Sea shell card inspired by the beauty of Herm Island!

Here's the second card in my new 'Herm series'. I've photographed it open from above, so that you can see the full width of the photo background. I took this picture as we walked towards Herm's famous Shell Beach, and came across a row of brightly coloured kayaks lying beside the path. I love vistas like this - they add so much interest to a general view. Anyway, once we had got down on to the beach, I switched into full-on shell collecting mode, and three of the treasures I found are glued on to the card to complement the quilling. The tiny little red-tipped one at the top is called a Pink Top; the one on the right is a small but beautifully patterned Scallop - and the one on the left is a Cowrie (which I found in amazing abundance on Herm).

I have a fascinating book entitled 'Fifty Sea Shells from Herm Island' by Jill S. Kendrick in which she describes many of the treasures to be found on Shell Beach. And I just love this line which she wrote in her introduction: "... [shells] are a casual suggestion, strewn on the beach, of the teeming population of marine creatures which inhabit our seas and shores". That sums up perfectly the way I feel about sea shells - they truly are little treasures, cast up by the ocean for our delight.