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.

A new card ... a quilled seagull ... and the magic of Herm Island

It's been a while since I last posted anything on Quilliance, for a very good reason - I've been away, to the magical island of Herm in the English Channel Islands. It is beautiful there, especially at this time of year when the island is literally covered in wild flowers. The sea is blue, the beaches are spectacular and the cliff walks absolutely stunning! Herm is a place that you can easily walk right around in two or three hours - but there is so much to see. We watched the comings and goings of numerous nesting sea birds, including puffins. We breathed in the clear sea air - such a tonic! And we collected hundreds of fabulous sea shells on the island's famous Shell Beach, including cowries, painted tops, scallops, wentletrap shells, golden periwinkles ... there are millions of them. In fact, one end of the beach is literally nothing but shells - layer upon layer of them - I was in paradise!

We got back last Thursday, and I couldn't wait to get started on creating some new card designs using some of the numerous photos that I took. But I've been so busy! I had craft markets to attend on Friday and Saturday (selling my quilled cards and jewellery), then there were special orders to fulfil from customers who met me there. But finally, this afternoon, I've been able to make my first Herm card, featuring a quilled black back gull flying over the cliffs surrounding the island's wonderful Puffin Bay. I hope you can see all the colours of the wild flowers on the cliff side - they were fantastic.

There's so much more to say about Herm, but unfortunately it will just have to wait for another day. When I get time, I'm hoping to use some of the tiny shells I collected in conjunction with my quilling. Watch this space!!