sand, jars and goodness

Some of you have asked about what is on top of the Ikea cabinet in my post this week.  They are jars of sand from each beach I have visited (and not as one friend asked once- the ashes of little Latin boys).

I didn’t come up with this idea on my own.  Many years ago in an issue of Martha Stewart, they profiled a home– ”Lined up in a clean graphic style on a ledge, clear glass spice bottles are filled with sand from every beach the family has set foot on.”

I think I had already had a few random jars of sand, but this did it for me.  I am a major beach person, and I don’t typically bring home “souvenirs” from travels.  So, this was a no-brainer.  And, I loved the visual symmetry of the jars and the colors of the sand.

I have brought back sand from South Africa, Mexico, Peru, Miami, etc.  Here are some of my tips for packing and getting it back home:

• Bring some Ziploc sandwich bags and a Sharpie (especially on long trips).
• Pack it in checked baggage if you can.
• Put it with other solid items so that it blends in (put the bags of sand inside sneakers, inside camera bags), and definitely not with anything that you possibly have to declare (i.e., nothing that a TSA or customs agent is going to rifle through).  [I had sand from New Zealand taken away from me because I was bringing food from the US to a friend in Australia and had to declare it.  The agent saw the sand and took the whole bunch of it.]
• Do not bring home bricks of it and pack it like a shitload of drugs.   I always worry that someone is going to think I am smuggling cocaine into the country.  I’ve never had a problem except for that one customs agent in Australia, so I don’t think it shows up in x-rays as anything weird.  Just be smart- and don’t try to disguise it by wrapping it in your weed stash or your gun.

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I found a few other posts out there on this concept.

Apartment Therapy

this post

Cool photos via this post

This guy collects dirt from each state, and then molds them onto felt replicas.

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I used to be able to buy the jars at the Container Store- no more.  They are a standard type of jar called a Boston round glass bottle.  You can buy them here.  You might even try these.

Hope this is inspiring!

C&C

Categories Cool Things, Storage