Every time I visit a beach, I pick up seashells. For years, I picked up seashells without having a clue what to do with them. It was an activity to do at the beach. And when I went home, the shells sat in the plastic bag that I put them in; they no longer had a purpose.

The winter I graduated from college is when the shells got a purpose again. I was unemployed; my job was to find a job. Still, on my “lunch break” and “after work,” I sought something fun to do: challenging, entertaining and low-cost (aka free). I picked up the seashells again and crafted them into something new.

I was pleased with and surprised at how my crafts came to life. I began to pick up more of nature’s treasures: sand, pinecones and fallen twigs. Also, I rummaged through my parents’ cork collection; I saved new corks, wine bottles and bottle caps. I started to save everything and anything that I thought could be crafted into something. I found my hobby, something I continue to do after work and on the weekends.

This post is my contribution to the Your Turn Challenge. I am joining thousands of secretly inspiring people in challenging myself to write and ship one blog post every day for seven days. Today is day six of the challenge. Click the hyperlink above for more information.