Say Aloha!

The beginnings of the Stratton compact collection got me thinking about other collections I have.
Like this one...

Who needs expensive diamond rings?  I really treasure this collection of seashells.
The tiny, tiny ones on the left of the photo below come from Hawaii.

My son brought me the shells.  When he was at university he spent a summer on a work placement in Canada, and after all that hard work he met up with friends for a holiday in Hawaii, as you do!

One of the ladies in my old craft group showed me how to make the paper box that I keep them in. 

And I treasure this shiny blue piece of abalone that a college friend gave me.

Having a fresh look at the seashells got me thinking about Hawaii as I chose it as one of my countries for Research & Design when I was doing my City and Guilds diploma.

 I've got a collection of design books too!

I wasn't very confident with the art side of things - much preferring the stitching - but it was a required element of the course.  Now, when I look back, I can remember working on this book mostly at night, as I was looking after my granddaughter part time, and worrying about finishing the course within the two years.

Well, that's enough of that. I'd like to be catching a wave but instead of that I'm catching a plane.