Simple Seashell Christmas Ornament + Coastal Gifts

C.J. Braden • 2 Minute Read

Simple Seashell Christmas Ornament + Coastal Gifts

I’ve always had seashells all over my house. It all started when I set foot on Sanibel Island, a shelling mecca of the world. I gathered beautiful shells I found all over the beach and placed them throughout my house in Kentucky, which was far, far away from any beach. Every time I looked at a shell, it eased my thoughts back to my favorite vacation spot. I’m not the only one that does this. A friend of mine that still lives in Kentucky keeps a bowl of shells next to her bathtub so she can look at it and pretend she’s floating in the ocean instead of the tub.

Little did I know that about 12 or so years later, Sanibel would be my home. Looking at those shells day after day must have helped me manifest it quickly! Now that an abundance of seashells are within a few minutes of my home, they have become a part of my artistic materials. My very first seashell project was merely a bowl full of shells with some sand, but now I’ve branched out into making other things out of these former animal homes.

Read on to learn how to make my latest creation, a simple seashell Christmas ornament. You’ll also learn about a few other coastal seashell gifts I’ve created.

1- Shell Ornament

Seashell Christmas Ornaments

The seashell ornaments came about when my niece came to visit in the summer of 2021. She needed a gift to give to some family members for helping fund her visit. I had an idea to take the shells we collected on the beach and create ornaments from them.

Dry ornaments for 24 hours before gifting

I wanted to help her gift something classy and functional. Because I have many Christmas ornaments that bring back memories each year as I hang them on the tree, I thought a seashell ornament would be a nice gift to give. Every time the recipient looked at the ornament, they could remember helping my niece have a joyful summer trip.

If you love this article, we think you’ll love this one too: Chalk Painted Seashell Filled Cloche

Best Glue for Crafts

Here are the items I used to make the ornaments:

Using Neutral Shells for Ornaments

How-to make simple seashell Christmas ornaments:

  1. I squeezed a bit of glue onto a piece of scrap cardboard.

  2. I dipped a toothpick into the glue and applied it in a thin layer to the areas of the shell that would touch the ornament. I then laid the shell into place on the ornament.

  3. While the glue dried, I squeezed a bit of acrylic paint onto the scrap cardboard and dipped a very thin paintbrush into the paint. I hand-painted “Sanibel ‘21” onto each ornament to create a date and place memory.

  4. I let each dry for 24 hours.

  5. After each ornament was dry, I gathered a small amount of raffia and jute/burlap ribbon around the top of the ornament and tied it on. I trimmed it to suit the size of the ornament.

Watch me make this in this one minute video on my YouTube channel “Carolyn Braden” or below:

Complete DIY Seashell Ornament

I made quite a few of these and sent some to my niece. She held onto the ornaments for months because she wanted to give them as Christmas gifts.

DIY Shell Ornaments

Another winning DIY idea from CBC: The Most Thoughtful Gifts 101 + Magic Seashells

Sanibel Seashell Ornaments

Due to shells having such vast color differences and variances in design, no seashell ornament will ever be exactly like another one. This could make the perfect gift for the beach lover in your family or friend circle!

Sanibel Seashell Ornament

2- Shell Hearts

How to make seashell hearts

My original idea for my niece to gift to people was a shell heart on a slice of natural wood. After I made them, I realized that they would only fit into certain decor and they seemed best displayed in a set of 3 or more due to their small size.

Shell craft idea

I created these and held onto them, as they fit my home decor (specifically in my art space) very well. You can easily make seashell hearts by gathering some small curved shells and some 5 inch or larger wood rounds. Then lay the shells into a heart design onto the wood. It won’t be perfect, but that’s okay.

Seashell heart art

Then lift up each shell one at a time, dip a toothpick in the glue (using the same process as I did for the ornaments), apply some glue to the back of the shell and lay in place onto the wood round.

You can either lay them against a wall, or attach some brass picture hangers onto the back of each and hang them on a wall. They could also be turned into ornaments. They would make great coastal gifts or coastal decor for your home.

3- Shell Soap Dish Gift

Seashell soap dish gift

Years ago when I was merely visiting Sanibel, I gathered some large shells. After a visit to the Naples Soap Company (they have a store on the island), I knew exactly what to do with each shell. I purchased a variety pack of soap and placed one piece in each shell with some loose shells I found. I then placed in the some clear gift bags and tied them with some raffia.

These became adorable coastal gifts that I gave to my co-workers when I returned home. They loved them!

Have you made this craft or any other shell crafts? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below!

C.J. Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Little Ways to Get Back To You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.