminated against.
I love the collection! I think it looks great.
I used to have a paper obsession. I would just go out and buy colored card stock and horde it away. When it came time to use a piece of paper, I'd have to look at the paper while considering using it for at least 10 minutes before deciding whether or not the project was worth it. Often, the project wasn't worth the paper (oddly enough, the paper only cost 5 cents, but I couldn't bring myself to deplete my collection).
I don't collect paper anymore, but I have a box full of fabric and fabric scraps. Mmm... fabric...
I collect sea shells and have to get my picture taken while splashing in every body of water that I visit.
I found some really colorful and tiny seashells in Cozumel and put them in an empty orange juice bottle that was on the floor of my renatl car-- when I came home I just painted the bottle and it's now a lovely paperweight.
I also collect classic books-- the older and rattier, the better :-)
I have at various points collected postcards, shot glasses, magnets, and jewelry. The only thing that really stuck were my books. As a recovering pack rat, I decided that books could be my one and only collection. I've got some great author-signed books that I treasure.
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Hey....
The picture's not in the online version....
Anyway, it's really cool sand.
Lilcis, sorry I didn't answer before! I got them at Robert's crafts for $.99 each. I think I want to find some without the flippy lids, though.
I love the flippy lids!I think it adds character. None of the jars I found online had the cool lids. I'll have to check Michael's sometime this week.
I decided to copy you. I went to Daytona Beach for a business trip this weekend, and collected a bag of sand while I was there. I wish I'd heard of this collections sooner, I've missed so many beaches! Guess I'll have to go back to each one.
I was totally inspired by the exact same photo in Martha Stewart! It's the one magazine I refuse to give up, throw out, or recycle. I started my own with a side trip to White Sands NM (totally worth it!) and just got back from Isreal with two more samples.
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