Make Your Beach Memories Last Forever- A Shells and Sand Shadow Box DIY

The sun, the sand and the beautiful water are all big parts of the memories made during a beach vacation. The saddest part of any trip to the beach is leaving it behind when you go. Why not take a little piece of your vacation home with you with a shells and sand shadowbox? Here’s a quick and easy tutorial for one you can easily complete on your own with just a quick outing to the beach and to your local craft store.

Items you will need for this shadowbox include:

• A half a cup of sand
• A dozen shells of various shapes and sizes
• A photograph of your beach vacation or a postcard of a beach landscape
• Straight pins or scrapbooking adhesive squares
• A rectangular shadow box frame
• Hot glue gun and glue

Remove the back of the rectangular shadow box frame and pin or glue your picture on the back wall of the box. This will create a bit of an ocean view for your project. Whether the picture has people in it is at your discretion, but it’s pretty neat to capture people’s happy faces as they play in the sand and water.

Take your hot glue gun and apply a thin line of glue along the bottom of the shadow box frame. This will help to keep the sand from escaping. Allow the glue to dry and add in the shells and the sand. Add in enough sand and shells to cover up the bottom of the picture to create the illusion of an ocean landscape.

Once your sand and shells are in place, replace the lid onto the back of the shadow box. Rustle it around a bit to make sure you have the intended design you’d like and to see if any sand leaks out. Make adjustments as necessary. Write the year and the name of the beach in a pretty metallic marker along the back of the shadow box frame.

This pretty shells and sand shadow box can be displayed in your home or in your beach house to preserve the memories of your beloved beach vacation. Every time you glance at it, your memories will resurface and cause you to reflect on your happy times. Perhaps the shadow box will help you to plan your next beach trip a little sooner!