This weekend we packed up the boys and dog and made the six hour trek to Norfolk, VA to celebrate my Mom’s 62nd birthday. My parents live in that yellow beauty pictured above which is nestled right on the coast of the Chesapeake Bay. Every summer (like it or not) I invite myself to stay for at least a month of the summer! I think you can see why. I had this idea of making beach ornaments for my mom’s birthday back in July and actually posted about it here.
For this project, you will need some clear glass ornaments (I bought mine at Michaels), some sand, and some sea shells that you painstakingly searched for every morning at low tide for weeks upon weeks. Or of course, you could just go out and buy some shells and not play the part of the martyr, but I think martyrdom makes the gift seem so much more thoughtful, don’t you?
Take your funnel and fill your ornament about 1/3 full with dry sand. You’ll see in a moment why this is so important.
Drop some small shells into the ornament’s opening. If some of them get covered with sand, don’t panic. Just lightly shake the ornament until the shells resurface to the top. They will.
Next, grab some driftwood and some washed-up pine cones that surprisingly are on the beach. You don’t usually see pine cones down here. Photo style your picture for your blog and make sure your kids and husband “ruin” the pic for you. Yes, that is my youngest flying upside down in the right-hand corner courtesy of Hubby.
Okay, here you can see why it is very important to make sure your sand is 100% dry. Despite my best efforts to find dry sand, you can see the condensation forming inside the ball.
If you bring your 5 yr old down to the beach and strictly forbid him from getting wet, well, some condesation may just form on him too….despite your best efforts!
With your larger shells, you can make kissing ball ornaments by hot-gluing the shells to styrofoam balls. Just a warning though, these take a LOT of medium sized shells to make.
These ornaments are gorgeous, easy to make, and a great way to add a little “coastal” to your holiday. Please link back to me if you make them, so I can see your beautiful creations!
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LOVE THIS IDEA…never thaught of it and I live at the beach….another great one Beth….
Ok seriously your moms house rocks! Um, can I come stay for a month to! 🙂 Fabulous ornaments to! Pinning now
What a gorgeous house your parents have. I would have to invite myself for more than a month! 🙂
The ornaments are so pretty. Love the ball covered in them.
Love your blog! Just found you and I'm your newest follower. I used to live in Maryland near the Chesapeake and I miss it, which is why I think I am always drawn to the coastal blogs. I look forward to checking out the rest of your blog and following along.
Cindy
I'm late to the party, but thought I'd add my two cents! I love you ornaments, in fact I made some quite a few years back! (each year I make a bunch of ornaments to hang on a "visitor's tree" by my front door, if you visit, you go home with an ornament!) Any who, mine were exactly the same except I added a small tag with the phrase:
"When you place this on your tree, remember The One who walked on Galilee."
Beautiful home, beautiful beach, and beautiful ideas for using shells. Thanks for sharing. ~ Sarah
Gorgeous Beth–I think I know what I will make next time I go to the beach–although I have a bunch of shells–all I need is sand–may have to run to the beach.
cheri
I adore these ornaments! I linked Completely Coastal as she posted the shell filled ornament, but am going to correct it now to let everyone know that the idea originated from you. I am so excited to try these! i have sand, shells and sea glass left over from our trips to Maine and Newport this summer. Yippee!
This beach ornament is absolutely genius!!! I will post this on Completely Coastal.
SA-weet! Love it, nice! Thanks for sharing.
Very cute!!!!
m ^..^
beautiful!!! I am from the mountains and collect pinecones – I'll have to think about doing something fun with them this year as an ornament.
xo,
cristin
Love this post!
The ornaments, your photos, the house (!), and just to see the beach! I miss it!
~Nancy
Love this post!
The ornaments, your photos, the house (!), and just to see the beach! I miss it!
~Nancy
Just found your blog through "Just A Girl". Love it! I am SO going to make those beach ornaments! How cute! Thanks for the idea.
Love your beach ornaments! Those are so cool. And I have to say I'm jealous that your parents live in such a great house on the beach. It's probably a good thing my parents don't because I'd move in with them and they'd never get rid of me… 🙂
These would be so great to make for my in-laws who freeze away in Minnesota while we're warm here in Florida!
I wish I had seen this before our beach vacation this year, but that is ok- I will buy the empty bubls this year and we can do it this summer. Thanks!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE these ornaments! what a great background for your pics!!!! Thanks for sharing Beth:)
You should send this one to Martha Stewart. These are lovely and can't decide which one I love most. Thanks for sharing your talents. I'll be clicking on your "Follow" button and adding you on my blog roll so that I can enjoy your creativity more often. Please do the same and we can inspire each other.
Great idea!! I have the clear ornaments and bought a huge box of shells this summer at a garage sale!! Now to find sand in Colorado!!
blessings
mary
Gorgeous! I love them – you did an awesome job.
Thanks for stopping by and saying hi! I would love to link up my staircase. Lovely blog you have. Oh, and I live about 2 hrs from Norfolk, so it was fun seeing pics of the beach and know that I've been there!
best wishes,
Linda
Thanks for a great idea…I'm not lucky enough to live on the water – but my mom does – and these will be a perfect little christmas gift for her!
Your kissing ball ornament looks a lot like the topiary I made yesterday out of shells! I just might have to make an ornament too! I love the sand/shell ornaments—what a neat gift idea (or keep idea!). I got tagged with the Kreativ Blogger award, and want to pass it along to you. You can check it out at http://rubymoondesigns.blogspot.com/
Blessings, Grace
Holy cow, I want to be your SISTER! 🙂 Your parents' house is beautiful.
