Sunday, September 25, 2016

How to Clean and DIY Sea Shells Projects

 
 
My collection of shells in browns and greys
 
 
Summer officially over, days on the beach numbered or nearing the end, and if you are as fervent as collecting sea shells as me, then you've got your bags full.
 
 
We make shell colleting a  fun family activity and every summer we try to collect as many different shells as we can. The above is just a fraction of what we've harvested over the years.
 
 
 


How to clean sea shells
 
So you have your shells back at home and they might retain their natural foul odor. I clean them by washing them in warm water - I just let the water run over them for a couple of minutes, and then leave them in  the water - just enough to cover them -  and add  3-4 soupspoons of apple vinegar. Let them soak for about 15-20 minutes, wash them again and let them air dry or towel-dry them. While they soak you can use an old toothbrush and give them a nice brushing to remove any residue. The smell should be gone. If you can still detect the odor, repeat the above procedure. After drying them, polish them with coconut oil.
 
 
There are some fantastic projects you can use shells for. Personally, I love placing them in jars or scattering them on my bookshelves. What I would love trying my hand at is some shell embellishing.
 
 
These are gorgeous - you have to agree! Painted, sharpied or beaded!
 
 

 
Or even gold dipped.
 
 
 
Use them to make wall art like this
 
 
 
 
 
Do you  collect shells? What kind of projects do you use them for?
I hope this post inspires you to use your shells. You can find all the respective links for the images used on my board here.

 



8 comments:

carmen said...

Quante belle idee, grazie!
Buona serata
Carmen

Maya Kuzman said...

You are welcome Carmen! Thank you for stopping by!

Kim said...

I have so many happy memories of collecting shells with my family on beachside holidays. You have a lifetime of gorgeous shells you have collected, Maya. I have loved all the photos featuring how one can showcase shells.

Divya N said...

I usually just was them with soap and water (or sometimes just plain running water) but the vinegar idea sounds more hygienic. Thanks for sharing your tips

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

My shell collections are in jars and crocheted bowls. I like that canvas with the different square backgrounds. Might try something like that. :)

Maya Kuzman said...

That's true Kim and I am glad you loved the ideas I selected!

Maya Kuzman said...

My pleasure Divya!

Unknown said...

What a neat idea!!

I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!