I consider them tiny, detailed works of art created by Mother Nature herself!
I've used them in my own decor for every season of the year,
I've used them in my own decor for every season of the year,
simply because I love them and I was lucky enough to have lived at the beach for a few years.
Up in Washington state, there are a lot of shells on the beaches of the islands.
Up in Washington state, there are a lot of shells on the beaches of the islands.
The most abundant ones are simple white butter clamshells. I collected lots of them!
...and I found a 'Fast, Cheap & Easy'TM way to make those shells a special summer decor element!
...and I found a 'Fast, Cheap & Easy'TM way to make those shells a special summer decor element!
* Grab yourself a bunch of clamshell halves (butter, littleneck, whatever) and clean them. Let dry.
*Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
*Sit them on a cookie sheet with their 'open' side facing up.
*Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
*Sit them on a cookie sheet with their 'open' side facing up.
Nestle them into a damp dishcloth/kitchen towel so that they all sit level.
*Get some plain white tealights (the kind that come from IKEA in silver metal cups are perfect).
*Remove the silver cup from the tealights, and sit one candle inside each shell half.
Make sure the wicks are standing straight up.
*Slide the cookie sheet into your oven.
It should take @ five minutes for the candles to melt, filling the whole inside of the clamshell half with wax. Keep a close eye on the process.
DO NOT MICROWAVE! The moisture in the shells makes them EXPLODE!
*Pull the cookie sheet out of the oven very slowly and keeping it level
so that you don't spill the liquid wax.
*Sit the sheet on a flat surface to allow the wax to re-harden in the shells.
If any of the wicks are bent or covered in wax,
use a wood skewer to lift them out of the wax and stand them straight up.
*When the wax has hardened and the shells have cooled (about an hour),
remove them from the cookie sheet and store them in a cool, dry place.
If you'd like, you can place them in the fridge to REALLY harden the wax at this point.
*When burning these candles, place the shell inside a saucer or small bowl,
to keep the melting wax from pouring out of the shell and making a mess.
Always be cautious when burning any kind of candle.
I'll be sharing more ideas for decorating with seashells in upcoming posts...
This week I am headed back up to Seattle, to clear out an old storage unit.
Not a fun job, but it has to be done.
Not a fun job, but it has to be done.
Who knows, I may even find my boxes of shells in there!
So cute and great for the summer months! I have tons of clam shells so will give this a try! Thanks for sharing! Hugs, Leena
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