15 DIY Projects Involving Sand
Updated on September 6, 2016
If you’re a summertime lover and a total beach person, then you’re definitely familiar with just how many awesome things can be done with or made out of sand. You’ve probably already made your fair share of sand castles and sculptures on the beach, but did you know that you can still make awesome DIY projects out of sand once you leave the beach too?
Check out these 15 awesome summery projects made from, involving, or inspired by the sand you love to frolic in by the seaside!
1. Frame sand imprints
Do you love the look of your children’s foot prints in the sand when you take them to the beach? Do you like writing messages in it each time you go and then taking pictures of them to keep for later? What if we told you that you can actually make those things permanent? Well, Paging Fun Mums shows you that you can! We love that they even show you how to make the sand different colours.
2. Summer sand centre piece
Miliuli suggests finding an awesomely shaped glass dish or bowl with a wide, flat bottom, filling it with soft sand from your favourite beach (or synthetic sand from the craft store) and creating your own summertime scene in it using figurines, real sea shells, and some cocktail umbrellas! We love how customizable this idea is.
3. Rustic 3D sand picture
Instead of making something out of flowing, loose sand, Shell Crafter suggests making a backdrop out of it! Once you’ve created your sand canvas, you can make an artistic scene on it using other beach-like materials, like water worn twigs, dried star dish, shells, and jute string.
4. Sandcastle sand art
These awesome sand portraits are a whole lot easier to make than they look! Making Mama Magic shows you how to create lines and fill spaces as though you’re painting just by using a bit of sand and glue. It’s a great way to bring the beach home so your kids don’t miss it too much after the holidays!
5. DIY molded sand bowl
This layered, “dripping” sand bowl might be the coolest DIY sand option on our entire list! Despite how complicated it looks, you’ll find that it’s quite a simple piece to create as long as you don’t mind a little bit of mess (and if you’re like us, you won’t). Check out how it’s done on Think Crafts.
6. Sandy pillar candles
The V Spot has found what we think might be the easiest, and therefore the greatest, way to make a plain set of pillar candles into a beautiful summer centre piece! The technique is like paint dipping candles, which is classic and simple, but you’ll use glue and loose sand instead!
7. Vacation memory ornaments
Are you about to visit a beach that you just know you’ll be heartbroken to leave? Why not take a tiny piece of it with you and make it into something nostalgic you can value? Check out how The Shabby Creek Cottage did just that with these adorable little vials of sand and rustic looking place labels!
8. Seashell and sand mermaid canvas
Tahlulah’s Treasures guides you through the process of creating a gorgeous sand silhouette in the shape of a mermaid (or any other pretty beach image you like) in just a few easy steps. Possibly even cooler than that, however, is the tail made from tiny beach pebbles and broken pieces of sea shell!
9. Homemade sand
Do you love the beach so much that you want your kids to be able to play in the sand even in the dead of winter? Well, now you can do that by following this tutorial from Growing a Jeweled Rose! Not only do they teach you how to make homemade sand, but they also teach you how to make it in different colours!
10. Sand and photo shadow box
Are you looking for a more unique way to display a beautiful picture of your very favourite beach spot on a gorgeous summer day? Instead of just putting it in a regular picture frame, try following in DIY Real‘s footsteps and putting it in the back of a shadow box instead! Once the picture is in place, carefully fill the rest of the empty space with loose sand!
11. Sand filled seashell pendant
This pretty DIY jewelry idea from Open Sky might be the easiest project to make on this list, but it’s undeniably one of the cutest! Take a quick trip to your favourite beach spot, gather some fine sand and a few tiny shells, and fill a pretty, empty pendant from your local crafting store!
12. Sand and glue nautical ornaments
Do you love the beach so much that you want to be reminded of it all year round, even on Christmas when the rest of the world is celebrating snow? Try incorporating it into your Christmas tree decorating scheme! We suggest making these adorable solid sand ornaments, just like Design Dazzle did here.
13. DIY sand frame
What better way to create the perfect summertime frame for your favourite beach shots than by customizing a plain old frame using beautiful white sand? It sounds like a simple project, but remembering that you have to make sure all the sand sticks properly! Check out this tutorial from Simply Nicole to learn a great method!
14. Nautical upcycled wine bottles
Upcycling empty, cleaned whine bottles isn’t a new idea in itself, but we’d never seen this fantastic nautical decor idea before! Smart Hippie suggests wrapping the bottom half of the bottle with embroidery floss and jute string and filling it just above that with gorgeous, soft sand and little shells!
15. Sand castle puffy paintings
Do you kids adore crafting with puffy paint? Chances are good, then, that they love just about any messy craft that looks awesome at the end! For example, we love this idea from Still Playing School for replacing puffy paint with actual beach sand and “painting” with that instead! Throw some sea shells on the finished product to really make it neat.
Do you know another way to get creative with sand even after you’ve already left the beach? Tell us all about it in the comments section!
These ideas are just what I was looking for!
Thank you sooo much!
My favourite craft idea was the sand bowl!