Maybe you weren’t as intrigued as I was, but this is the shop where I came upon those beautiful aqua spheres. They are made of glass and if you look closely you can see a few in this photo – suspended in nets. Have you figured it out yet?
These beautiful hand-crafted glass balls are fishnet floats. This float was crafted sometime between 1920-1980 and was discovered by a beach comber in Alaska. This quaint little shop carries hundreds of them, collected by beach combers in Alaska, Norway and Australia. Inside the shop floats hang from the ceiling; each with its own unique character. The shop owner is also a tile artist with beautiful handcrafted tiles. I wish I had taken more photos inside. I loved this shop!
It took me a while to pick just the one I wanted from the large box outside the doorway. Each one has its own color intensity and markings. Some have more bubbles in the glass than others and the water has naturally etched the glass in the places where it was exposed while the glass remains clear in the areas where the net covered it.
Now the challenge is to find just the right stand for it. I enjoy displaying items that remind me of God’s character and promises and this little fishnet float is no exception. Its unique qualities remind me that God has created each of us like no other and just as the floats are etched by the continually moving waters, we are molded and crafted by life. Some days are calm and peaceful like the glassy waters that call the fishermen to their work, and other times life is like the raging seas that send them home to the safety of the shores. These floats have endured the test of time – the stillness and the storms – and they have come out even more lovely than the day they were created.