critters: From the South Carolina Sea

When in South Carolina over the holidays, we took some great beach walks and I collected a bunch of critters. I'm like my mom and aunt in that way. Put me on a beach and I can't help it; I leave with pockets full of shells and bags of random stuff, like sharks teeth, sea urchin tests and whelks. It's kind of an addiction. (My mom, in fact, recently started cataloging her shelling adventures on her own blog, Tidelines.)

Anyway, I collected the finger sponges, starfish and horseshoe crab you see above. Thankfully, John let me stow these stinky creatures in the trunk for the ride home. Since then, they've been drying a getting slightly less stinky outside, where they will probably remain.

Inspired this weekend, I created an ocean scene in one of my cement planters.

This trio is made of two sponges and a ceramic sculpture by an artist from Madison (sorry, can't remember her name as it was many years ago now). I was drawn to buy the piece because it reminded me of a sea sponge or some other living critter from the depths of the ocean. I think it goes perfect with the real thing!