Sanibel Seashells: The Recipe for a Gorgeous Christmas Tree

If you like unusual and artsy stuff, you can really have a field day with Sanibel seashells.

Seashells are so beautiful in and of themselves, and their lovely configurations are ideal for creating unique Christmas tree ornaments.

According to one seashell crafts person, Patricia from Massachusetts, the ease of creating seashell X-Mas tree decorations makes for a great project for the whole family.

First, the recipe, what you need to get started.

Ingredients Needed:

Sea shells
Gold Gilt or silver and gold paint
Tiny rosebuds (silk or real)
Pearls
Glue gun
Clear nail polish
Gold or silver very thin ribbon or cord

Next, the process, what you need to do to "cook" your trinket:

1. Gilt or paint your shells and let dry. (you can also leave the shells plain and cover with clear nail polish if you prefer).

2. Glue a rosebud or pearl in the well of the shell or decorate it how you want.

3. Glue a loop of the thin ribbon or cord on the top to hang it with . Cover base of ribbon hang with with rosebud , pearl , or a bow.

A simple recipe, an easy meal!

All it takes is to get yourself down to Sanibel, and this Christmas it also should be easier than ever.

Lovely condos are available that normally are booked at this time of year. Airlines are offering good deals, car rentals are below normal in rates. And seashells? Well the shells are already there waiting for you and free for the taking!

X-Mas Holiday on Sanibel is a GREAT Buy

OK, let's assume that you don't find the Luminaria sufficient reason to go to Sanibel Island for Christmas.

That the sunshine and palm trees alone don't entice you.

That long walks in balmy weather to help you digest your Christmas dinner won't motivate you.

Or even that Sanibel beats staying home in the cold and snow. Or dealing with your in-laws who are wonderful and well meaning, BUT....

Then consider this.

Sanibel is a wonderful place to shop year round, and by Christmas you may have some bargains to be found. So you don't have to do any shopping home out in the cold and snow and can take some great treasures back with you for friends and family.

Just off Sanibel you will find a wonderland to entertain and delight. From December 12 to 31, you can celebrate the holidays at the Edison Ford Winter Estates with the Holiday Nights 2008. For the past 33 years, the historic buildings and gardens have been decorated with lights and traditional decorations. With a different theme every year, 2008 will celebrate "antique toys of the Edison era". The homes and porches will be adorned with dollhouses, trucks, and antique toys as well as seasonal decorations that fill 20 acres of gardens, and the recently restored Edison buildings. There will be new exhibits and displays, as well as traditional favorites and nightly musical performances, shopping and the Children's Tree Trail.

And consider that due to the poor economy, you will more than likely find outstanding accommodations on discount.

Airfares are also most reasonable with United touting incredibly low one way fares and other airlines advertising fares from many US cities beginning at $250 round trip.

So, what's stopping you now?

Begin making your holiday to remember with Christmas on Sanibel!

Christmas on Sanibel

Despite the allure of the legendary White Christmas, Sanibel offers a wonderfully green and peaceful "fifth season" for those who choose to spend their holiday on the island.

We call it the fifth season as it is like no other. The month of December is full of gifts and surprises from those living and working on Sanibel Island. Kicked off with a Luminaria Festival in early December where beautiful luminaria line Periwinkle and the surrounding streets, the Festival bills itself as a gift to the community.

During the Festival, residents and visitors are able to travel through more than three miles of lighted luminaries to visit stores, shops and restaurants all beautifully decorated in their best holiday finery. The "attendees" of the Festival are also able to enjoy refreshments and live music. The festivities start at dusk and end approximately 9:30pm.

Stay tuned to this blog for more information on the fifth and best season on Sanibel.

If you have not yet planned for your Christmas week on Sanibel Island, you will find several convincing reasons for doing so posted here.

The Best "Value" on Sanibel is Knowing Eric

We know quite a few people on Sanibel now.

And to a person, they are kind, interesting and helpful.

We also know a number of people with whom we do business on the island.

And to a person, they are honest, hardworking, and creative.

So we feel particularly fortunate in knowing Eric Pfeifer as he---remarkably--- has all of these traits!

Eric is the broker in his own Real Estate firm on Sanibel, Pfeifer Realty Group, and has many years of experience behind him having been an agent for other Real Estate agencies on the Island.

We have known Eric to be a good realtor, a good guy and a good neighbor.

He has helped friends with his unique industriousness and sense of integrity when they were looking for properties to buy, or when they were looking to sell properties.

He has helped us, gaining early access onto Sanibel after Hurricane Charlie and inspecting our properties for damage. He did this without our even asking him to do so.

And he has helped various organizations on Sanibel by donating to his own or his clients' favorite Sanibel causes each time he does a closing on a property he's sold. Most recently, he contributed $2000 from a closing to the Sanibel Sea School, an organization whose mission statement and purpose he feels strongly about.

If the word value can be used in describing a relationship, it certainly applies to Eric. We respect and value Eric and admire his sense of generosity. We trust him.

So on our last trip to the Island, we were relieved to talk with him and hear his take on the Island's Real Estate market. Eric is always bullish on Sanibel. Having been educated as an engineer, he changed professions in order to live on Sanibel. He finds great value in island life and is able to carry his enthusiasm for the Island into his profession as a realtor.

What makes the island so special is the key, as Eric sees it, to the real estate market on Sanibel recovering sooner and better than anywhere else in Florida. Sanibel's land development code protects it from ever getting overdeveloped to the degree of other locales. Hence, the syndrome of too many new housing starts or condo constuction can't happen on the island as it does throughout the state, depreciating already existing properties.

While real estate on the Island is not as depressed as in other Florida towns, the time may be soon approaching, according to Eric, when the prices begin rising, particularly for private homes.

This may well be the most opportune time to visit the Island and take a look around. There is no doubt there are deals to be made and great values to be found.

And there is no doubt in our minds that if one is serious about exploring the value of investing in Sanibel Island, that Eric is the man to deal with.