I have been enjoying the warm sunshine we’ve been having on Sanibel the last few days… not just on the beach but outside in my back yard. I’ve been sorting…and sorting… and sorting shells. Why haven’t I been more organized in the last few days… errrrr… months…. okay, truthfully? Years! I guess thats just how I roll- I would rather spend my time doing something else other than “cleaning” (Oh how I hate that word!) but I guess enough is enough. I told y’all I wanted to do a post about the differences between some of the mini shells like the DRILLS, MUREXES and CANTHARUS like I did in my post Similar Sanibel Shells since I wanted to add more to that list. So I started looking through my Shellaboratory for each of the shells I wanted to photograph. Ack! I wanted the best of each species but I realized how dang unorganized I’ve been. Buckets, boxes and bins of uncategorized shells. Some were washed… some filled with sand. OMG
 So while I sort my shells to find the best GULF OYSTER DRILL, SHARP RIB DRILL, juvie APPLE and LACE MUREXES, I had to escape to the beach for a peaceful retreat at Gulfside City Park to find an absolutely gorgeous calm day.
Oh… and more mini shells. I tried to just admire the shells on the beach without picking them up because…. seriously, we have enough. These days I try to only collect the shells I learn from, the ones that I give to others (like the post – Good Feeling About Seashells), the ones I decorate with or use in projects. Â So these are the only ones I brought home today… Three BUTTON SHELLS, a shiny OLIVE, one sweet BABYS EAR, a wonderful WENTLETRAP and a little cutie juvie SHARKS EYE. We don’t often see oodles of black JINGLES so I couldn’t resist picking some up … and there were lots of them! I’m trying to fill up a tall vase for my home so I might go back and try to find more tomorrow. When my vase is done, I promise I’ll post it.
So while I sort, sort, sort our minis I’ll sneak to the beach for peace, shells and sunshine.
That’s so funny, I’m doing the same thing…..trying to organize my (mini) shells and put some of them into small jars for decorating our place at Ft. Myers!!!……I just wish I could take a break and sneak out to Gulf Side City Beach!!! It would take 2 days for me!! :D Can’t wait to see the jar with the black jingles….should be awesome!!
I just got hime a couple weeks ago…I have arranged and rearranged my shells! I alwYs bring home way too many, but I can’t help myself!
Love that I can quickly identify the shells you mention.. Reading your blog and being in a few shell groups before my trip to Sanibel has been an amazing learning experience. Love your posts! I read everyone of them…start to finish!
Sooo happy to hear that I have helped you Diane! I’m hoping that lots of other folks will be able to identify those shells too so I hope to get that post done soon. Fun!
I’d like to say thank you too! We are at the beautiful Island Inn on Sanibel this week…..I chose them after seeing them on your blog. If I hadn’t been reading your wonderful blog the past year or so I would have had no idea of what I was looking at when we were out shelling. The video you did of the wrack lines a while back all made sense once I got here and saw it. Thanks again! P.S. Went to the Sea life by Congress jewelry store that I also saw on your blog… my husband says thank you! :) I found a couple beautiful things there too…..almost as pretty as what I found on the beach.
I’m so honored y’all chose the places I have blogged about! AND that you are using some of my tips on the beach to help you. Happy happy! :)
I’m so jealous. I want to move to Ft Myers soooo bad. We live in Siberia (aka. Michigan)
Siberia. LOL Get the iditarod ready so you can get out of there soon!! Mush!
Trying to talk my wife into moving. Just lots of logistics to make it work (two jobs, housing, school, etc).
Jim…. Call Clark!! Just pick his brain about the housing market down here, schools and jobs. He has a very creative mind and lots of connections when it comes to relocating. Here is his info- http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/super-sheller-clark-rambo/
Thank you SOOO much!!! I WILL call him!!!
Beautiful orange horsies n’ scallops n’ augers n’ flats…OH MY!!
