Tag: Christmas

Kid’s Crafts: Easy-to-Make Snowman Ornaments

Kid’s Crafts: Easy-to-Make Snowman Ornaments

During the holiday season I enjoy sitting down with my grandchildren and whipping up some easy-to-make ornaments for their Christmas tree. Last year we made a total of 12 different ornaments and this year we’re hoping to do the same. My little grandson is only 

Kurt Adler Capiz Shell Star Christmas Tree Topper

Kurt Adler Capiz Shell Star Christmas Tree Topper

I the coastal life and everything that goes along with it. I enjoy taking long walks on the beach and breathing in the fresh air. When I’m hanging out at the beach I feel calmer and more relaxed. My love for the beach was instilled 

Snowman and Penguin Mussel Shell Christmas Tree Ornaments

Snowman and Penguin Mussel Shell Christmas Tree Ornaments

We enjoy collecting seashells and using them in various arts and craft projects around our home. When it comes to collecting seashells, you only want to collect unoccupied shells or shells from deceased animals. It is important that you immediately clean them up with fresh running tap water, air dry them and then prepare them for the ride home.

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Today’s Crafting with Kid’s project utilizes Mussel Shells that we collected from the beach this past October. They’re plentiful on beaches as most people just pass them by. With that said, they’re fun to use in craft projects, especially when making Christmas tree ornaments!

Mussel Shell Snowman Christmas Tree Ornaments

Mussel Shell Snowman Christmas Tree Ornaments

Mussel Shells
Acrylic Craft Paint: White, Black and Orange
Water Dish, Paint Brush, Paper Towels
Old Sheets of Newspaper
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer, Glossy Finish
Pom-Pom
All-Purpose, Quick-Drying Craft Glue
Clear Fishing Line and Scissors

Lay newspaper down onto your work surface. Paint the outside of each Mussel Shell with 2 coats of white acrylic paint and let dry for approximately 40 minutes. Use black paint (or desired color) to paint the upper 1/2 of the shell to form his “Santa style” hat.

Dip the end of your paint brush into black acrylic craft paint and dot on 2 small eyes and 4 tiny dots for his mouth. Use orange acrylic craft paint to make a carrot-shaped nose. Once the eyes have dried, dot on 2 tiny white dots to form his inner eyes. Let dry for 40 minutes.

Take your painted shells outside and lay them on newspaper. Spray each shell with a light coat of clear acrylic sealer, let dry for 20 minutes, spray on a second coat and let dry for 1 hour.

To Finish: Cut a 5″ long piece of clear fishing line and tie it into a loop with a nice-sized knot. Trim the ends with scissors. Place some glue on the top of his Santa hat and place the knotted end of your hanging loop into the glue. Add another dot of glue on top and then add your pom-pom. Let dry for 2-12 hours or until the glue has set.

Mussel Shell Penguin Christmas Tree Ornaments

Mussel Shell Penguin Christmas Tree Ornaments

Mussel Shells
Acrylic Craft Paint: White, Black, Red and Orange
Water Dish, Paint Brush, Paper Towels
Old Sheets of Newspaper
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer, Glossy Finish
Pom-Pom
All-Purpose, Quick-Drying Craft Glue
Clear Fishing Line and Scissors

The Penguin Mussel Shell Ornaments are made the same way as the snowman ornaments shown above. I recommend that you paint each of the shells with 2 coats of black acrylic paint and let dry. Then you will proceed to add the facial features, his Santa hat, etc. Just follow the steps outline above and refer to the photo.

Decorating Tips: You can use these Christmas seashell ornaments as package toppers, tie-on’s to your gift bags, hung on a Christmas tree, on a holiday wreath or swag, hang them up inside your windows with suction cups, etc. Each one can be made for around .30 cents each, since the seashells that we collected from the beach were free!

