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My name is Melody M. Nuñez - I’m an artist, a writer, and an art teacher. To learn more about me and the book I published - An Altered Existence: Fictitious Stories About Faces from the Past - please view the “About” & "Book" pages…-
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Tag Archives: Cambria
DIY: Cambria-Inspired Driftwood Necklace
I love driftwood – pieces that have been stripped of their bark and worn smooth by the sea. This necklace’s foundation consists of two such pieces of driftwood – pieces I gathered on the beach in Cambria. Cambria is a town on California’s central coast, and its slogan is “Pines by the Sea.” It’s a charming, small town that combines a unique mountainy feel with that of a beachside community and I love it. It’s my home away from home.
Not only does Cambria have pines and lots of driftwood, it’s also home to many deer. I’m always entranced when I catch sight of them, and some of the gift-related stores in town feature antlers in one form or another. And while I love these antlers and love the town they bring to my mind, I don’t want to have a real rack of antlers hanging about since I couldn’t be sure if they were obtained in a Bambi-friendly way. They also don’t quite go with the decor here at home in Southern California. :]
So, I love this necklace for two reasons. Not only does it remind me of Cambria because that’s where I plucked the driftwood from the beach, but also because these two pieces of wood look a bit like antlers to me. This simple and inexpensive statement necklace is a fun and animal-friendly way to embrace Cambria and some of the town’s natural beauty.
I’ve opted to keep this necklace very simple and natural, but there are many ways you could enhance this DIY jewelry project. Whether you paint or burn designs into the wood, add beads and charms to your design, or even add more pieces of wood, the sky’s the limit! It’s all a matter of personal preference.
Materials
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Driftwood – 2 small pieces
Fine sanding block or sand paper
Thick/sturdy pin, very thin nail, or something similar to poke holes into the wood
Epoxy (I used Devcon 5 Minute Epoxy)
Thin wire (I used 32 guage)
2 screw eyes: #216 – 1/2″
Silver chain (my chain measures 22″ long)
2 jump rings (optional)
Instructions
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- Sand any rough, scratchy edges with a fine sanding block or sand paper
- Decide how you’d like your wood pieces to lay out and where you’ll join the two pieces
- Poke or drill a hole through the two pieces of driftwood – work slowly and carefully to avoid splitting the wood
- Apply epoxy to the appropriate spot of the bottom piece of wood, then insert the stick pin through the holes in both pieces of wood, to ensure they’re properly aligned while the epoxy sets
- Sand any extra epoxy from around the place where your two wood pieces are joined after the pieces have set
- Thread your wire down between the two pieces and out the bottom. Wrap the wire around the two pieces to bind them in a way that appeals you and twist the ends together at the back when you’re done. Trim wire ends.
- Attach screw eyes to the back of the tops of the two wood pieces – one on either side. (You may find it easier to first start each hole with a push pin, as I did) You’ll need to screw them at an angle, so they lay flatter to the surface of the wood instead of being completely perpendicular
- Attach your chain of choice to the screw eyes with jump rings, or attach your chain directly to to the screw eye as I did – by opening the screw eye with pliers, slipping on the chain, and then closing up the screw eye.
What Do You Think?
*
I’m thinking about adding a small piece of soft sea glass to the bottom of this piece. It would hang off the end where the two pieces of wood are wrapped together with wire. What do you think? Should I add a piece of glass, or leave it as is?
I’m hoping this post will inspire you to create something with materials you’ve gathered from a favorite place. Whether you use wood, stones, shells, or something else entirely, inspiration is all around! Please let me know if you have any questions, dear readers.
Warm regards,
Melody
Posted in crafts, DIY, inspiration, nature, travel
Also tagged Cambria - CA, driftwood necklace, jewelry, necklace, upcycled jewelry
6 Comments
Monterey Bay Aquarium & An Elephant Seal Rookery
As I mentioned in a post last week I was on vacation – taking in the beauty of California’s Central Coast. I stayed in Cambria for a week, and was lucky enough to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium during my stay. What an incredible facility! The exhibits were amazing, and the volunteers and staff were both friendly and helpful. If you’re going to be in the area, and have a chance to take it in, I’d definitely recommend it.
The Kelp Forest was magical. Seaweed stretched from the “sea floor” to the surface of the water, and the exhibit was teeming with sea life. From starfish and sea cucumbers to leopard sharks – and oodles of fishies in between – there was so much to see. It was so lovely I could’ve stayed at this exhibit for hours, but finally had to move on.
I think of anchovies as being itty-bitty things, but these silvery beauties were around 4 inches long. They swam round and round, and opened their mouths wide from time to time – which was both funny and kinda scary looking all at the same time!
The jellyfish exhibit was another of my favorites – I could’ve lingered there for hours. SO lovely!
I enjoyed the other exhibits, too, which allowed me to see things like anemones, sea horses, and other sea life and plants up close.
In addition to the aquarium, I was also lucky enough to visit the Elephant Seal Rookery near San Simeon, CA. Though most of the thousands of seals that birth and mate yearly on this beach had already headed back out to sea for their annual trip north to the Aleutian Islands, I was able to see many of the weaned “babies” (they weren’t so little!) and a dozen or so of the large male seals. It was such a treat to see these creatures sunning themselves on the beach!
In addition to drinking in the sun, the seals also made frequent “raspberry” sounds and occasional barking/crying sounds. Another of their favorite past times is using their flippers, which have “fingernails” on them, to scratch and to flip damp sand up onto their bodies. The sand helps keep them cooler in the baking sun…
One more photo: this was taken on the bluffs in Cambria, not far from Lodge Hill.
I went for a walk with my Cambria hosts, and we saw so many wonderful things! In addition to the gorgeous ocean view overall, we saw seals, pelicans, dolphins and sea otters! I was super excited, and actually jumped up and down while watching the dolphins. Seeing and hearing the otters crack-crack-cracking their food open on their chests made me giddy, too. Yep, I’m definitely a nature lover!
We also went whale watching, and saw at least four whales, but the sea was rolling our boat around so much that I was more focused on not falling over the rail than taking great photos! Please feel free to comment and share some of your aquarium or sea life viewing adventures, dear readers…
Warm regards,
Melody
Posted in life in general, nature, photography, travel
Also tagged Elephant Seal Rookery in San Simeon, Elephant Seals, Monterey, Monterey Bay Aquarium
4 Comments
Haiku: Cambria
Days in Cambria:
relaxed, quiet, beautiful.
Love that it’s tranquil…
I’m currently on my second annual week-long retreat in this magical spot along California’s Central Coast. (Thank you for your hospitality, T.E.L!) I’ll drive home to hubby and the bunnies this weekend, and will return to blogging from Southern California next week. In the meantime, I’m wishing you a relaxed, quiet and beautiful weekend…
Warm regards,
Melody
Posted in art, haiku, life in general, nature, photography, poetry, travel
2 Comments