Beach Treasures and Treasure Beaches

So, as those of you who read my posts know, my niece and nephew collected a truly amazing number of shells last time our family visited the gulf coast together.  Some of you might recall that particular event ultimately led to my discovery of seashells as a decopage-able item.  Well, a couple weeks ago, I finally decided that something must be done about the fact that all those shells were still in bags and buckets half full of water and sand.  I fished them out of the plastic crate that had been their home for a good number of months, and I spent about an hour one evening and washed them all, laying them out to dry on towels and dumping all the excess sand in the backyard.  Now, I know this may sound like an odd thing for an aunt to do of an evening, but I had a very good reason, and the reason is as follows:  one day, I decided to string some of my beach treasures from the Louisiana Gulf Coast, and my nephew walked into my room and said, “wow, Aunt Elisa!  Those are beautiful.  I hope I can be a great necklace maker like you when I grow up,” and my immediate response was, “Liam, you can be just as good a necklace maker right now.  Here, I’ll show you…” but, what with his being five and a bit flighty, he was out of the room before I could get his hands on my shells.

Now, I won’t say I sprung immediately into action or anything, but I can say that the very next time I found myself in a craft store, I bought a large package of plastic necklace cord and two large packages of miscellaneous plastic beads.  I’m sure you have guessed this by now, but that was the night I went and washed all those shells, and I carefully picked out every one I could find with a proper, natural hole in it.

Well, that was a long story, and I feel I oughtn’t make a long story longer, so I shall present the result to you in pictures, though I am sorry to say that Liam was asleep when I took them (this was seashell necklace evening #2).  However, I did get some good shots of his necklace, and Oona was happy to demonstrate the process for me ^_^.

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As you can see, this is a simple, fun project for beachcombers of all ages, and the possibilities are endless.  I highly recommend this sort of project to any family of beachgoers.  I absolutely guarantee the little ones will love the entire process, from collecting to stringing!  Happy beach treasure crafting- E.G.D.