Time flies when you’re having fun….or so they say! It’s been a long and winding road the past year, and I’m here to tell you that I made it!! Thanks for subscribing to my blog posts and for reading on…
Boy, where did the summer go? Even though the temperature seems that summer never left, as I type this it’s like 75 degrees, but the leaves are a brilliant display of orange and crimson which reminds us that Autumn is really here. Gorgeous!
I am a summer girl, I love flip flops, beach time, the longer days, but I have to admit, I do love Autumn, too! I love the smell of Autumn, and it’s boot wearing time…but I HATE sunset before 5pm. Seriously, it seems like Midnight at 8 o’clock, craziness!
My Mom, sister Chris and I during Luckett’s Spring Market
I’ve been very bad at posting here on the Get Salty Ophiuroidea blog, as my last post date will tell you, April, oh my gosh….what in the world have I been doing? Well, like so many of us, I wear many hats. I’m not just the owner of Ophiuroidea, but I also have a full time job Monday through Friday, volunteer on three boards, have a family and squeeze in fun (Go O’s) and relaxation (YAY! Beach Time). If I’ve learned anything over the years, I know that life is too short to not enjoy the things you love to do. Thank goodness I don’t have little ones in sports, or my equation would be totally off and I would not have the time for any “relaxation”.
So anyway, what I’m getting at is, you all probably know what I mean. Time gets by at the blink of an eye.
The past year has brought very sad and tragic personal loss, with my beautiful Mom committing suicide after battling years of depression. My Mom had a beautiful giving spirit, one of the many things she taught us to have. She was our family’s center, as most Mothers are…and now as the oldest daughter, I try to hold the family dynamic together as best I can. I’m sure many of you feel the same, especially after losing a parent. The family unit is strong, but many times, hard to hold onto.
Here Fishy Fishy!
So where am I going with this? Well, the other day it dawned on me that stepping in Ophiuroidea is like stepping into my mind. It’s filled with things that I love! Things that make me smile and things that I enjoy. My Mom was so proud and happy for me and she loved coming to visit me at the shop. Ophiuroidea reflects the beautiful women in my family. My Mom’s Mother was an amazing artist, I have one of her original paintings and turned them into cards. My Mom was always baking or making something crafty and she also made jewelry, some of which I sold at the shop. My sister is super crafty and loves to decorate… so much so that if she visits your house she might just start rearranging the furniture! Ophiuroidea is as just as much a part of me and it is my family.
This past year I have found (or they found me) so many neat new artisans, like Paula in Rhode Island with her Seasodies, made from recycled two liter soda bottles. So stinking cute!
Last Spring I had a sip of Marian’s Bloody Amazing Mary mix from St. Simon Island, Georgia and knew I had to have it in the shop! I’m happy to say that we’re the only shop within 250 miles to carry it. It’s so yummy!
Lita’s Circle of Life earrings
Robert Kline Mermaids & Cats
I’ve also started to carry Lita Sea Glass Jewelry from Massachusetts, they make beautiful hand crafted sea glass jewelry.
A few months ago, a new mermaid artist stopped by the shop, Robert Kline, from St. Augustine, Florida. His mermaids are gorgeous and fun! Since I have three cats, I love the fact that he has some mermaids with kitty’s. The top one is my favorite, the kitty looks like my Moxie.
A month ago I learned of the passing another favorite artist of mine, Pat Chapin. She was the first artist we had in the shop and found her by accident while Googling different names for the shop. Although I never met her, I felt like I knew her from the emails we exchanged and by her beautiful artwork. My favorite mermaid she ever did was the Hat II, and it was a print we sold since the doors opened over 5 years ago, sadly only a few remain. We also commissioned Pat to do our Sea Glass Lady for our Eastern Shore Sea Glass Festival, we have a few signed posters left.
Over the next few months, I will introduce you to these amazing people and the rest of Ophiuroidea’s artisans and entrepreneurs, all whom we proudly represent in our shop. And I promise to keep up with them!
Until then, be sure to Like Ophiuroidea on Facebook, we post our new stuff on there first!
Save the date for our Eastern Shore Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival April 9-10, 2016! RSVP here.
More upcoming events-
November 14th 4pm- 7pm – Sea Glass Love Sip and Shop – RSVP here.
December 5th 6pm-9pm – Book Signing with Best Selling Author Mary T. McCarthy – RSVP here.
December 5th – All day- Midnight Madness at the shop and throughout the beautiful Town of St. Michaels – A Fabulous Time!
Hope to see you soon!
Cheers! Kim
This past Fall we started carrying clothing, beach boho style, with fun tunics, crochet sweaters, comfy leggings and more! Like our new “fitting room”? We got all MacGyver on it (minus the mullet)! Finding this style of clothing can be hard to find…and we just LOVE this style…so we thought it’d be great to offer it for our customers!
Working with Annapolis Candle to make our own scents has been a fun experience and the feedback from our customers has been amazing! We have three new seasonal scents to share with you, Apple Pie + Bourbon, Limoncello + Cream and Seaberry + Balsam, each will remind you of memories with family and friends.
