seashell craft | There's Just One Mommy

Sandy Handprint — Beach Keepsake Craft

OneMommy — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:36:57 +0000

Time flies when you’re having fun, and that is especially true when you are on a beach vacation. Creating your own vacation keepsake helps keep those memories fresh all year long.

Our children were 2 and 3 when they first saw the ocean, and how I wish I had done this with them back then! But no matter what age your child is, this simple sandy handprint beach keepsake craft is one that you will treasure forever.

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Heading to the beach for vacation? Fill a small Ziplock bag with sand from the beach you’re visiting and use it to make your child’s handprint stone. (It is illegal to take sand from some beaches, like Hawaii. Be sure to check regulations before you do this!)

To make your stone you can find DIY stepping stone kits, like this one, at most crafts stores. The one we used came with a 3-D molding tray. We used aluminum foil to give our stepping stone more of a flat bottom.

You can also buy a bag of Plaster of Paris by itself and use a disposable tin pie plate or plastic tray for this beach craft.

Sandy Handprint — Beach Keepsake Craft

Follow the directions to mix your plaster and then pour it into your tray. Gently sprinkle sand across the top.

Wait a couple minutes to allow the plaster to set up a bit, and then have your child press their hand into it. Hold their hand there for a minute or two.

If desired, press a few colorful shells into the plaster while your child still has their hand in place.

Test that the handprint is going to hold its shape by gently lifting one of your child’s fingers a bit. If the plaster stays put let them carefully lift their hand up.

Allow the handprint stone to dry completely. This should approximately 24 hours.

Once the plaster is dry you can remove it from the mold.

I suggest applying a spray sealant , especially if you you plan on displaying it outside. This will help keep the sand from washing away in the rain.

The stones look cute in the flower bed, but you can also use plate stands to display them on a shelf inside.

I plan on getting a couple to display my children’s beach handprints on our bookshelf. That way I can look at them every day.

However you choose to display them, making sandy handprints in this beach keepsake craft is a great way to remember all those days together playing in the sand and collecting shells.

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Keep Vacation Memories Alive with This Simple DIY Beach Ornament

OneMommy — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 13:54:05 +0000

I miss the beach. The gorgeous sunsets, the sand beneath my toes, and mostly all the giggles and smiles we have together as a family when we are there.

This year add an ornament to your tree to remind you of those warm sunny days and bring back all those precious memories as a family.

These simple beach ornaments are fun for the kids and you to make together, reminiscing as you work. I love how the lights reflect off of them, giving the look of the sun setting on the beach. They are the perfect vacation keepsake!

Beach Ornament

Affiliate links are provided below.

Materials Needed:

Plastic Clear Ball Ornament
Sand (Grab some on vacation to make your own vacation keepsake!)
Funnel
Seashells or other small beach items
Permanent Marker (optional)

Making your own homemade beach ornament is easy.

Carefully pull the top off the ornament. Use your funnel to add a small amount of sand. Don’t pour too much; you don’t want to make the ornament too heavy. We poured it to 1/4 inch deep.

Add several small seashells to the ornament.

If you’re using sand and seashells from vacation, use a permanent marker to write your vacation destination and the date on the ornament to create your very own vacation keepsake.

The beach we go to always has sea turtle nests marked for protection. The kids love checking to see if new ones were marked each morning. When we found this mini sea turtle hatchling, I knew it had to go in an ornament.

Not into sea turtles? You can add a tiny alligator, hermit crab, or any other tiny sea creature to your ornament.

You can also add other small beach items to your DIY ornament.

Try adding a pair of miniature flipflops for a tiny oasis in your little bauble.

Not only are these beach ornaments fun to make. They are also great gifts to share with your beach-loving friends.

More homemade ornaments:

Seashell Craft: Create a Beach-Themed Fairy House

OneMommy — Sun, 31 May 2015 14:12:29 +0000

One of our favorite crafts every year is building a fairy house for the garden. (Have a boy? You can make a beetle house or even a toad house!) This year we decided to create a seashell fairy house. It’s the perfect summer craft for all those seashells from the beach.

We started of just as we did with our recycled fairy houses, looking for the perfect plastic container to create the structure.

Once we found one we liked, we got out shells, beads, and other trinkets and started planning.

The first step was cutting a door into the side of our container. You could also cut out windows if you’d like.

Then we used hot glue to start adding seashells. Starting along the bottom edge allows you to overlap the shells as you go up.

We used mostly simple white clam shells, adding in some colorful scallop shells here and there.

Then came my daughter’s favorite part. We added a variety of colorful beads and a pretty silk sunflower to the top of the house.

And because every fairy house should have a bell, we used a bit of pipe cleaner to hang one on the inside of the doorway.

Seashells can also be used to create cute chairs and tables to go inside the house.

And, if you want to keep the fairy house (and potential visitors) safe from the family cat or dog, putting it into a hanging flower basket works great. This simple seashell craft makes a cute fairy house for the garden and is the perfect summer craft after that trip to the beach.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Inspired Seashell Craft

OneMommy — Tue, 26 May 2015 12:52:34 +0000

I love it when we find an activity the kids want to do over and over! My seven year-old was hooked on our super simple shell craft; she designed shells for several days. Her favorites? These awesome Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle inspired seashells!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Craft

This craft was completely my 8 year-old’s idea. To create your own seashell ninja turtles you will need plain white clam shells and permanent markers.

For each TMNT you wish to make, first outline all the details with a black permanent marker. This is important so the eye area doesn’t get colored!

Then color each face mask the appropriate color: red, purple, orange, or blue. Finally, color the rest of the turtle green.

My daughter opted to make Raphael angry — leaving his eyes white like the cartoon often does. (I love that detail!)

Check out Michaelangelo’s big smile!

Have a TMNT fan?

This simple shell craft is sure to be a hit! (And now they’ll be able to REALLY have that “hero in a half shell!”

Simple Shell Art for Kids

OneMommy — Sun, 17 May 2015 17:33:46 +0000

Heading to the beach this summer? If your kids are anything like mine you will come home with buckets of seashells. This simple shell craft is the perfect summer craft after that trip to the beach.

Spread out a variety of seashells for the kids to choose from. You will also need a variety of permanent markers. I love my collection of Sharpie markers (affiliate link).

This is a totally open-ended camp craft. Allow the kids to decorate the shells however they want to. They may do stripes and polka dots, or they may turn those shells into animals and favorite cartoon characters.

We had shells decorated with Minecraft characters, tigers, rainbows, camouflage…all as different and unique as the kids who were decorating them!

I never expected this simple craft would be such a huge hit! In fact, my daughter begged to do it again several times that week. And, if a bit of permanent marker winds up where it shouldn’t, it’s a breeze to clean with this tip to remove permanent marker from little fingers and table tops.

Want to take this craft a bit further? Get out googly eyes for kids to add on, or try adding arms/legs to characters using pipe cleaners and hot glue.

This summer when the kids collect handfuls of white shells you will have the perfect seashell craft to do when you get home.