On our adventure on the Space Coast- at the beaches near
Kennedy Space Center
during the last Shuttle- Atlantis-
We collected a bag of cockle type shells with holes in the top.
I knew I wanted to do a fun craft and use
them as a souvenir from that most awesome experience-
This is what we came up with-
A Sea Shell Mobile- Chimes
We started with 3 sticks from the yard.
They are between 12 and 16 inches each
I just broke them off where I wanted them-
each a little different than the other.
I made a loop at the top for hanging - out of fishing line.
(we have plenty of that around)
I connected the sticks to each other with the line
leaving about 5 - 6 inches in between each stick.
They don't have to hang perfectly
just "aim" for the center!
Once you attach the shells
you can balance the sticks to hang straight!
At this stage - you can recruit the family to help!
We used varied lengths of colorful strings to hang our shells.
We doubled up the string by placing each cut end together and
then pull them through the hole and tie a knot by the shell
that gives you a loop to hang over the sticks.
We placed the entire loop over the stick and then
pulled the shell through it
This way, they can be moved around
until they are balanced right and to your liking!
Add as many as you like-
The shells will "clink" together if you
hang some of them side by side -
Others can be spread out for balance and aesthetics!
2 comments:
oh so pretty and a great use of your beach treasures. we recently spent a week on the Outer Banks of North Carolina where I collected a LOT of small rocks and shells that had washed ashore. I was fortunate enough to find some sea glass, which a friend of mine will work into a necklace for me, but I'm wondering what to do with the rocks. They're so pretty but I haven't found just the right application for them yet.
We love the beach! We always have a ton of shells. We are homeschoolers too. Nice to to meet you guys!
Sherry's Bees Nest
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