Seaweed Art

I took this photo from my friend’s condo in Clearwater,  Florida. I love the way the sun is sparkling across the water.

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Last August I contributed this article to FamilyFun magazine about collecting and pressing seaweed. It was a lot of fun, particularly the part about FedExing  them seaweed over night so they could make their own pressings. The framed seaweed is from my collection.

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Yes, you can make jewelry out of sand. Here’s how.

Materials
1/2 cup cold water
1/3 cup corn starch
2/3 cup of sand
bowls
food coloring (or icing coloring)
rolling pins
non-stick sauce pan
toothpicks
dental floss or thin twine

Combine water, cornstarch and sand in a bowl and mix well. Evenly divide mixture into several smaller bowls and add coloring. Cook each in a nonstick saucepan over medium low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to separate bowls and allow them to cool. Then roll out and cut into shapes or into beads. Push a tooth-pick through the center of each bead and set in a warm, dry play to harden. Should take a day or so. Use dental floss to string into necklaces and bracelets or glue to barrettes or headbands.

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If you are looking for something to do with all those seashells you’ve collected, why not use them to decorate picture frames? Use some old frames or buy them at yard sales or the dollar store. All you need are seashells, glue and some creativity. Fill the frames with photos from your vacation at the beach. These frames were made by my daughters and hold SeaweedArt they created. Note: A hot glue gun works best.

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This project is similar to the footprints, but a little more complicated and well worth the effort.

Materials needed

Plaster of Paris

2 large buckets (A milk jug with the top cut off works great.)

Wooden spoon for stirring

String or wire for hanging

Found beach objects like shells, sea glass, driftwood, bottle caps etc.

The first step is to dig your mold. Scoop out a space about 8 inches tall, 5 inches wide and 2 inches deep.  Like the footprints above, you want to pick a spot near the water’s edge where the sand is moist but hard. Be careful to not get to close to the water, lest you run the risk of having your creation washed away. Next, place the found objects in the mold to create a funny or scary face. Embed them slightly into the sand. Bottle caps can be eyes or seashells could be ears. Use your imagination.

Next, it’s time to prepare the plaster. One carton of Plaster of Paris usually makes about three masks, so estimate accordingly. The plaster will harden in about 10 minutes so you need to work fast and in small batches. Again, as in the footprints, the plaster should be creamy. If it is too watery it will seep under the object.

Now it is time to pour. Unlike the footprints where you pour directly into the mold, here you want to hold your hand over the mask about an inch above it to catch the plaster as it falls into the mold. Basically, you want to break the fall so that the pouring action doesn’t disturb the decorative objects you’ve placed inside the mold. Try to keep the plaster layer about an inch thick. If you would like to hang your mask, take a string or wire about 8 inches long and fold it in half and knot it about an inch from the end. This will act as an anchor. As your mask begins to harden, gently push the knotted end about an inch below the top of the mask to make a hanger. Let your mask dry in the sun.

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Here’s a clever and fun way to keep a record of your child’s footprint.

Materials needed:

Plaster of Paris

Small bucket

Sea water

Wooden spoon for stirring

String or wire for hanging

First, choose a site on the beach to cast your footprint molds. The harder, moister sand near the ocean’s edge is best. Have your child walk across the sand to make deep indentations. They should be about 2 inches deep. Next, mix the plaster in the bucket  following  the directions. It should have a creamy consistency. Pour into the molds and let dry about 20-25 minutes. If you would like to hang your footprints, take a string or wire about 4 inches long, fold it in half and tie a knot about an inch from the bottom. As your footprints art drying, gently press the knotted end about 1 inch from the top of the foot.  To remove the footprints from the sand, gently dig out from underneath and let dry in the sun.

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Materials needed:

Sand

Scissors

Dark construction paper

Liquid glue like Elmer’s

Shoebox lid

Assorted seashells, sea glass and other found objects.

Cut a sheet of paper to fit inside the shoebox lid and glue in place. Using the glue bottle, draw a design on the paper. You can make flowers, a landscape, a funny face, whatever suits your fancy. Make sure you draw it in such a way that when you sprinkle it with sand, the design will still be evident. For instance, it could be the outline of a face, or mountains or the stems of flowers. Then, while the glue is still wet, sprinkle it with sand. Shake off the excess and fill in your design details with the beach objects.

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Materials needed:

Seashells like scallops, conch and clam because they are deep enough to fill with wax.

Paraffin wax or old candles

Candle dyes

Scents (optional)

Double boiler or 2 pots that fit inside each other

Candle wicks

Metal wick holders

Wooden spoon

Pencil or small stick

Bleach

First, soak the seashells in a mild solution of bleach and water and scrub gently with a sponge. Let dry. Next, melt the wax in the double boiler and add some color. Stir to mix. You may want to use corals or sea foam greens to compliment the seashells. Cut a piece of wick the desired length and attach to the wick holder. Pour a drop of wax into the shell and place wick and wick holder on top. Let it dry a bit. This will secure the wick and keep it from floating to the top when you pour the rest of the wax. Then pour the wax to just below the top. Wrap wick around the pencil and let it rest on top. When wax is hardened, remove wick from pencil and trim.

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