Glittery Coastal Christmas Ornaments

There is something so wonderful about decorating a Christmas tree in a beach theme. While most people do not think of the beach, sand, seas shells, and a tropical climate at Christmas it is really a great look at the holidays. These simple seashell ornaments are so easy to make. They are also super cheap to make if you have some sea shells you collected on a family vacation or are lucky enough to live near the beach.

If you don't; have any seashells you can buy some reproduction seashell at almost any local arts and craft store that are perfect for making these glittery coastal Christmas ornaments.

To Make These Simple Seashell Ornaments You Will Need:

Ribbon (any Christ colors or white will do)
Pearl ribbon (optional)
White glue
Water
Disposable cup
Paintbrush
Glitter or sparkling sand (any color)
Hot glue and hot glue gun
Bleach (optional)

Now, if you are using real seashells you found at the ocean on vacation, then you will need to clean them. In many cases soap and water will work perfectly fine. If you have a small conch shell that had a tiny crab in it or even a sand dollar though you will want to soak it in some bleach water to kill any bacteria on it and prevent an y odd smells Just add a tablespoon of bleach to a cup or two of water. Drop in your seashells. Let hem soak ten minutes, and then thoroughly wash them off.

Now, once you seashells are clean and dry you can turn them into coastal Christmas tree ornaments.

Take some of your white glue and pour it into your disposable cup. Add a little water to thin it out.

Now, I like to either paint the entire seashell or only paint some raises areas and edges.

Now, roll you seashell in the glitter. Glitter sand or colored sand also works really well. If you are trying to coats the entire seashell ornament you may find you need to add a second coat of glue and glitter once the first coat dries.

Now, for open seashells or even sand dollar you can add a sweet touch to the edges. I like to cut a piece of that tiny pearl ribbon and use the hot glue gun to glue it to the edge of the shell. Simply run a thin bead and then press it into place.

To finish off the seashell Christmas tree ornaments you need to add a ribbon for it to hang from. If there is already a small hole in the seashell you could clip a twine or thin ribbon through the hole. Tie it of in a long loop that ends in a bow.

If you do not have a hole in your seashell or sand dollar don't worry. Simply take a six-inch piece of ribbon and glue both ends to the top of the seashell. Now, tie a small bow in the same ribbon. Cut the ends of the ribbon down to size. Now, place a small glob of hot glue on the bottom of the knot in the middle of the bow. Press this onto the seashell where the two ends of the ribbon were glued down. Be sure to cover the rough ends for a more finished look!