I Made a Pretty

Watch out, Pinterest...I made something pretty.

(But I didn't pin it and I didn't make a tutorial because honestly, it was super-easy and anyone can figure this out.)

Mom and Dad have recently done some rearranging in their house, and took this opportunity to go through some things and get rid of them. There's a pattern to this process.

1. "Meg, do you want...?"
2. "Nah, I've got enough of my own stuff."
3. "Can you sell it on eBay?"
4. "This, maybe. That, probably not."
5. "Are you sure you don't want...?"
6. "Absolutely sure."
7. "And you can't sell--"
8. "Nope."
9. "Okay, we'll take it to charity."

More or less.

Anyway, a recent find in the garage was a box containing a ton of seashells and sea glass that Mom has collected over many years, in many different places. I told her I'd take them (and also took a little wooden "Beach" sign for my bathroom, and a huge conch they bought in Hawaii when we were there many years ago, which now sits on my bathroom counter), and go through to see what I wanted. I ended up putting the jars of random shells out on my garden shelves. And I had an idea for the sea glass.

I have two $1 vases I picked up last Christmas at WalMart, and filled with colorful ornaments. They looked great on the mantel:

I figured I'd use one for the sea glass, so when I got home, I dug one out from my china hutch. While I was rustling around, I found a small candle holder, and inspiration struck.

Step 1: Fill most of the vase with sea glass.

Step 2: Stick the candle holder in  so the top is level with the top of the vase.

Step 3: Hold the candle holder in place and slip more sea glass in around it.

Step 4: Put a candle in.

Et voila! 

Sometimes I amaze myself.