Magpie Like me

Magpie ( mag' pi ) One who compulsively collects or hoards small objects.

Are you a picker upper? Do you walk along the shore eyes searching the sand for a perfect shell or softly glowing bit of sea glass? Are your eyes caught by the gleam of sun shining on bright metal when you walk the dog? Must you bend over and investigate that rusty old washer? Do you call that rust "patina"? Do you enjoy searching through other peoples junk, the older the better? Do you call that junk "salvage"? Are you a magpie like me?
I have always enjoyed picking up bits and pieces of flotsam. My house boasts buckets of sea shells, champagne flutes filled with sea glass, colorful flat rocks from the Great Lakes lined up on windowsills, and a printers drawer hanging on the wall...each tiny compartment filled with some bit of detritus I couldn't leave behind.
A love for jewelry design has given me a way to make wearable art out of these treasures that I find so fascinating. Beach glass pieces from the shores of the Rose island Lighthouse are now necklaces enjoyed by many. Pieces of fossil coral broken and polished smooth by the rocks and waves of the Florida Keys are purchased as gifts for lucky beach lovers. Watch springs and old washers are rings. Cabinet hardware is the base for dramatic pendants. Old spoons are hammered flat stamped with a message and enjoyed as jewelry.
I confess that my odd habit makes people crazy. My Mother despairs of my love for "other peoples junk". My husband laughs and says that I will get a sore neck from looking down at the sand while we walk the beach. Even my 2 year old grandson Freddy calls them "dirt".
Hi my name is Bonnie,
I am a magpie!