Last week one of my favorite blog friends, Julie, asked to see a close-up of this mirror that was shown from a distance over the seahorse stenciled chest that I posted about here.
I promised her a closer look at this absolutely fabulous
seashell-encrusted mirror and so here we go! It was my big splurge (an anniversary present from my hubby) when
I was decorating Coast Awhile Cottage....and when we sold the cottage, the
mirror stayed with its mama (me-a)!
I can remember the day that it arrived. It had been crated up within an inch of its life in a big box made of hunks of styrofoam and then that was packed in sturdy cardboard. Henry (my husband) tackled the job of unpacking it. He saw it first and when he came to tell me it was ready to view, he was clearly in awe--all he could say was something like "Whooooaa...Woooow--you've got to see this!"
I can remember the day that it arrived. It had been crated up within an inch of its life in a big box made of hunks of styrofoam and then that was packed in sturdy cardboard. Henry (my husband) tackled the job of unpacking it. He saw it first and when he came to tell me it was ready to view, he was clearly in awe--all he could say was something like "Whooooaa...Woooow--you've got to see this!"
Can you imagine all the time and talent involved in placing and gluing each shell so precisely?
Not to mention the patience you would need?
When I consider all the time and skillful work--not to mention the material involved in creating this piece I can understand its hefty price tag. The first time I saw a picture of the mirror, I loved it but I was sad because I just couldn't work it into our budget for decorating the cottage I was currently working on. Coast Awhile Cottage was big and required a lot of stuff to fill it up so we had to stretch every dollar. Story of my life :)
But you know me, the shopper. I had a dream and I didn't want to give up the idea of having a beautiful shell mirror. So I began regularly searching eBay for a shell mirror I could like just as much but the results were disappointing...until one day!!!
What was that? It looked just like the one I wanted and it was sold by "Larry the Actuary"! It was the mirror--my mirror! And it was listed for a much better price--an eBay starting bid price! Imagine how thrilled I was when no one bid against me and I was able to have this mirror I had dreamed about! I wish my picture did it justice.
If you'd like to see more from Larry the Actuary, a gallery of his work can be seen at his website, Covered With Shells. Take a look--it's quite a treat! Larry's actual name is Lawrence Steinert and he is an amazing artist!
Have you ever had the experience of waiting for a purchase you couldn't afford and then having it provided for you in another way? It doesn't happen every time but it has happened to me so often--I think it is a God-thing! I don't deserve it but out of kindness He just up and surprises me from time to time! And I think it is so neat to see that God cares about such small and inconsequential things as decorating a cottage--probably because He knows
it's important to His child.
it's important to His child.
OH. MY. GAWD. Absolutely beautiful! and the story that accompanied it was even more beautiful!! cannot wait to check out his site. You were, indeed, blessed with His gift.......He knew just how happy it would make you!!
ReplyDeleteand I bet your hubby was pretty happy with himself too!!!! It is just perfect for your cottage.
Thanks! It is a blessing and a cherished gift!
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