- April 25, 2024
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Ormond Beach resident Michelle Cecchini is a real-life example of a well-known tongue-twister: She sells seashells by the seashore.
Cecchini started collecting shells about 40 years ago when she was a child growing up around Lake Michigan. But they were tiny, and it wasn't until she began visiting her dad in Sanibel Island that her love of shells fully took off. Searching the shores and rock outcroppings for shells has been one of her favorite past times, and so she decided to turn it into a profitable hobby.
“I call myself a shell hunter,” she said, laughing. “I love going shell hunting and so I thought, well I’m going to do something with it, and hence, started to craft.”
When she's not helping people find their dream home through her realty company, Chelle Realty Co., Cecchini puts time into making crafts with the shells she has found in various Florida beaches. She has named her business Sea Chelle Arts, and Cecchini will be one of the artists participating in Frame of Mind's annual outdoor artisan market on Shop Small Saturday, which will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in FoM's back garden on Saturday, Nov. 24. She will have items like wall art, shell Christmas trees, terrariums and photo frames for sale.
Cecchini's incorporated crafting into her life when, 20 years ago, her sister-in-law gifted her a book about using shells to decorate, leading her to create a shell mosaic with her daughter on a small decorative table. It was exciting to see the completed project, she said.
Since then, crafting has brought a peaceful balance into her life. It also gets her to think about where the shells came from.
“Every one of these had something living in it, and has a story, and it had been here or there," Cecchini said. "It’s neat.”
Over the years, over-shelling has become a concern, she said. When she visited her dad in Sanibel, there were types of shells readily available that have now become rare. To avoid disrupting the ecosystem too much, Cecchini said she always returns live seashells back into water and is extra cautious when finding sand dollars and starfish.
The key to successful shell hunting? Cecchini said it's luck and perseverance. One day, she hopes to travel to the Philippines to find seashells. She's always excited when she finds a unique or rare shell. The big finds keep her motivated.
“You find one, and then your search to find more grows inside you, and then you find the next one," Cecchini said. "It’s exciting to me.”
For more information about Sea Chelle Arts, visit Facebook.com/SeaChelleArts
