I’ve paired up with a group of talented ladies to bring you a monthly Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge. Each month we will create a new home decor piece from an item(s) we’ve found at a thrift store, yard sale, resale shop etc. There is no budget or specific theme so we are free to let our creativity run wild and guess what I found this month?! I found glass Christmas bulbs just sitting for me on a shelf at our local Goodwill store and I couldn’t be happier! I’ve been dying to make a beach in a glass coastal ornament, so I knew finding this box was meant to be.
Amanda | The Kolb Corner   Chelc | Inside the Fox Den   Erlene | My Pinterventures
Kim | Made in a Day   Sara | Twelve on Main   Debra | Shoppe No. 5
Shirley | Intelligent Domestications   Marie | DIY Adulation   Lindsay | Crazy Organized
Michelle | Our Crafty Mom   Julie | Live From Julie’s House   Colleen | Life on Kaydeross Creek
Maureen | Red Cottage Chronicles   Pili | Sweet Things   Sherry | Savvy Apron
Ann | Duct Tape and Denim   Dru | Polka Dot Poplars
Megan | C’mon Get Crafty   Jennifer | Hydrangea Hippo
You can also follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!
Beach in a Glass Coastal Ornament
Okay, I know it may be a little early for Christmas, but I’ve been wanting to make these beach ornaments ever since I saw this video by Debi’s Design Diary (love her!). We live in the desert and since I can’t get to the beach daily, I’ve been surrounding myself with all things beachy. And this beach in a glass coastal ornament is the perfect way to get my beach fix and create a new ornament for our tree!
Supplies:
- clear glass or plastic ornaments
- shells and glass/sea glass
- twine
- craft glue & hot glue
- scissors
- snow white glitter
- funnel
Directions:
Mix a bit of sand with glitter and add it into the glass ornament.
Tip: Use fine glitter. I used a chunkier glitter for my first ornament and it tends to stick to the sides of the ornament. Fine glitter does the same but isn’t as noticeable. Also, do not put too much sand in the ornament or it will be too heavy.
Braid about 3ft. of twine and hot glue it to the top of the ornament (cut off the knot). Then, switch to craft glue (sticks better to glass than hot glue) and glue down the rest of the twine until you get the look you like.
Add glue to the top of the ornament before replacing the topper. Do not skip this as the ornament will have some weight and the topper may pop off without glue. Next, take three pieces of twine and tie onto the topper. Glue seashells to the end of the strings (optional).
Finally, to finish off the topper, I covered the silver topper cap with twine (optional). And now I have a beach in a glass coastal ornament for our tree!
Be sure to check out all of the other creative upcycle projects my fellow bloggers have come up with!
More fun projects can be found on my craft page.
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Mother of 3 says
So pretty! I love the idea of adding glitter to the sand. This would be a wonderful keepsake ornament idea after a family beach trip. Pinned.
Terri Steffes says
Wow! Our ornaments are so close and here I thought I was being original! LOL, nothing new under the sun. Love the ornament.
Valentina D. says
Love this! I guess the shells are loose and move around. Do you think the shells can be glued down to the bottom inside of the ornament first, then add the sand? Thank you.
Helen Gullett says
This is so cute!!!
Helen Gullett recently posted…Lots Of Snow Crystals Christmas Card
sherry says
Erlene, these ornaments are beautiful! I always make a few ornaments with things that we have brought back from trips. We are going to Cozumel in 2 weeks so I will pick up some shells.
Shirley Wood says
Erlene, it’s so pretty! My daughter would love one for her tree since she is a huge fan of beach vacations! I especially like the seashells on the end of the string.
Shirley Wood recently posted…Pineapple Angel Food Cake
Laura Funk says
This is a great thrift store find! I would love to do this with some shells and sand from the beaches we have visited! Great idea and so pretty
Emily says
These are so cute! Now I wish I’d brought some sand & shells home from our recent beach vacation so I could make my own!
Emily recently posted…Merry Monday Link Party #119
Tatanisha W says
Oh what a fun DIY idea for Christmas. This would be cool to take tokens from our vacations and put into ornaments!
Caroline Murphy says
LOVE THESE! What fun would it be to create one for each back vacation filled with the sand from the trip!
Fatima says
What a great idea! I purchased three clear ornaments last year and didn’t know what to do with them. We live in South Florida and can get little sand for all four to make this.
Fatima recently posted…Dog Beach With Kids
Sondra Barker says
Gosh, you are so talented! Sometimes it’s crazy to think that you could make a masterpiece with only a few simple items. Way to go!
Laur says
SO cute! I love the rope to hang it by!
Ashley Mullins says
This is so cute! I made something similar for my husband this past Christmas for our “first married christmas!” So easy to make!
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Nice. Did you make it using shells from a vacation?
Stephanie Manley says
I love everything about that little ornament. But I also love to upcycle any and everything. It would be fun to give this to someone where is snows all the time. 😉
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Thanks Stephanie. It would make a nice gift to someone who lives where it snows.
Samantha says
I love this! What a fun gift for a beach lover this Christmas.
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Yes, this would be perfect for a beach lover.
Rachel G says
That turned out really cute! I like the glitter mixed in with the sand!
Rachel G recently posted…30 Things to Write About
Chrissy says
This is really cute and such an easy and fun idea! I might try this myself, thank you!
Robert Stukowskki says
The ornament looks great. Too early to think about Christmas though.
Trisha says
This is so pretty! We going on our annual shore trip next month and and I’m totally going to grab some sand from the beach to make one of these. It will be a fun way to remember our trip!
Debrashoppeno5 says
What a great idea. This ornament will be a hit in my area because it is on the coast of Florida. I will need to make these as gifts.
Debrashoppeno5 recently posted…How To Make A Happy Fall Y’ All Sign
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Thanks. I can totally see this ornament hanging up in a Florida home.
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Beach in a Glass Coastal Ornament – Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge
Colleen says
These are sooo cute! We go to Cape Cod every summer and these would make perfect keepsakes that my kids would love to make. Great idea!
Colleen recently posted…Summer Home Tour – Relaxed & Airy
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
It would be so much more personal filled with vacation sand and shells.
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Beach in a Glass Coastal Ornament – Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge
Shauna Myron says
This is just lovely! My girls would love to make these with me – thanks for the inspiration!
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Glad you liked these. Have fun making these with your girls.
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Beach in a Glass Coastal Ornament – Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge
Debra says
What an adorable craft! I would love to make these with the kids and we can use as ornaments for all year round to remind us of the beach – especially in the cold winter!
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Thanks. I think these would be a great craft project to do with kids.
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Beach in a Glass Coastal Ornament – Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge
michelle james says
Erlene, I just love this ornament! I really want to make these for Christmas presents! So pretty!
michelle james recently posted…Thrift Store Decor Upcycle-Stenciled Table
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Thanks Michelle. These would be so pretty as a gift topper.
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Beach in a Glass Coastal Ornament – Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge
Amanda @The Kolb Corner says
These are pretty enough to display all year!
Amanda @The Kolb Corner recently posted…How to Make a Custom Pet Toy Storage Bin–Thrift Store Upcycle
Erlene at My Pinterventures says
Thanks Amanda. I might have to think of a way that I can do that 🙂
Erlene at My Pinterventures recently posted…Beach in a Glass Coastal Ornament – Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge