A BARRINGTON-BASED CRAFTER BEACHCOMBS FOR SHELLS AND TURNS THEM INTO PRETTY DECOR . BY AMY MARTIN
It all started with beachcombing . On beaches in Rhode Island and beyond , Alisa Kelley would search the shore and find beautiful shells . She ’ d add them to a collection she ’ s been building for years , which had also been filling her basement . It came to the point where she decided it was time to do something with them .
“ I ’ ve always been crafty ,” Kelley , who lives in Barrington , says . “ I ’ ve always done crafts with my kids . I was a Girl Scout troop leader for several years , and that was always the part I think I was best at .”
As Kelley ’ s children grew older , she moved onto crafts she personally enjoyed . Searching for ideas , she found a how-to page on decoupage — the art of decorating an object by gluing paper onto it with other special decorative components . She started experimenting with paper patterns she liked on shells she collected , and the rest is history .
In the fall of 2019 , Kelley launched her Etsy shop , SeaAndStable , which pushed her to make more crafts . As more orders came in , Kelley ’ s shop began to grow , even during the pandemic .
“ It was a little bright spot in such a dark time for everybody ,” Kelley says . “ It was nothing I expected would really go anywhere , but better than I thought !”
After sourcing the shells , Kelley cleans them , sands any rough edges and paints the inside white to cover any dark spots . With a layer of paper between layers of Mod Podge craft glue , she paints the edges and the back with gold leaf paint .
She also creates other items involving driftwood and sea glass . “ I like the idea of taking something that would be discarded and trying to make it into something decorative .”
Kelley eventually got her family involved in helping her beachcomb . At least once a week , she and her daughter search the beach for shells .
She donates a portion of her profits to different charities , including an environmental group that works on reducing plastic in the ocean . She also tries to incorporate something repurposed in everything she makes , whether that be reclaimed or scrap wood , or the shells themselves , which she always ensures are empty of any animals .
Check out Kelley ’ s crafts and decor at etsy . com / shop / seaandstable . �
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l APRIL 2022 69