Beach in a Box

It's my friend, Tyia's, birthday in a few days! I've been trying for ages to convince her to move back to Juneau where she belongs and wanted her birthday gift to remind her of Alaska in the vain hope of finally getting her to purchase the ticket. That, combined with the fact that I wanted to add a little handmade flare to her gift, I have created something I am so excited to send her: a Sandy Beach Zen Garden Kit!

While she lived here, Tyia and I used to take a lot of walks along Sandy Beach, sharing laughter and good conversation while combing the shore for treasure. Nowadays, I still try to take her along with me whenever I hit up the beach, but unfortunately its only through the form of phone calls or texts. Just not the same! Seeing as it is proving to be far more difficult to bring her back to Juneau than I initially expected, I decided I would send a little piece of Juneau to her instead! 


I spent a couple hours at Sandy Beach the other day looking for random goodies like beach glass, rocks, driftwood, shells, etc. I am sending her a glass bottle of sand and a tray to pour it into, and a spray bottle of salt water (for that sea breeze effect!). I even came across a plastic fork that will serve as the "rake" for this Alaskan-themed zen garden. I plan to finish the gift off with a nicely typed list of the contents and an explanation that she MUST wear her Xtra Tufs whenever she uses it!  

I am sooo excited to give this gift to Tyia that I might actually get it in the mail before her actual birthday! Unbelievable! Homemade gifts from me typically come months late so I'm quite proud of myself for seeing this one through to completion ahead of time. Hopefully she enjoys it as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. And now Tyia can play in the sand with me no matter how many miles apart we may be!

Random Fact about Me #2058: My zodiac sign is Cancer and it's description of me is creepily accurate.