After your beach vacation, you probably came home with a collection of sea shells.
But what do you do with them instead of keeping them in a box in the top of your closet?
Here are some ideas for displaying your sea shells in a beautiful way that will often remind you of your fun beach trip.
photo courtesy of PotteryBarn http://www.potterybarn.com/products/atrium-glass-table-lamp/Lamp
A clear lamp is a great place to store sea shells.
You can put the lamp in a spot in your home that is visible every day to remind you of your wonderful vacation.
There are many manufacturers who sell clear glass lamps, but make sure to get a lamp that is able to be filled #ad instead of one that is sealed shut.
Some lamps have a metal stem through the middle of the glass base, so you may have to stack your sea shells to hide the metal stem.
You can even make your own glass lamp using a glass bottle and a lamp kit sold at many craft stores.
Consider also getting a little sand from your beach vacation to fill the bottom of the lamp.
Larger seashells tend to be more dramatic in a lamp than many smaller seashells.
Make a Garland
One creative way to display your sea shells is to create a garland out of them.
You can use most any type of string, perhaps fishing line or twine, to string together your sea shells.
Hang your garland in a place that brings you joy. You can even hang it on your Christmas tree.
With Candles
You can use sea shells with candles.
Get a clear glass hurricane lamp and put a small candle in the middle.
Surround the candle with sea shells (with or without sand).
You can also make your own candles and incorporate sea shells into the wax.
photo courtesy of Sandr Marek flickr.com/photos/16119903@N07/4751003138/sizes/m/in/photostream/
photo courtesy of The Alieness flickr.com/photos/gi/238918523/sizes/m/in/photostream/
Shadow Box
If you have a shadow box #ad, feel free to add some of your most precious sea shell treasures to the box.
Your shadow box might be wall mounted or table mounted.
Decorating with a shadow box is a great way to contain smaller decorative items so the collection feels like one larger piece of decor instead of lots of little things that might get lost.
Hanging Mobile
Consider making a sea shell mobile to hang on your wall.
Using drift wood at the top, suspend sea shells from fishing line at various lengths.
photo courtesy of HGruber flickr.com/photos/hgruber/4186229976/sizes/l/in/photostream/
Make a Wreath
You can attach your sea shells to a wreath and hang the wreath in your home or on your front door.
A seashell wreath is perfect for the summer time.
In a Bowl
For the most beautiful shells, feel free to display them in a bowl on your coffee table.
Use a bowl made of natural materials for a traditional room and a bowl made out of man made materials, such as metal, for a more modern room.
photo courtesy of Roberto Verzo flickr.com/photos/verzo/3263347140/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Create Custom Art
Attach your sea shells to a board in a pattern to create custom art.
Make sure that the board is the color that you want before attaching the sea shells since the back might show.
You might consider attaching sand like glitter on the board so sand is in the background of the sea shells.
Chandelier
For those with a little more time on their hands, feel free to make a sea shell chandelier.
photo courtesy of Robert Nyman flickr.com/photos/robertnyman/189616529/sizes/l/in/photostream/
Cabinet Knobs and/or Pulls
You can turn your sea shells into cabinet knobs for your kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, or on a furniture piece.
If you have larger sea shells, you might even be able to use them as drawer pulls.
You can find basic cabinet knobs and pulls at your local home improvement store that you can glue the sea shells to.
Mirror Frame
If you really love sea shells, you can use them as a frame for a mirror.
Glue the sea shells to a mirror (with or without a frame) to create a border with a beach coastal theme.
Napkin Rings
You can glue sea shells to basic napkin rings for extra beach flair.
These napkin rings would be a great addition to any meal containing seafood.
