Crafting Christmas Ornaments out of seashells

The holiday season is upon us and if you’re anything like us, it’s one of your favorite times of the year! And not only is it fun to give gifts and do all those holiday related activities with your family and friends – it’s a great time to craft. In our specific case – it’s an awesome excuse to craft our own Christmas Tree Ornaments.

And what else would be using? Shells of course!

Now your options are really limitless in terms of how, where why when and how you make seashell ornaments. I’ve seen large, ornate, polished ornaments, I’ve seen them adorn trees strung together and I’ve seen stand alone, simple shells placed inside the tree. What style you use to make yours with is up to you – and that’s what makes it fun and worthwhile – especially if you value individuality and uniqueness in your family’s Christmas tree presentation.

All that being said, there are some basic tips that can get you off on the right foot – tips that we’re here to discuss today. Here are some things you can do to make a great Christmas Tree Ornament out of seashells.

Let’s jump right in!

Step-1 – Be sure to clean your shells and take any debris and dust that’s accumulated inside. It’s also not a bad idea to bleach your shells if you have a chance. This will help take off any grayed or off-colored appearance that your shell may have. Once you’ve soaked them, let them dry completely.

Step-2 – Once they’re dried off, use a small drill bit (you can get one at any crafting store or even hardware store) to drill a hole into the part of the shell that you’re looking to thread the ribbon through that you’ll use to hang your ornament.

Step-3 – From here – you can get as creative as you want! Some people like to put a bow on the back of the shell to give it some extra pop and others just prefer to thread the newly drilled hole and hang it like any other ornament – saving the bling-bling for the body of the shell itself. For those of you who choose to go the full-blown bow route – steal some fishing line from somewhere else in the house and you can quietly use that within your ornament to serve as the hanger. This way – all the focus will be on the flash, style and substance of the bow and shell – and not how it’s hung from the tree.

Step-4 – Here’s the fun part! Now you can decorate your shell. You can use fabric roses, lace, more strands of ribbon, glitter – literally anything you want. If you’re looking for some inspiration, we certainly recommend heading over to sites like Pinterest – which has lots of interesting patterns you can deploy. So long as you have a glue gun – you can make practically anything!

Our takeaway tip would be that if you want to give your ornament one, final more earthy touch – to spray it with polyurethane to help seal up the shell’s pours and go with a more natural look. Yes – it’ll take some of the ‘pop’ away from the ornament, but it’ll also ensure that the shell looks nice and balance – and will also last longer.

Enjoy your holiday season and we’ll see you back here next month!