More Sea Glass Craft Ideas

Some Non Jewelry Sea Glass Ideas

Don't you love the look of sea glass?  You don't have to live near the sea to appreciate its delicate colorful beauty.  Plus, coastal style decorating is really "in" right now.

I make several different kinds of necklaces, scarf charms, and other jewelry type items with sea glass, but I am always on the lookout for a new thing to try.  Here are some different and unique ideas I have found.  I have credited the source where I found it under each picture.  These are not my original ideas, but I sure do hope to try them!

Google Image from completely-coastal.com

This one is a must have for me!  How cute is that???  You can't live on Tangier Island and not have a few crab decorations!  They have a glued on sand background - but I think to make it easier Krylon has one of those stone spray paints that is a light sand mix color.  Good color, right texture, and no glue and real sand mess.  Yeah, I thinks that's my plan.  Now finding just the right pieces of glass to arrange like that will be the problem.  You see I can be am a perfectionist.  I might not will not be happy unless mine looks JUST like that.  And that's the thing with sea glass.  No pieces are ever the same.  But it's too cute not to try.  Let the sea glass hunting begin!

google image via followpics.co

Also high on my list is this gorgeous sea horse done with sea glass, shells, and a few beach rocks.  I wish I could buy this exact one because it is perfect for my utility room with that background and those colors.  I am usually pretty confident in my "crafty" abilities, but this one I am not so sure of.  I REALLY love it though!

Google Image from totallygreencrafts.com

Here's another great idea.  A sea glass monogram.  You can get the letter blanks at Hobby Lobby and other craft stores.  Glue on sea glass, and place in a shadow box style frame.  Looks pretty simple.  I wonder what kind of glue these people are using.  If you have experience using glue on sea glass.  Please message me or post in the comments below.  Thanks!

from lifestyle.allwomenstalk.com

These are cute too!  Birdhouses decorated with sea glass. Great idea!

from pluckingdaisies.com

I also found these on a blog post from someone who used them as wedding favors.  There is a souvenir wedding scroll inside, along with some sand, sea glass, and shells.  Great wedding idea, but I think they'd be cute as decorations, too!

Sea Glass Lantern Project / Tangier Island Homecoming

Simple Sea Glass Lantern

Here is an easy project to do with sea glass that looks great in a nautical or beach themed room, or maybe just a room with blue or green accents.  

There are many different colors of sea glass available for purchase.  I have seen all pink, for example, and that would make for a cute accent in a little girl's room.  I have seen all white used as reception table decorations at weddings.  This lantern is mine, and I use it in my utility room which is painted a creamy bone white with a lot of blue accents.  We mainly use our back door there to come and go and this gives off a nice little glow at night from its shelf by the door.

The materials I used for the lantern were simply a patterned glass "biscuit jar" I found at a thrift store, some left over sea glass that wasn't quite right for my jewelry making, and a timer pillar candle which once turned on will turn itself on again at the same time every day and "glow" for 6 hours.  These flameless battery candles are getting pretty common to find now.  Besides Michael's and Hobby Lobby, I have also seen these at Walmart and even Walgreen's.

This lantern is pretty plain, but I have made a few of these, and you can really let your imagination go and decorate it just the way you like.  You could use a mason jar, a glass vase, a hurricane lamp, or any item that will hold a candle as your base, and you don't need to fill it with just plain sea glass.  I have also mixed my glass with shells and small pieces of driftwood, and in another lantern I mixed in iridescent beads.   You could wrap your candle in decorative  "beach netting" like you find in craft stores or at Oriental Trading, in burlap ribbon, or use raffia and tie on some nautical charms.

Here is the one trick that I learned the hard way.  Do your arranging at the time when you want your candle to come on each night.  Turn your candle on, put it in the vase or jar and let your creativity flow.  I forgot to turn my candle on, then the next night when I had to lift it up to do so, my "beautiful" arrangement all collapsed inward.  It was one of those moments when you are like "Duh!".  Not that you'd make that mistake, but I'll just put that tip out there anyway.

Tangier Island's Homecoming

Homecoming is a tradition on Tangier Island.  This festival is held every summer and features rides for kids, lots of good food, local entertainment, fellowship, and more!  This year's Homecoming is being held from August 14-16th.  Also being celebrated this year is the 50th anniversary of the Tangier Volunteer Fire Department.

