Beach Craft

Get crafty this summer by turning items from the beach into works of art.

Summer beach days can often be so wonderful that you wish they’d last forever, so why not take a few bits home and turn them into something you can admire all year round? From gorgeous sea glass to special shells and even hunks of driftwood, many seaside treasures can be transformed into art with a little knowhow.

Driftwood

Finding a good hunk of driftwood can feel like a big win. Search for a piece that is sturdy, dry and neither too big nor too small so that it can have several uses.

Either hang it in its untouched form, or adorn the wood with acrylic paints, and varnish to create a summery picture or phrase such as ‘life’s a beach!” Strong, larger pieces can be repurposed as shelves for small trinkets, or you can drill holes in the wood to make a rustic candle holder. 

Seashells

The trick to making seashell art that doesn’t look like it’s been crafted by a five-year-old, is to keep it simple and in muted shades. Thus, transform small seashells into pendants, earrings, or bracelets by drilling tiny holes into the shells and attaching them to wire or thread. Using gold or silver beads alongside the shells will keep your jewellery looking classy.

Large shells can be filled with wax and a wick to make a candle, or using a candle mould layer the shells around the wick before pouring the wax in.

Another option for shells is to create a windchime, and to avoid feeling kitsch, add small bits of driftwood as well.

Sea glass

Sea glass is truly a treasure of the ocean and can be polished to look like something far more precious than a mere beach find.

Make stunning jewellery pieces by wrapping sea glass in wire and attaching it to chains or earring hooks, or create colourful mosaics by arranging pieces of sea glass on a wooden board or canvas by securing the glass with adhesive, filling in any gaps with grout. These can be used as wall art, coasters or decorative trays.

Pebbles

Pebbles may not seem like the most exciting thing in the world, but they can be both useful and charming. Using acrylic paint or pens, inscribe the names of herbs, flowers or vegetables on smooth pebbles and place them in your garden as markers.

Another wonderful use is to engage children in your beach craft fun by letting them decorate stones and perhaps even use them to create a treasure hunt because, after all, one man’s beach debris can be a true artist’s goldmine.