I would be happy to help you organize your shells ;-)…WTYM
Yo VIP, I would be so embarrassed for anybody to see the Shellaboratory right now…. but I’ll keep that in mind, sistah!
I’ve never seen a black jingle! neato! Now I have something new to look for. thanks!
I agree the beaches are peaceful and beautiful. The shelling has been light on West Gulf the last few days since I arrived but at the Lighthouse I found a few things that I haven’t before so it’s all good.
Today we (my husband and I) went off island to Harns Marsh looking for the apple snail shells Pam told us about back in November. I only found about 20 and they are not cleaned yet (soaking in water right now), but I am excited to see how they will turn out. There were lots of birders there but no one else looking for the snail shells that I could tell.
I think I’ll head to Blind Pass early tomorrow and see what I can find.
Hi Katherine! “only” found about 20? hahahaha I hope you saw some of those beautiful birds too. I want to go back to find the rams horns shells too. I didn’t find any the last time and I’ve seen lots of folks tell me they have been finding them there too. did you see them?
I think about that trip to Harns Marsh that Pam posted about last November, all the time.
What beautiful Shells you showed us. BUt I also think about the snakes and gators too. Maybe we could hire some protection to go with us?
Pam, I say “only 20” because of the quantity you picked up that day. :) I do not know what ram horn shells are but we saw some bivalves that were oblong and seemed thin and fragile. I picked up a couple and will clean them. Right now they don’t look so pretty but if they end up looking like the snail shells, it will be a real treat. We absolutely enjoy the birds too. I love photography almost as much as shelling and between the birds and the ocean, my camera gets a god workout. We just came back from biking over to Ding Darling and taking the tram tour. Great info and wonderful birds. I just saw my first tri-colored heron. Cool.
Elna, we ddn’t see any snakes or gators, but did have to be careful of all the fire ant hills. You just have ot watch where you step. :)
Katherine,
You brought your husband along. Hhhmmm…maybe that’s what I’ll do next time I can get him down here.
Good news about snakes and Gators. Thank you for the encouragement.
How long would you say it took to drive there?
Elna, with traffic, it probably took 45 minutes from Sanibel. We also went to manatee park afterwards but the weather is too warm right now and so, no manatee’s. :(
We wanted to go look for apple snails but were turned off by the prospect of crawling through weeds. So it wasn’t that bad?
Renie, no not that bad. It looks like they cut the grass between the pathway and the marsh edge every so often. Maybe that is why we only found about 20 shells instead of hundreds. It did make it easier to walk along the marsh edge though and just pick up the shells that crossed our path.
I so enjoy living vicariously through your page!!!! :) Thank you for taking the time to keep posting and I hope to continue reading your entries for a very long time!!!! :) <3
As long as I get sweet comments like yours and so many others, I will ALWAYS keep posting! So thank you ALL for keeping me fired up!
Pam, as I am writing I am looking out at snow coming down(again) in Massachusetts. I read your blog every day before heading out to work. It keeps me going until my next trip to Florida. Several of my co-workers are followers now as well. If I’m getting stressed at work, I take a second to think about your blog and pretend to take a breath of Island air. It always works.
You are a celebrity to me and someday I hope to meet you on the beach. Don’t be surprised if a crazy woman runs up and asks for your autograph one day!
Oh Pam what a wonderful sight :) I just returned from Sanibel on Saturday and tonight I filled a brand new shell lamp that I picked up at Baileys. I have the exact same container filled with minis too…except not as many as you have :)
I had excellent shelling the last two weeks on Sanibel….picked up many “firsts” for me. My favourite were Kings Crowns picked up on the mud flats.
I too read everyone of your posts and I have to say that I shamelessly promoted your website when chatting with folks on Tarpon Beach…even habed out a couple of your business cards that I picked up at the Chamber of Commerce.
Now I cannot wait to return to continue filling my mini bins :)
Waiting for your new post!
