Wally Sells Sea Shells for $157.93

I am finally ready to embellish my Sally Sells Sea Shells at the Sea Shore quilt for the Fabled Fibers Challenge on Quiltart.com.

You can barely see the beads I sewed on tonight. I am hoping when it is all done, the handwork will be worth the effort.

While working on this quilt I looked for shells. Michael's didn't have them. Joann Etc. didn't have them. Old Time Pottery, Linens and Things, Bed and Bath, Pier One, NOBODY had shells.

I turned to my trusty computer and my favorite art supplier Dick Blick -- there they are.I called local Dick Blicks to see if they have them. Nope. $7.39 for a pound of natural sea shells, plus a few bucks for shipping. Hmmmmmmm. I can do better than that.

So off to WalMart with my girls in tow. I despise WalMart. I rarely shop there. In total desperation I will resort to a trip to WalMart. In this case, I felt compelled to see if they had the elusive shells.

There they were on the fake flower, glass marble, paint-your-own- styrofoam vase aisle. $2.99! That's better. Wait, we need some dishwashing soap, shampoo, shower curtain liner, bath mat, "Yes you can have those googles and swim noodles," and on and on until we had filled the basket with more than $157 worth of JUNK.

The next time I need something and hesitate for even a SECOND about ordering it on-line, or paying a little more from a smaller company I am going to look on my studio wall, where I have stuck the receipt and remember these very expensive shells!

Here is a closeup of the shells pinned to the quilt and my design board. I hope the quilt can stand the weight! A different type of finishing might be in order here -- perhaps I'll stretch it over a frame, which I will NOT be buying at WalMart!