Over the summer, many people have collected some beautiful shells during their vacation that are now designated to a box somewhere. Some may pull them out to remind them of that wonderful trip to the beach as time goes by. A great way to prolong those wonderful memories and taking advantage of their unique beauty is grabbing that box and trying your hand at some seashell crafts that I want to share with you.
Before you begin seashell crafts, clean them properly because there could be sand, dirt, calcium buildup, and insects or part of the creature still lodged in the crevices. The best way to disinfect them is with a mix of bleach and water. Use about one part bleach to three parts of water. This is usually enough to handle a shoe box worth of seashells. Allow them to thoroughly dry before attempting anything.
Now is time for the fun of turning the box of seashells into something useful instead of just another piece of clutter sitting on a shelf somewhere. To start, I love playing with shells for dressing up flowerpots. You can take a glue gun and attach some seashells in varying shapes and textures to create an eye-pleasing pattern.
Did you know that placing a few smaller shells on top of the soil in your flowerpot can help control the amount of water that you give the plant? The shells collect some of that water to help keep the soil moist instead of over saturating the plant.
Giant shells like a conch shell with deep crevices are perfect to fill with soil and grow a succulent plant. They give a stunning edge to a room’s decor while serving a purpose.
Another idea for seashell crafts and enjoy their artistic beauty is making wind chimes. You’ll need to take out your drill to make holes at the top of each shell that you plan to insert a heavy string or twine for dangling from an embroidery hoop that you’ll also be drilling holes through. You’ll also need a hook to attach the hoop for your new wind chimes.
Use as many seashells as want as well as other objects such as beads from old jewelry, bells, trinkets, etc. that you can drill through to hang. What you do is to pencil in spots on the hoop for drilling to accommodate the number of shells and any other items along the hoop that you to display before attaching and securing each loaded string to your hoop.
Another charming thing to make is a soap dish. However, you need a large shell that can hold a soap and a smaller one to serve as a base. You simply need to pick up a package of two-part epoxy with a resin and hardener to glue and attach the two together.
Craft some striking jewelry from pendants to necklaces from your seashells is something else worth exploring. Be careful on the size of drill bit that you use when making a hole in the shells and stick with the smallest to prevent ruining a small shell. You can even use a dental floss or another waxed cord to string them through. Mix them with different shapes and sizes of your seashells is one idea. You also add beads of glass, colored beads, wood beads and get creative because your artistry knows no bounds.
This is just a few ways to craft with your seashell finds. If you have others, please feel free to share.
