July 30, 2014 // tutorial· Vacation

DIY Seashell Souvenirs/Keepsakes [+ Beach Proposal Idea!]

To PIN any of these ideas (especially the last one), simply hover over the picture with your mouse and click the red Pinterest button that appears!  Happy pinning!

Free souvenirs?!  Yes, please!

I love collecting seashells!  Even though I’m not a morning person, I will get up really early to head down to the beach to go shell scouting.  It’s like a treasure hunt that I always hate quitting, because I know the biggest, most beautiful shell is just a little bit further down the beach. . .  I also love souvenirs. Yes, I know they’re corny, but like with seashells, I just can’t help myself.  I always look for something unique and personal, but sometimes I just can’t find what I’m looking for.

On my trip to Folly Beach (read about it here), I was fortunate enough to collect many shells of decent size that were absolutely gorgeous!  I had seen several pins on Pinterest about making ornaments out of sand from the beach for souvenirs, and this started my head spinning about what I could do with the seashells.   I thought about painting them, but decided using Sharpies would be cheaper and less messy. Enter the recent Office Max sale on Sharpies ($.25 each) and I was in business!

DIY Seashell Souvenirs

Materials needed: Seashells and Sharpies (either paint or permanent marker–they both work just as well)

Step 1: Rinse all of your shells to make sure all of the sand is out of the crevices.  Any residual sand can mess up your canvas and whatever you’re using to decorate with.

Step 2: Select shells based on what you want to do.  If you’re looking to write on a shell, choose one with a somewhat smooth surface, even if it’s the back of the shell.  If you’re just looking to color/paint the shell, then your options are wide open!

Step 3: Design and decorate.  Yep, it’s as easy as that.  Here’s some ideas to get you started:

 The easiest message to write on a shell is the name of the beach and the date.  I wish I would have started doing this on earlier beach trips, because you never remember what shells came from where!  Also, this is a way more personal souvenir than buying a t-shirt, hat, or other money-waster!
I love this shell!  While imperfect, it reminds me of a fish!  

Add color to your message–nothing says “beach” like a calming blue shade!

Memorialize special events!  We were celebrating our 5th anniversary while on the trip, so I made a shell to celebrate that occasion.  While you can’t see the front of the shell, I trimmed it in the same gold as the writing for a classier effect!
 Think about cute sayings and phrases to use.  These will provide someone with a smile and be perfect to sit out on a desk!

 Monochromatic shells in a metallic color will catch the eye.  Give these in multiples, which will be cute sitting in a dish or jar together.

Save the stamp and put your postcard message on the seashell!  This is a great way to let someone know you were thinking about them while you were away!

I was really happy with how the shells I decorated tonight turned out!  I can’t wait to do the rest of them and hand them out to my family and friends.

Beach Proposal Idea!!!

As I was working on these shells, I had an “a ha!” moment. . . wouldn’t something like this just make the cutest proposal?!  Feel free to use this idea, but I want to hear about it if you do:)  And if you’d like to pin the idea, just hover over the picture and click the Pinterest button that appears!

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