Fall- The Best Time To Visit "The Neck"

 The  crazy days of summer have departed and life now continues at a more leisurely pace. The young visitors are back at school and been replaced by those who tend to linger over the beauty of the area.

Here at the shop we are still busy greeting travelers and doing some last minute cutting to get material ready for the winter fabrication. Today we are cutting blanks to make guitar picks out of a rock called obsidian- natural volcanic glass. It's hard to work with but makes great guitar picks!

We've also had to make items to fill the holes left in the shop display. here are a few of the new items.

This is a gorgeous example of Picture Jasper. I did a perimeter groove so the full beauty of the "picture" could be shown. Then I hung it on a very unique copper chain and finished it with a hand made copper neck clasp. The result is a real show stopper.

Next we have an awesome piece of Brier Island Jasper exhibiting an uncommon green colour. I set it using 100+ year old upcycled copper with a rustic finish to reveal some of the history and hung it on another unique copper chain.

The last piece is another head turner. The closer you look, the more complex this piece of agate becomes. Again it is perimeter grooved to accommodate a german silver wrapping but is worthy of it's sterling silver chain and clasp. Zoom in to see the true beauty of this piece.

So there is lots going on. Vickie is still painting in her studio and coming up with new, crazy "What Ifs" If you are in the area or planning a trip stop by and say hi. We are usually open from 9:30 to 4:30 but always by appointment if you call ahead. 902 482-2188.

And we still have a great selection of hand dyed yarn!

Look forward to seeing you!

A Great Painting Finds A Great New Home

 Well, another one of Vickie's (AKA The Real Artist) children has left the nest.

This one found its way to the southern United States and becomes part of an absolutely wonderful art collection.

It is truly an honour to see your work hanging in such company and we hope that they enjoy their "new addition" to the family for many years to come.

A Great Place To Stay On Digby Neck

 

Digby Neck is a very beautiful, unique part of Nova Scotia. But one thing in short supply are places to stay that put you in the heart of the experience.

Problem solved!

Just across the marsh from me, Seawall Beach Cottages are now open year round. They are truly beautiful and offer all the amenities you need to make your stay comfortable and enjoyable. 

They share the same million dollar view of St. Mary’s Bay that I have- a spectacular view that changes four times a day with the tides. The beach is just a few minutes walk and it is a fantastic beach to walk, rockhound and look for souvenir treasures. In fact, most of the agate, jasper and amethyst I use to create my jewelry has been found right on that beach! Guests even get a 10% discount at my shop.

The location is unbeatable- close to town (Digby is the scallop capital of the world!) but away from the noise and a great place to swim or put your kayak in the water. And all the great attractions of “The Neck” such as Balancing Rock, Gulliver’s Cove, Beautiful Cove and Briar Island are close at hand. But I warn you, the view is so good you might never leave your comfortable chair on the porch!

Digby Neck is a great vacation destination and Seawall Beach Cottages make it even more so. Check them out!

The Latest From Seawall Creations- Copper Bracelets

 Normally I don't do a lot of fabricating in the summer but we've had a very active tourist season and I have to fill the empty spaces. So the first order of business was to use the last of my "217 Collection" copper to make more of the popular bracelets.

I ran this one through the rolling mill to create an interesting pattern while retaining some of the natural history of this historic copper.

Another one through the rolling mill with a very unusual pattern.

This one is a little different. Rather than running it through the mill to create pattern, we hammered pattern into it and then used sanding and polishing to create a very dramatic effect

And finally, another one patterned via the rolling mill.

All these bracelets have been made with copper that spent over 100 years on the roof of a house before it finally collapsed. I have tried my best to create nice looking upcycled pieces while maintaining some of the history. And when you consider that the copper started out looking like this:

that's no easy task!

Hope to see you at some point this summer when you come and discover the amazing part of Nova Scotia called Digby Neck or simply "The Neck"

One Day Closure

 On Friday, July 3, the rock shop and store will be closed for one day, all day, to allow us to drive to Halifax and pick up our daughter who will be visiting from the Bahamas. Lisa is the one responsible for hand dying our Seawall Fibres hand dyed yarn so if you are a knitter or crocheter the following week would be a great time to stop by.

Hope to see you soon!

Latest Happenings at the Shop

 Well we're finally getting some decent weather and our tourist guests are starting to arrive. Since it's now warm enough to work in the rock lab, fabrication is in high gear.

The Hi-Tech 10 inch rock saw has been busy:

with some pretty cool results!

We've also made some awesome cabochons on the Cab King cabbing machine

that have become amazing pendants.

There has also been a real push to replenish our supply of the popular rock guitar picks.

Here we see a selection made from dendritic jasper, crazy lace agate, obsidian (volcanic glass) and jasper. Of course, that has meant me keeping busy hand sewing the pouches!

The store layout has been revamped and we have a lot of exciting new pieces along with a great selection of our own hand dyed yarn. So if your travels take you to Digby Neck, stop by and say hi and pick up your free souvenir of the most unique part of beautiful Nova Scotia!

We're Open!

 

As of today, May 24th, we are officially open for the season. We still have a very good selection of hand dyed yarn and many new treasures including an entirely new 217 Collection. Here's a brief preview of new pieces we will describe in a later post.

These are even nicer in person so if your travels take you to Digby Neck, make time to stop by and say hi and pick up your free gift! And don't forget our sale!

See you soon.