Five Eco-friendly Ways to Reuse Sea Shells

Whether you live near a beach or simply vacation at one, you can find all sorts of interesting gifts from the ocean as you stroll along the sand. One of those natural presents is the sea shells that wash up onto the beach. While this author definitely advocates leaving alone those shells that are occupied with living creatures, she, along with her children, like to collect the shells that are free of life.

Once you accumulate these treasures from the sea, what can you do with them? Here are five eco-friendly ways of using them:

Make candles within the shells.

This author's wax of choice is soy, because it tends to burn much cleaner than other waxes. She also chooses wicks that are lead free.

To make the candle within the shell, you simply lay the shell on its back, cut a wick that is ½ an inch to an inch taller than the height of the shell lying down, and adhere the bottom of the wick to the shell with a small amount of tacky wax. You melt the soy wax in a pan and then pour the wax into the shell. Allow the wax to cool (if cooled, the soy wax will turn white), and then, trim the wick if it is too long.

Create seashell "creatures."

You can give your shells personality by turning them into seashell "creatures." You simply take non-toxic paint, decorate the shells in your choice of colors, and add googly eyes to your creation. If you have some leftover beads, sequins, or any other adornments from a previous project, you can use those on your seashell critters as well.

Utilize the shells as holders for votive candles, jewelry, or other small objects.

If you like to burn votive candles, seashells serve as wonderful, safe holders for those candles. Too, wax is easier to remove from the interior of the shell, so you can reuse the shell several times for this purpose.

You can use the larger shells in which to store your jewelry or other small objects. The curves of the shells serve as excellent boundaries for keeping your goodies safe.

Decorate mirrors, room borders, or other things with the shells.

You can beautify a mirror, a room border, a picture frame, or whatever other surface that you choose with a host of seashells. You simply take non-toxic glue and secure them to the desired area. You will have a decorative masterpiece as well as a reminder of that walk along the beach or special beach vacation.

Use the shells as part of your backyard landscaping.

If you have a garden or a flower bed, the seashells make a decorative touch around the boundaries. Shells also look lovely at the foot of birdbaths as well.

After you return from that walk on the beach and contemplate what to do with all of the shells that you collected, keep these five suggestions in mind. You can create something beautiful or simply utilize the contours of the shells while saving money and the environment in the process.