In the Martha Stewart Living August 2012 issue, there was a little feature on making vacation jars from the little bits and treasures that are collected during your travels.
I was inspired to pull out the bag of shells and ocean treasures we collected on our vacation this year and create similar keepsake jars.
I just happened to have three baby food jars on hand and half a can of aqua spray paint for the lids. My daughter was right on board with this little project and she had fun rinsing, sorting, and reminiscing about her favorite finds from the beach.
While my daughter is indiscriminate about her accumulations, I personally collect shark teeth and the teeniest, tiniest shells I can find. Hunting for these things satisfies my OCD tendencies just nicely. Next year I’ll give my daughter a new jar and have her fill it with her favorite finds before we leave for home. That way, we don’t have a surplus of shells that I don’t quite know what to do with.
How do you store your seaside keepsakes? Would this simple idea work for you? Any other ideas for sea shells? I have a giant bag of shells still, so please leave a comment letting me know what works for you!
~julee~