Looooove those ornaments! I've been thinking of putting a small beach themed tree in our bathroom, so these would be perfect!
Really enjoying your beach photos right now! Great ornament ideas. I became a follower.
and i just saw the note about the sweet potato rolls–they sound delicious! can you point me to a recipe?
Your parent's have the most beautiful home–and right on the water, too?? I might pack up and stay there for a month myself! Just kidding, don't call the cops. 🙂 The ornaments are a really great idea. I saw the clear ones a few days ago and was trying to think of a new, cute idea for them. I really love the balls (i feel weird typing that), and definitely think martyrdom adds to the significance of the ornament (especially if given as a gift!). your son flipping in the background of that one photo makes it priceless. great post!
The ornaments are fantastic! I live in SC and they would be a welcome addition to my tree. Thanks for sharing!
I love the ornaments! Might finally have a real use for the sand I smuggled back from Mexico 🙂
Love your blog. I am just a few hours away from Norfolk,VA in Charlottesville! What a beautiful house. I actually lived briefly in the Tidewater area. Poquoson and Newport News to be exact.
These are terrific!…Love your parents home too!:)
OMG that house! what a gorgeous house!!
and the ornaments are not that bad either!
Hmmmm…I've got lots & lots of tiny shells that I've collected over the years. This might be a great way to use them!
This idea is lovely. I can imagine that the beach is very important to you–what a beautiful house your parents have! But I'll bet a lot of us have special beach memories, so this is a great idea! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Love the shell "kissing ball"!
Mmmm…k. First super jealous of your month vacay at your mom's.
Cause that is one sweet dig! Second…what a cute idea and surely a Christmas treasure for your family1 I'm over from Just a Girl's party! Have a great week!
I LOVE this, you know what is crazy. I have been saving sand from a 2006 trip to Floriday, I know so pathetic, now there is a reason to have it and what would make it more special was my mil went with us and she is in heaven now. We could give an ornament to everyone that was with us, in memory of the trip and of her-we miss her so much! Thanks for the inspiration.
angela
I love this idea!I just bought some of the empty ornaments from a yard sale for 15 cents! Thanks for sharing this!
What a fabulous idea – i live no where near the beach, but still love beachy stuff around me. I love your kissing ball!
Beutful!! So reative! Did you come up with the idea yourself? I wish I lived in the states where you could get these clear ornaments. I'll be on the lookout for them over here in Europe! I'm dying to make some of these! Your look so pretty.
Those ornaments rock! I would love to on the beach at Christmas time and would love to have the beach on my tree. Would your parents let me stay a month at their house? Beautiful!!!
Oh, I love those ornaments. So beautiful. Thanks for sharing them. I going to try making some for my beachy bathroom. Love your parents home. It looks like out of a movie. Wish your mom a happy birthday.
The beach ornaments are beautiful. And so simple! Thank you for sharing!
Those are beautiful. What a great idea!
XOOX
Jen
🙂 Love love love them! So simple and gorgeous.
These are beautiful!
Yes ladies, I am so blessed to have parents who live on the beach, but I seriously am even more blessed to have the parents that I do. They are amazing people. Kellie, to answer your question my mom hosted in our family 8 adults and 8 kids (5 of those being 5 and under) on her own birthday! She cooked pork tenderloin, butternut squash, broccoli, red potatoes and homemade sweet potato rolls. Chocolate cake for dessert. I love my family, and yes, we will gladly adopt you all!
That is really cute! Love the pics, those were fun. And girl, how lucky you are to have a mom that lives on the beach.
Love that last shot! Your parents' house is gorgeous. I don't make it down to Norfolk very often, but it has some nice areas. 🙂
By the way, the Dollar Store sells dry sand (at they do in the summer) in case the real stuff doesn't work out. 🙂
What a great idea! I have filed it away at thecraftersfilebox.blogspot.com.
Thanks so much for sharing!
In the past, I've asked newlyweds to bring back small shells from their honeymoon and I've made keepsake ornaments for them. Yours turned out great!
I love your ornaments and your pictures are just amazing!!! I need to take some lessons from you. :o)
I made ornaments like these a couple years ago (though your pictures are WAY better)! I wanted something easy and simple to decorate my beach-themed bedroom:
http://slidingdownthestairs.blogspot.com/2007/12/deck-halls-part-3-and-done.html
ahh, those ornaments are gorgeous. what an inspirational place to make them as well! stunning!!!
i can only imagine what was cooking up in the kitchen & around the house, the way you have spoken of your family. happy bday to your mom! hope you enjoyed the time away.
and again, i say what camera issues??? these photos are fantastic.
Wow… that's quite a house to stay at!!!!! That is awesome! Love the ornaments…. yes, the ones you gather make them special.
Love the ornaments and what a great idea! How pretty that must look hanging up with the lights on. With that pretty ribbon, you could probably hang them anywhere though!
Oh wow!! That is SO COOL! Love how they look with the pinecones too. You're so artistic. This was fun to see.
OMG will you adopt me? That house of your parents' is amazing!!! They are living my dream, well one of them anyway. The other one Pioneer Woman is living. LOL A ranch AND the ocean, now that would be Heaven on Earth! Beautiful ornaments by the way, condensation or not – what a gorgeous presentation 🙂