Oh Jane you are so sweet for handing out my cards and sharing the shelling love! So happy to hear you had some excellent shelling- finding “firsts” is always so exciting- thats what keeps me so intrigued. I doubt I’ll ever find everything I want to. thanks for the kind words!!!
…shelllaboratory….!!! Love it!
*where* in the mud flats do you find the kings crowns?
Moira, I found many Kings crowns at Fort Myers Beach. There is a lagoon in front of the Carribean Resort near the bridge going across to Bonita Springs. The shells were in the muddy area during low tide, many were still alive but there were also empty shells. The shells are usually very muddy, dark and covered with green algea, therfore difficult to see right away. I picked one up that was huge (empty) but looked so nasty and stunk that I almost put it back. Luckly I kept it and after I got it all cleaned had a beautiful shell. So don’ pass them up… LOREE from Ohio
We’ve been coming to Sanibel for several years now, and I’ve tried to keep my shells separated according to what year I found them. I don’t know if there’s really any advantage to doing that other than It’s easy to see what shells may have been more prevalent in a given year. I love them all!
i love that you separate by years! that would be even more interesting to see after 10- 15 years, right?
Yes, I’ve got shells and bling from years ago that I haven’t found more recently, like some crucifix fish skeletons. Who knows, maybe I’ll find another on our Shelling Adventure in May!
If you ever want to give some of your self-collected shells to a museum Lisa, as long as you know the year you collected them, and whereabouts you found them, then they are good! The collecting data information — when where and by whom collected — is very valuable to scientists.
There are lots of museums (there are small ones as well as the larger, better-known ones) and many museums would be grateful to have a donation of clean shells with good collecting data, even if you don’t yet have all the shells identified. Remember that a lot of universities and colleges have a museum, and some places like libraries and so on like to do educational displays sometimes. Not to mention schools and community centers. It is always worth asking to find out if somewhere would like some nice shells donated… :)
Spring cleaning! Good job Pam! Would still love to see pics of the Shellaboratory…where all the madness happens!! It looks really nice there… so nice to escape (visually and mentally) to the Island via your pics :-) Thanks as always! Kris
When I read the fourth line of this great post….
“….. I guess that’s just how I roll..” ( Pam, that was just the cutest… I’m sayin’ it from now on :) ) I just needed to make a TRUE CONFESSION:
I hate to clean up and organize my stuff, unless it’s really fun stuff.
So, what I do lately is put on some dance music and get busy….
Telling myself that the longer I work on my chores, the more great things will be waiting on ILS !! That’s how much I enjoy learning from you and reading comments from others who find joy in your beautiful website :)
So, now you know “How I roll.” Gotta go get busy again!!
Shellotte
Oh Pam,
Little do you know that you are not alone in the organizing business of our shells. I’m sure we all have boxes that are filled with many shells we haven’t gotten to organize yet. I am so guilty of this.
Love this post!!
Ps…. Have you gone back to the marsh for more Apple Snails??
Keep up the great work Pam,
You make my day,
Mary Ann
East Granby. CT
Love this post. Like Lisa, I keep my shells separated by the years I collected them. I write down where I went and what I found each day-but everything is still not that organized. This Sunday I’m giving a small show and tell to a group my husband and I belong to. I’m going through my shells to pick the best and of course I’m going to plug ILS. Happy organizing! Pat
Thank you so much for sharing! I always look forward to your posts!!
Now…where did you get that cool boxes with the compartments?!!? I want one!!
Susan
Susan G, I got this box at michaels… But I’m really not a big fan of it now that I have it. I think tackle boxes work better. This one is way to flimsy and the dividers are such a pain. Ugh. Good luck!
Instead of the square sections in most plastic storage boxes,
ask for the ones with a curved bottom…. beads for jewelry making and mini shells roll out smoothly on your fingers instead of getting stuck in the corners.
A sales person at MICHAEL’S told me about this and it works like a charm… hopefully tackle boxes offer this curved bottom feature as well, so small lead weights will slide out quickly & easily :)
Happy organizing,
Shellotte
Ooooo good idea, Shellotte!
Another idea for boxes are the open jewelry boxes sold at Michaels, TJ Maxx and probably a lot of other stores (Target, Ross, etc). They are covered in different fabrics and have anywhere from 6-8 compartments. They are inexpensive–around $7-8. I bought 2 at TJ Maxx and love them. Shellotte also found the blue Shell boxes (with the glass top) at Wilford & Lee in Bonita Springs and a dollar cheaper at Curious Cargo in Ft. Myers. Cruise the aisles at your favorite discount stores and think “out of the box” for wood or cardboard containers.
Seaglass on the east coast is organizing shells too. After leaving Sanibel on our last visit, I walked on our beach and found a beautiful Paper Nautilus ! Thank goodness I have shells and sea glass and sea beans and sea hearts to come home to !!!!
:) Ok Pam, first of all…THANK YOU!!! We just moved here in October and I am definitely behind on cleaning, sorting, etc. all my shells. I now feel so much better knowing I am not the only one! And, you encouraged me to continue working on it. Actually got a lot done last week, so am getting there. Plus, we are working snowbirds, so I gotta grab that free time when I can. Of course, then there is the temptation to answer the call of the Gulf… :)
Now, an idea to share with you! Back home, IN, they have a fundraiser each June to help support non-profits who fight child abuse. It’s a weeklong event, and on Wednesday they have Kid’s Day. There is a great family festival, including games for kids, and all booths are sponsored and run by volunteers from each non-profit. I have volunteered to work this day for the last several years and this past summer I was assigned to the “Treasure Hunt” booth. They had a sand table with lots of different treasures buried in the sand and the kids used a small fishnet to scoop and hunt for treasure. They had some seashells and I asked where they had gotten them. A lady told me she bought them…. No, no, no! I informed her of our plans to snowbird and informed her that I will now supply her with shells directly from the Gulf each spring when we get home. :) So am going to fill a plastic shoebox with some wonderful treasures to share with them!
So you see, there are many eggshellent excuses…err ideas…for continuing to find and collect those amazing shells.! Just like when you shared with us on the Cayo Costa cruise on 2/1! Good luck with the cleaning, sorting…And remember, as you do that you get to go through and rediscover all your little treasures all over again!
Laura S.
wonderful idea! have to find similar…a ‘good home’ for my discards and no more ‘guilt!’
Laura S, yes! Everybody should do that with those old shells in shoeboxes in the closet. you just reminded me of a school I worked with to do a shell hunt for kids in new Mexico. I never got around to writing the post. Hmmmm I’ll revisit that and hopefully share the amazing experience with y’all soon. Thank you for your story!!
I’m sure adding “eggshellent” to my Shellcabulary List !!
Thank you Laura :)
Shellotte
2~1~14 CAYO CRUISE Alumni
RAMBO BEACH……have some sand delivered and dumped in a spot in your yard, scatter all those shells and VOILA….beach front property and no more sorting!!!
Judy! Yes, Problem solved! Lol
like others, still busy organizing shells from great 10 days of collecting in January. just wondering, anyone else feel a slight ‘twinge of guilt’ when deciding ones to be discarded? or has my shelling taken a turn to neurosis? psychosis, perhaps? making me even more ‘crazy’ than I already am! could I be becoming a sort of ‘shell hoarder’…oh, my!
now, in all seriousness, thank you, Pam. great fun & informative blog! love waking up and finding new edition in my inbox – nice way to start a day, esp. on a cold, snowy morning like today – I so look forward to a return to Sanibel soon!
