Sea Shell Boxes DIY

 

Do you have a sea shell collection? If so, what do you do with all those sea shells? Grandsons Lucas and Landon made a special craft on a recent beach trip, and here's the DIY for our projects. This craft is grandkid tested and approved!

Grandson Lucas has accumulated a very large collection of sea shells during beach trips, and he was wondering what he could do with all those shells that he had found.

Meanwhile, we were getting ready for a beach trip with Lucas, his brother Landon, and family, and I was trying to come up with a "Rainy-Day" craft. Sea Shell Boxes was the perfect choice!

Before leaving for the trip, I found 2 wooden boxes in my "Craft Stash". I gathered a rainbow of craft paints, brushes, glue, glue gun, etc. I even grabbed make-up sponges. "Why?" you may be asking yourself. Make-up sponges make great paint applicators, especially for small fingers!

The beach house where we stayed had a large garage with a desk and tables. We covered those areas with garbage bags. The boys also wore plastic bags over their shirts for protection. Of course, baby wipes and paper towels were nearby. It pays to be prepared!

The boys each chose their color for the outside of their boxes. I shook the paint and poured a small amount onto 2 foam plates. I showed them how to dip the sponge into the paint and "dab" some paint off,  and they set to work. 

I was amazed by their concentration as they painted the outsides of the boxes. They really took their time and did a great job.

Drying Time! Landon played in the garage while his box dried. Lucas "chilled out" with his iPad in my vehicle!

When the outside of the boxes were dry, both boys painted the insides with a contrasting color of paint. They carefully checked for any place that needed a touch-up or second coat.

Here is Landon's finished Sea Shell Box. As you can see, a little of the black paint got on the blue when he painted the inside, but he liked it that way. I like it, too! He picked out a favorite shell to glue on the top and put some other special seashells inside.

Here is Lucas's finished Sea Shell Box. He chose 4 special shells and arranged them to be a "Pizza Oven"!

And what is inside? Shells shaped like slices of pizza, of course!

All in all, this was a great project for a Beach Trip, especially since it rained several days on our trip!

The boys had fun and did a fantastic job. They will definitely treasure their handmade souvenirs of our beach trip for years to come.

I hope this inspires you to create a special memory on your next vacation! Happy crafting!

Handmade Beach Souvenirs - Priceless!