My “Beach Balls”

Well, we’re off of “Tybee Time” and back to “real time”, complete with mountains of laundry and eight months (literally) worth of paper work to do in one day! But I couldn’t go another minute without showing my beach balls! I had intended to do some beachy crafts while we were down there, and share as I went along, but I had so much fun just going to the beach and riding bikes with my family that I didn’t have time to really “do” them! I thought about them, planned and started them, but finished them up at home! I really wanted to do these beach balls completely with beach items that I bought or found on the island….but real life set in there too and I had to resort to using a few things I had on hand already.

I bought some catfish twine because it was dark and I already had jute. Well it’s dark because it’s tarred..so when I opened it guess what it smelled like?!?!?! TAR! The longer it was open, the less it smelled, so I made a very small catfish twine ball.Then I used some old, faithful jute twine and wrapped another bobber:

I also used different sizes and types of shells to do several other bobbers. First I coated them with Aleene’s Quick dry tacky glue and rolled them in beach sand to cover the red and white.

 Then I applied the shells with hot glue.

TThe last ones I  rolled in “tabby”. When we studied Georgia history with my co-op class, we learned that Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island is built of tabby. Some descriptions say that tabby is crushed shells mixed with mortar, and others specify oyster. I’ve also heard that the British called the coquina shells (which are plentiful at Tybee) tabby. Okay, I wasn’t going to get into that, but when I was making these, my 9 year old walked up and said “Cool, you’re making that out of tabby!” I love it when they retain and retell something that we have learned! :-) So there is your history lesson and here are my tabby balls!

I am still not sure what I will display them in…a jar, bowl, plate…any suggestions?…but they will be going into my bathroom, which is in the process of being redone. I’m sure I have plenty of time to find something…. :-)

Off to do my paperwork!

Sharing my beach balls here:

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