-Cheri: About 15 years ago I discovered this wonderful nut, that for some reason I had very little knowledge about up until then. It was pistachios. Pistachios are extremely yummy nuts. I love them and really can’t say anything bad about them other than the frustration of the shell not being open enough on a few.

I love to eat the nuts but I also like to use the shells. The shells are these pretty little half clam shells. They have a woody feel to them and take paint, marker and glue really well. They are really a nice item to work with. When I first started making items with the shells, I would very carefully tease the nuts out of the shell to leave it whole and would glue them together to make little Mallard ducks. I would then take the ducks and put them on a pond I had drawn on a piece of cardboard.

After I grew tired of the ducks, I started looking closely at the pretty little ovals and started thinking about all the creatures I could make out of them. Thus, the creatures featured here were created. Eventually, I ran out of ideas. But the funny thing is that every time I eat pistachios I usually save a handful of shells back just in case…..

-Lynne: These make whimsical cards of all kinds. Eat some pistachios, collect the shells, grab your scissors, construction paper and markers and have some fun making your own creations.