Urchins = Adventure and Fearlessness {Earrings-of-the-Month}

September 2014: I am woefully tardy in posting this. Sorry! I've had a crazier than usual couple of weeks.

This month’s pieces are inspired by sea urchins which have come represent the embodiment of all I want for my children’s palates: adventure and fearlessness. 

If you’ve seen the movie The Hundred Foot Journey you may relate. I took D with me to see the movie on opening night. As we walked out he wanted two things: (1) to buy the DVD and (2) to cook with sea urchin. I was floored. Needless to say, I went in search of urchin. I bought most already prepped, but wanted him to clean one. He did and created an incredible spiced soup with coconut milk and fresh herbs. 

Here's the post from my kitchen blog: How to Clean an Urchin...

Here's his soup: D's Spiced Coconut & Urchin Soup...

So, that was it. Urchin = parenting success in making sure that my kids will eat with purpose and an open mind. Here’s to new things…on your plates and in your ears!

September EcoChic Designs’ Earrings are black and green lampwork glass beads and gemstones handwired with sterling silver findings to create one-of-a-kind pieces just for you! Enjoy!

From the Sea: Urchin Earrings

I've had these sterling silver urchin beads hidden away, waiting for inspiration.  And I finally decided this evening - earrings!

So, I made them, photographed them, and listed them on etsy for sale.  Almost as quickly as I had listed them, two friends contacted me to purchase the earrings.  I've pulled the listings from etsy.  But I do have a few more urchin beads...so look for other pairs soon.

Sea urchins are often called pincushions of the sea because of their hard globe-shaped bodies, armed with bristle-like spines that look like toothpicks. They live in shallow waters and carry small rocks, pieces of shells, kelp, and anemones on their back for shade and camouflage. Tubes with suction cups move within the spines, like dancing feet. The suctioned tube feet are used for moving about, trapping food, and protection. They use their small pinchers for defense and for clutching food. Sea urchins are intimidating grazers, gobbling up whole kelp beds in their paths.

Could sea urchins have discovered the fountain of youth? They are among the longest living animals on earth. They can live and reproduce for two hundred years or more.

FUN FACTS:

• Sea urchins are able to clone themselves.
• A sea urchin has no brain. Instead it has a nerve ring, used to power its tube feet.
• All sea urchins have five continuously growing teeth; useful feeding tools. They use their teeth for scraping algae, their favorite food, off of rocks.