Seashell Crafts – Easy To Get Swept Away With This Hobby
Seashell crafts can be a wonderful way to remember your beach vacation, accent your home, or display and share nature’s treasures with your family and friends. Children love them too, and simple seashell crafts can make for a wonderful party or school activity while they learn about the various types of shells and sea life. Thank you SpongeBob for bringing comical scenes of underwater sea life to the masses!
Recently, I visited Sanibel Island, Florida, with my family for a relaxing beach vacation. Sanibel is known for its incredible shelling so it is a memorable vacation spot for those loving seashell crafts! This must have been about my 20th visit to Sanibel, as this was my yearly childhood vacation where I would visit with my own parents. Sanibel Island feels like my home away from home. Many fond memories came rushing back to me as I walked the beach with my own children. I remember spending hours with my own family as a child, combing the beach for hours at low tide seeking the finest specimens of nature’s treasures. We would visit local shops on the island and admire the variety of seashell crafts made from native seashells found locally on the island. Seashell crafts ranged from the pretty and complex (floral arrangements made from small, colorful clam shells) to the downright silly (simple clam shells with googlie eyes or mushroom coral toadstools).
Colorful orange horse conches or shiny olive shells and lightening whelks would fill our shelling nets with hopes of being made into elaborate crafts once we arrived home. Coming from the northeast where shells on the beach are a rare find, my own family and I enjoyed gathering loads of shells and talking about all of the wonderful things we were going to make with them once we arrived home.
Gathering Supplies for Seashell Crafts
Seashells come in endless arrays of colors, sizes and types depending upon where you live and what beaches you visit. You can collect supplies for your projects by visiting popular shelling sites such as Sanibel and Captiva Island, or if you are not able to get away to source your very own personal supply, you may purchase seashells in local super craft stores or on the internet at seashell craft supply sites. Please note, if you visit these popular shelling vacation spots, please do not harvest live shells. It can cost you a hefty fine and we seashell lovers want you to leave the live shells for future generations to enjoy! There are plenty of non-living seashells washed upon the beach that you may collect and use for your seashell crafts. This year we found delicate sea urchins, star fish, horse conches, lightening whelks and an abundance of calico scallop shells in a variety of shapes and sizes. If you’re looking for a specific type of shell or a certain size, a seashell crafts supply store may be your best bet. Depending upon the specimen you need for your craft, supplies of seashells can range from pennies a piece to hundreds of dollars for the rarest of species.
Easy Seashell Crafts You Can Make Yourself
You are limited only to your time and imagination when it comes to designing and making your own seashell crafts! Just about any decorative item in your home may be adorned in seashells. Popular and easy to make projects include: mirrors and trinket boxes, coasters, wreaths and picture frames. Just use your imagination and creativity to find ways to use your treasured shells as part of a seashell craft! Whether you have a beach home or just dream of owning one someday, you can bring the beach into your home or apartment today with some carefully placed seashell crafts containing seashell adorned items. Another easy seashell craft is a shadow box. These decorative shadow boxes that can be wall mounted or displayed as a standalone are a fun and easy way to display seashells and more delicate treasures such as sea horses, sand dollars and star fish.
How to Use and Display Your Seashell Crafts
Seashell crafts may be decorative and useful. Seashell trivets and coasters are a great way to use seashells to protect your furniture from hot plates. Small mirrors surrounded with shells make a decorative statement and can add reflective light that can make your rooms seem larger.
Thoughtfully crafted seashell crafts make much appreciated gifts for teachers, friends and family alike. A simple candleholder adorned in scallop shells accented with a pretty ribbon, makes a lovely centerpiece. Give a gift in a keepsake box layered with decorative seashells. Coaster, especially photo coasters, can be a great gift to a friend with whom you’ve shared a summer day trip or vacation. The possibilities are endless for your creation and use of seashell crafts!