Hearts in the Sand
I make hearts everywhere I go. It's a bit of a strange habit, but I love taking whatever natural materials are at hand and outlining a heart with them. So when I'm at the beach, I make shell hearts, seaweed hearts, pebble and seaglass hearts...and then I take pictures of them! Sometimes I make them into cards or postcards but this time I decided to keep the heart in the sand by making it permanent! This is a great 3-D piece of art to hang on your wall and remind you of those relaxing days at the beach. Every time I look at this I sigh a bit and remember the sound of seagulls.
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You'll need: Assorted shells, seaglass, tiny sandollars, sand, white glue, a rustic frame and a piece of foam core board.
Spread glue evenly by squiggling all over the foam piece (that has been cut to fit the frame) and then dragging a piece of cardboard around the foam core board, through the glue, to spread the glue evenly and thinly. You can't have a do-over here, I missed a few spots and then tried to fill in and redo and it left a dark spot on my background. Get the glue spread perfectly the first time.
Spread the sand to cover completely, stand up the board and gently tap off the excess.
Uh oh, that's what you don't want...white spots! Had to start over!
Cut out a heart and gently trace a super light outline with pencil.
BEFORE you put the glue line down, practice your arrangement of shells. After you like what you see put down a line of glue (white glue dries clear, don't use hot glue here) and press in the shells. Too much glue and it looks "bloppy", not enough and the shells fall off.
This is my finished heart outline, every heart you make will look different. Small dark spot to the lower right is a accidental glue spot. I left it there because: 1. I'm not into perfection and 2. It looks like a water spot (and hey, this is supposed to be a beach picture, right?).
You can add small touches to the frame like seashells, starfish, etc... Or leave as it is. I got this frame at Hobby Lobby on half price for $5.00. Total cost of this beautiful coastal decor, $7.00. This would sell for over $30.00 at a craft show and more than that at a boutique store.