Take a scoop of the sea with you! Use a large shell to “scoop” up a piece of the sea – with ultra thick embossing enamel to encase your beach treasures and act as the water! You could also do the same method with resin! Finished scoops of the sea can be made into decorations, ornaments, jewelry, etc.!
What you need:
- Sea shells – At least one shell that’s large and deep enough to hold sand and smaller shells!
- Beach glass, pebbles, or other small beach treasures! (Make sure they’re clean and dry)
- Sand – it must be very dry before using, if collecting your own sand you can dry it out by placing it on a cookie sheet and baking at 325*F until it’s dried out!
- Melt Art – Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel
- Tin Foil
- Optional: You can add bits of paper (like if you wanted to include writing or doodles). Wire or ribbon if you wanted to add a hanger to your shell – You can wire wrap, drill a hole, or glue, to your shell if you’d like to make it into a ornament or hanger!
Step one: Clean and dry your large shell (you want to make sure it has a dish or spoon like shape to it – flat shells won’t hold our enamel!)
Step two: Make sure your large shell is sitting level – you can use a piece of shaped tin foil to hold your shell. *Note: the embossing enamel has to be heated in an oven……it’s easiest to make your scoop of the sea on the surface it will be heated on).
Step three: Add some sand to your shell – just enough to cover the surface! If you’re collecting your own sand make sure it’s super dried out first!
Step four: Add in other little shells, sea glass, or other beach treasures! You could also add in bits of papers with lettering or doodles on them too!
Step five: Cover the sand and items carefully with the ultra think embossing enamel.
Step six: Let the embossing enamel mound up in the center but don’t fill it all the way to the edges of your shell. *Note: You can gently blow or brush off any embossing enamel that got on your tray before baking – It will stick to surfaces somewhat once melted! (You can protect your baking surface with a layer of tin foil).
Step seven: Carefully transfer your shell to an oven or toaster oven. Bake at 350*F (watching closely) until the enamel just turns clear.
Step eight: Remove from the oven and let cool! If you have a lot of air bubbles form on the surface, you can use a heat gun to heat the enamel back up – this will remove the bubbles! Or leave the bubbles to create a fun foamy effect! If your sand and inside shells are not covered with enough enamel after it melts, you can add more powder on top and heat again to melt it! It’s also okay if your inside shells aren’t completely covered….you just don’t want your sand able to leak out!
Have fun creating your own scoops of the sea! What treasures will you include? 🙂