I enjoyed looking at your first picture of the cornucopia of shells so I could practice my identification skills. I also spent last week cleaning shells so there must be something in the air causing all of us females to do our spring cleaning! Seeing my old shells come back to life with the mineral oil was so rewarding. My morning begins with a cup of coffee and your post. Thank you for starting my day with a trip to the beach.
Going on the Cayo Cost I love Shelling trip on Monday. Can hardly wait. I want wentletraps and I want them all. LOL
Cheryl, I am goin on the trip too. See you on Monday.
OMG this is going to be so much fun!!!
Hey Pam, I will be curious to see if you come up with any “mystery shells” after you sort the little ones. :)
Ed and I are off to Nevis on Saturday for almost a month, that is assuming the weather in NYC (and elsewhere in the country) cooperates in terms of allowing there to be enough available airplanes at JFK!
Firstly, I want to thank you for your terrific website! We are planning a trip to Sanibel from the Artctic, ocean-less world of the Alberta prairies and our kids and I have been glued to your website. My son (3) keeps watching your cybershelling videos and I can’t wait to show him the real thing!
I have been a shell enthusiast since my first beach trip when I was seven years old, and I can’t wait to introduce my kids to one of my favorite hobbies! My kids and I just finished cataloging and organizing my shell collection–quite a job! But they had fun identifying the shells in books and on the internet until we had them all labeled (except for a few mystery shells). It took a few weeks and almost 200 species later, but was just what we needed to get zinged up about this trip to Sanibel! Can’t wait!!!!
Again, thanks for all the fun!
i live vicariously though your blog and pictures of your shells. I’m very certain that if I lived on or near Sanibel I would be kicked off the island for bringing in semi-trucks to put my shell collections in. I’d be out on the beach from before dawn till way after dusk picking up every last one I see!
As it is, my wife has to drag me (practically screaming and kicking) off the beach with my plastic shoe boxes full of shells. Heck, on our trip in January I had to purchase a suitcase in Ft Myers to get this years collection home! LOL!
No, I’m not jealous at all that you get to do this anytime you want. No not at all. ;-)
I came home in feb with 24 pounds of beautiful shells! I have picked,cleaned and polished all of them. Now I’m sending sets of shells to all my nieces and nephews and grandchildren. I found quart “glass like” plastic jars at Hobby Lobby. I filled each jar with as many examples from the Shell Museums chart. I sent them instructions on matching their new shells with the chart. They have had a grand time !! I am also having a “shell and tell’ next month at my grandsons kindergarten class. I collected over 30 lovely fighting conchs over my last three visits, so I am ready to share! I also made several olive shell bracelets that my friends have just loved!! Thanks Pam for all the creative ideas…keep them coming!
Jeanne, it was nice to meet on the Captiva Cruises! I love the heart stones- thank you! Isn’t it so much fun to share your shells. Glad you found lots of varieties. Ps- my iLoveShelling ID card would be great for that too
Hey Jeannie, Glad you are spreading out the shells. As you know I take Fighting Conchs to the Kindergarten classes in the town where I live. To anyone who is giving shells to children they don’t know, fighting conchs are great. They are too big to put up their noses and they aren’t fragile. The plastic jars sound like a great idea. I have a kindergarten pen pal each year and I give them a shell collection with one of Pam’s id cards. What to put them in is always a problem.
Love all your minis. I hope to collect more when I get to come again as I’ve only been twice my collection isn’t a 1/32 of what you have found. But all but scallops are cleaned and displayed I just need to put the years on the shadow boxes. Also a hint for keeping minis safe in shell bag anyone whose has grand babies could use the plastic bowls the baby food come in as they have lids and would fit nicely in. She’ll bag
Pam or Susan, can I ask you to be more specific about how long is “a couple of hours” for the bleach water for soaking the apple snail shells? I had them in for 4 hours then washed them in clean water. The shells are not as bright in color as your pictures and the aperture is very fragile. I just want to check that I am doing it correctly and that the color differences are just from the specific shell I happened to pick up. Thanks for any additional specific information.