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7 Fun Sleds and Snow Toys for Kids

7 Fun Sleds and Snow Toys for Kids

Every 2-3 years we get our children new sleds, snow toys and winter gear for Christmas. Those items should be updated every few years as your child grows and for safety reasons. You always want to make sure your sleds are in great working condition 

Kid’s Crafts: Penguin Craft Stick Christmas Ornaments

Kid’s Crafts: Penguin Craft Stick Christmas Ornaments

Two weeks ago I had my grandchildren, god son and 2 nieces over to our home for a holiday crafting party. The kids are ages 3 years to 9 years of age. One of the projects that we made were these adorable Penguin Craft Stick 

DIY Craft Project – Coastal Design Beaded Christmas Tree Garland

DIY Craft Project – Coastal Design Beaded Christmas Tree Garland

DIY Coastal Design Beaded Christmas Tree GarlandIf you’ve been following this blog for the past 10 years you’ll already know that I love anything and everything that has to do with the beach! Matter of fact, I decorate the inside and outside of my home in a beach and coastal theme, including my Christmas tree!

Back in October 2017 I spotted a beautiful beaded Christmas Tree garland at a local boutique. It was done in beach & coastal colors and was about 10 foot long. I fell in-love with that holiday garland, but not the price! Holy cows, they were asking $149.99 for the 10 foot garland! Sorry Charlie, but I’m not paying $150 for a Christmas tree garland!

DIY Coastal Design Beaded Christmas Tree Garland

After having my heart broken with that price, I decided to just make one myself. I started visiting some of our local craft supply stores and would pick up beads when they were on sale. To keep costs down I visited yard sales and flea markets too! I found some great beaded necklaces in the colors that I needed for .25 cents to $1.00 a piece. I brought them home and tore them apart, just for the gorgeous beads!

The most expensive items were the faceted Austrian crystal beads, but I had to have them, because I knew they would add the pizzazz and sparkle that I wanted to achieve. To cut costs…I shopped for those online and ONLY purchased them when I found them at a price I could live with. Yes, I was patient while accumulating all of my beads!

DIY Coastal Design Beaded Christmas Tree Garland

So, how did I make my beaded Christmas Tree Garland? Well, I’m briefly going to tell you and it was super easy to do!

To make the stringing process easy…I decided to cut my clear fishing line into manageable lengths. I believe each strand was 4 foot long. You’ll want to knot one of the ends with a BIG knot, so that your beads won’t fall off. I separated all of my beads into color and style, and then I came up with a pattern that would work for the amount of beads that I had.

DIY Craft Project - Coastal Design Beaded Christmas Tree Garland

Next, you’ll want to string your beads onto the clear fishing line. You can knot in between each bead or not…I chose not too as I liked the cleaner look. I carefully threaded each bead onto the fishing line until I had about 6″ left. I made a knot close to the last bead.  You’ll want to repeat this process for all of your strands until you get them all done.

DIY Coastal Design Beaded Christmas Tree Garland

Once I had all of the strands done, I tied them together to make one super-long beaded strand. You’ll want to make tight knots and place your knot very close to the bead. If needed, you could place a small dab of glue to make sure your final knots hold in place, but if you do, make sure you use a quick-drying, dries clear type of glue.

I went to a local dollar-type of store and picked up a plastic shoe box with lid. It’s the perfect size for storing a beaded garland and will help protect it from getting tangled or damaged. You can see how nicely mine fits within the plastic storage box.

I’m looking forward to putting our Christmas tree up this year and adding my new handmade beach & coastal theme garland to it! Once our tree is up and I have it onto the tree, I’ll come back and update this post with a proper photograph of it wound around our tree!

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5 Beautiful Coastal Beach Snowman Holiday Figurines

5 Beautiful Coastal Beach Snowman Holiday Figurines

The holiday season is upon us and today I wanted to show you some of my coastal and beach theme’d snowman holiday figurines. If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll already know that I decorate my home in a coastal theme and during the holiday 

White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn Bark Recipe

White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn Bark Recipe

How many of you enjoy making homemade foodie gifts to give out during the holiday season? During the Christmas season I make a lot of foodie gifts and give them out to my neighbors, family and friends. Today’s guest post recipe is courtesy of Popcorn.org