The images above are from the commemorative t-shirts being sold.  The back design was done by a local artist Amanda Parks.  I happen to have a special interest in the TVFD...

That's last year's new recruit N. at the Christmas parade.  Please excuse the blinding light being bounced back from proud mom's flash.

And here's a shot someone sent to me of him in action, he's firefighter #3.



Homecoming is held at our airport, which is on the western side of our island along the water. It's a great time for families and former Tangier residents to come home and get together.

Taken from behind the Homecoming stage, last night's sunset was beautiful!

There is lots of great food and treats to be had at Homecoming, but here is one I had been particularly looking forward to...a fried soft crab sandwich and a "sweaty" Pepsi!

And to end the evening a funnel cake "to go" to have for my midnight snack.  It's 10:00pm and that funnel cake is still warm and gooey.  Something tells me it's not going to make it to midnight!

If you have time, check out this video about Tangier's Homecoming made by film maker Jenny Roberts.  She has made a wonderful documentary film about Tangier called "Pieces of Tangier".  And if you have enjoyed reading my blog, please leave me a comment and share my page with your friends.

Homecoming Video Clip by Jenny Roberts at Vimeo

Wire Wrapped Sea Glass Scarf Charms

New Sea Glass Project for Me

For project post #2, here is something I have been working on, wire wrapped sea glass scarf charms.  I have several sea glass jewelry items that I like to make but this week I wanted to try these.  I got the idea from an ebay auction when I was searching for an ombre crinkle scarf like one I had seen a friend have.  Their charm dangles were plain metal but it made me wonder if I couldn't do something similar with my sea glass.

Did you know that I LOVE ebay?  Did you know that ebay has almost anything you could ever want? Seriously sometimes I will get an idea, like say a toy from my childhood or some other odd thing, and look on ebay thinking they won't possibly have it, and they always do!   I both buy and sell on ebay.  All of my cameras and camera equipment have come from there, and it is where I order most of my craft supplies now because I can buy them over the internet and get them shipped directly to me.   Enough about ebay for now - let's get to the project.

The supplies I use for making sea glass charms are:
20 gauge craft wire (mainly I use non tarnish wire from "beadaholic") in silver, antique bronze and copper
18 gauge jump rings in matching wire colors
jewelry making wire snips and needle nosed pliers (mine came in a nice little kit from Walmart)
sea glass pieces  (from ebay and etsy)

Let me say that yes, Tangier does have sea glass, but not enough to make the quantity of items I make in the summer, so I supplement.  Usually with glass from Florida.  You can also buy sea glass on - you guessed it - ebay.  Ha Ha!

Here is a finished wrapped charm and some tools of the trade

How to wire wrap a charm is something I think you have to learn from trial and error.  It took me many tries to get the hang of it.  And since every piece of sea glass is different you never wrap one the same way twice. Here are some webpages you might want to check out if you want to know more about wire wrapping:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wire-Wrapped-Pendants-the-Easy-Way/

http://www.seaglassjournal.com/crafts/simplependant/simplependant.htm

Here are some more charms in progress.  Today I am using silver colored wire.  Also in this picture (besides my messy desktop) are the scarf bails the charms will attach to and slide onto a scarf.   

Once you have finished wrapping your glass pieces, they simply attach to the eye on the scarf bail with a jump ring.  Here is a finished scarf charm.

And now a complete charm set and scarf together.  I am making these to sell in the gift shop of the Tangier History Museum.  If you are ever able to visit Tangier please make time to stop at the museum!  There are great exhibits, films to watch, and so much to learn about our island and way of life.  On your way out be sure to check out the gift shop area, and support local Tangier crafters!

And Now A Short Side Post For Your Entertainment

If you continue to read my blog (and I hope you will) you will find out about my obsession with paint and spray paint.  The joke has been made MANY times that I will paint anything that stands still.  I used to be offended by that.  But here is a picture of something I did yesterday that has made me admit that YES, it is true...

Yes, that is my cat box.  Now with a nice "oil rubbed bronze" finish.  You have to admit it does look better - and will blend into its surroundings nicer - than the previous factory burgundy and gray color scheme.  Wish I had painted the interior too now that I see it, but I didn't think my cats would care.

My son N. will be unhappy that I posted this because he was pretty embarrased by it yesteray, even though even he had to admit it looked better when it was done and put back in it's place.

Well, that is it for today.  I am off to the post office and grocery store now, and out to the airport for the Tangier Homecoming celebration tonight.