DIY Shell Ornament

For those of you who do not know me in "real" life, I live on an island off the east coast. Our tiny island suffered a bit of damage from recent Hurricane Sandy, but this is nothing we haven't seen before. The upside of a hurricane is the shells that wash onto the shore.

 

 And after searching for about an hour, I was satisfied with my finds. A few perfect starfish, a perfect sand dollar, and a bunch of pretty white clam shells. I actually picked up the clam shells with the intention of hanging them on the Christmas tree.

 

After a soak in a 50/50 mixture of bleach and water, I got my awesome boyfriend to drill a tiny hole in the shells so that I can hang them. Use a small drill bit and a lot of patience.

 

Note: Do not ever put starfish in bleach. You will return to the bowl waiting to find a perfectly clean, stink-free starfish and it will be gone. Gone. The bleach literally eats it.

 

I used some of the hemp from yesterday's ornament to make a loop and they are ready for the tree. I can't wait to put up the tree and have tons of natural and simple ornaments on display this year.

While we're on the topic of shell projects, check out this mirror I made last summer. Have you ever made anything with the shells brought home from a beach vacation or from shells laying around the house? If you have, I want to know about it!