magnets or christmas ornaments lol

Have you seen the dirt project by H. Mathis? Similar idea, using dirt from all the US states:

http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2009/03/dirt-show-by-h-mathis.html

If only I traveled this much...otherwise it looks pretty cool

Like plumeria, I go the Christmas ornament route.

This is so cool!

I accept sand from places I've never been or will be. So far my favorite is "accidental" sand from the UAE, scraped out of a seashell, because it contains the tiniest seashells I've ever seen. Nearly microscopic!

Of course I work with geologists so if I actively asked everyone travelling for our company to bring me something I'd get truckloads of rocks, geodes, etc. from around the world and then I'd need to rent display space, so I keep it on the DL.

My display isn't nearly as nice as the one above, and I have some at work, some at home.

A few years ago I bought a few tin boxes that held 16 round tins (like those used for magnetic spice tins but smaller) on sale at a craft store. I decided to collect random things during my travels like dirt from Johnny Cash/June Carter's gravesite (sounds creepy, sorry), a cicada molt, dirt/sand/pebbles from various beaches/deserts/parks, sea glass, a small fossil, dried flowers, a four-leaf clover, a tiny origami swan that I found outside a dry-cleaner in Portland, and tons of random trinkets that would only make sense to me. I've always thought about keeping sand/rock/dirt collections...maybe it's a good time to start. I'm planning a two-week long, cross-country roadtrip this summer, plenty of ground to cover so-to-speak.

Rocks.

They line my windowsills and some of the big ones prop doors open.

I've been collecting sand for years. I display it in mason jars, marked with the name of the beach and the date I was there. It's interesting to see all the different colors and consistencies that sand can have, and during the long cold winters, it's a cheerful reminder of some really fun times.

Smooth stones (heart shaped esp. ~ you'd be surprised how many are out there), shells & glass. Also nature's discards: A dried sea grape leaf, feathers, sand crab shell....you name it.

I don't travel enough to do anything like this but my magazine collection is getting out of control!

I collect memories and photographs I take, occasionally tribal work like basketry or fabric, but far prefer to leave the sand and stones in their natural habitats. I live near a marine reserve, and so the restrictions are strict for a good reason, I am not a fan of the "beach sand in a jar" displays and consider it a waste of good sand. I'd far rather walk through the sand ON the beach and squish it between my toes...

I have two little jars on my office desk, one with sand, the other with small stones, both from a beach in Oregon (I live in Baltimore). I also like collecting leaves and flowers and pressing them.

I sell a version of this idea! My mom gave us a set of 50 boston rounds as a wedding gift, explaining this very concept! I love it so much. I am a graphic designer and I have an Etsy shop for wedding favors, among other things. I had designed labels for our jars, and it hit me recently that I should offer this to other people with custom labels!

Love the article!

Here is a link to the ones I sell: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76051139/adventures-in-marriage-wedding-gift

I hope that is not considered spam! I just thought your readers would find it useful to see a version with a custom label included with the jars!

Super cute idea!