“In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth.” ~ Rachel Carson
After boarding the ferry home from Martha’s Vineyard, my head was swimming with beachy DIY ideas. I’m somewhat obsessed with collecting things the sea left behind – sea glass, beach stones and shells. The weathering forces of the salty ocean, with its abrasive pounding and then sun-faded drying, transforms shells, discarded glass and stones into alluring objects.
For years, I kept the rewards of my beachcombing in jars and bowls around the house. Now is the time to dip into those beach treasures and harvest some beauties for DIY projects.
Come back for more econesting posts with projects from what the sea left behind. Let’s start with beach stones…
Beach Stone Closure
Do you need a closure for an outdoor shower or garden gate? This clasp is secure enough to keep peeping Toms out, and easy enough for a child to open. You’ll need an array of beach stones, a drill, hemp twine and this Care2 tutorial to make this simple clasp.
Credit: Remodelista.
T // Aug 9, 2010 at 12:07 pm
These rocks – rock. What a beautiful form and color from such an inanimate object. When you’re doing your next posts on beach DIY projects, maybe you could find a use for sand. I’ve traveled to six continents and this included visits to loads of beaches around the world. I filled the little liquor bottles I would get on my airplane rides from country to country with sand. So, I have a nice collection of sand in bottles labeled with where it came from but I never really knew what to do with it. Kinda silly just sitting on a shelf. If you have any ideas, it would be great to see this in a future post.
JoeT. // Aug 9, 2010 at 12:09 pm
I see in your two photos that in the top one, the rocks are wet and this makes the colors jump out at you, but in the door closure, which doesn’t look wet and looks washed out, you can’t really see the colors. Do you know of any ways to retain the color the wet rocks have when they’re not wet?
Ronnie // Aug 9, 2010 at 5:13 pm
T, sand casting is a popular kid’s project. Here’s a link for making the molds: http://www.ehow.com/how_4674736_make-sand-casting-molds.html
Joe, I like the weathered look, but if you want to put a sheen on the stones, try Varathan. It’s a non-toxic shiny finish that claims to have very little odor and cleans up with soap and water. I would stay away from the aerosol variety.
Thanks for the comments!
janet // Aug 16, 2010 at 3:30 pm
I love this idea. It is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. And you won’t see it on your neighbors gate – until they catch on!~