DIY: Coastal Christmas Ornament

To make the Sailboat Ornaments you will need the following items:

(6) 3 inch glass craft ornaments

1 bag of blue crushed shells (found in most craft stores)

wood skewers

small rubber hair bands (or orthodontic bands used for braces)

a piece of white cardstock or printer paper

hot glue gun

gardening trimmer

very narrow tweezers or jewelry making pliers

Step 1) Use your gardening trimmer to cut wooden skewers into 2 lengths. One will be 5 cm. (that will be the mast) and the other skewer should be cut to 3 cm. (this will be the boat).

Step 2) Now grab 2 tiny rubber bands. I used my kids’ leftover bands from their braces! You can also find small elastic bands in the beauty section of any store, but braces bands work best. Slide one band over the 2 skewers

Step 3) Rotate the shorter skewer one full turn and hold securely.

Step 4) Still holding the skewers securely, slide the 2nd band over the two skewers as pictured below.

Step 5) Let go and the boat base will pop into a horizontal position, which should be perpendicular to the mast.

Step 6) Cut out a paper triangle sail out of card stock or printer paper. Feel free to color it if desired. Place a small amount of hot glue to the back of the mast and glue the sail to it.

Step 7) Fill the bottom of your ornament with the crushed shells (Don’t add too much at first. You can always add more later). The reason why I used 3 inch glass ornaments vs. larger ones, is because these shells will make your ornament heavy!

Step 8) Twist the “boat” skewer so it is aligned with the mast (like in step 4) and start inserting it into the ornament opening. It will pop back in place as soon as it clears the opening.

Gently bend and tuck the paper sail so it will fit into the opening. Hold the top of the mast with your needle nose pliers or tweezers and insert the sailboat into the shells, pushing all the way to the bottom or until the “boat” part is sitting on top of the shells (water). The shells should hold it in place. Use the pliers to adjust the position.

A DIY the whole family will enjoy. Maske these adorable coastal sailboat Christmas ornaments with us.