so yeah... i cried.

I abandoned 4 or 5 small pieces of beach art this past weekend in Lavallette.  There is a pic of one of them in a post below.  I forgot to take shots of the others.

I used seashells, and driftwood... polymer clay, paint, inks... just small trinkets that said 'brave' and 'joy'...

I attached my business card on each one - hoping that the person that found the art would contact me.  I explained in a note attached that I was abandoning the art and hoped that the person would enjoy it.

This morning after getting ready for work, I checked my email... and found this:

Sandi - I'm writing this email for my mom.  She was unable to contact you herself.   She was so lucky to be taking a walk on the boardwalk in Lavallette on Sunday, and found a beautiful piece of artwork.  She said it was like finding a message in a bottle.  She will always treasure this gift from your heart.   She says.....thank you for making her day!!!   If you feel like you would like to contact her, her email is...

So yeah.  Tears. 

Oh! And I just heard from another!!!  LOVING this!

Hi Sandi!

I found one of your abandoned art pieces last Sunday!  We were down for the weekend checking on our house & decided to walk to the hardware store for light bulbs, when I noticed your art on a bench.  I read your little attached note &  brought it home with me to Cranford, NJ. I 've since visited your web site and love your creative art work.  Anyway, thanks for adding a little surprise to my day...finding the Joy & Dragonfly driftwood put a smile on my face!

I'll bring it back to Lavallette and find special a place for it in my house!

Thanks for sharing your art with a stranger,

Linda

and today brought a third!!

Hi Sandi! Yes! I found one of your pieces - the oyster shell with the "Brave" dragonfly - Philly Ave in Lavalette. Actually our 8 year old son found it and wanted to give it to me <3 later in the weekend our 10 year old daughter found another abandoned piece from another artist! It was a magical weekend!

We live in Harrisburg, PA but are in Lavalette every weekend with family who are year-round residents. We have collected so many treasures on the beach and this summer we created an altar of sorts with everything that we found. Although we aren't artists by trade, we're inspired to make our own art and abandon it now too!

Thank you so much! I love my piece!
Sincerely, Shani