beach chic shadow box – summer memories that last

Create a beach chic shadow box and make summer memories that last or make great beach cottage decor!

After returning from beach cottage vacation on the southern coast of North Carolina, near my old home, I decided to spruce up my bathroom decor and go with a coastal feel. The ocean still called to me and I wanted to incorporate the beach feel in to our home a little more.

I did not realize how much I would miss the cool ocean breeze and the salty air of coastal North Carolina. It really does grow on you and becomes a part of your soul. In my new Ohio home, the previous owner painted the bathroom the perfect shade of creamy tan almost a sand, for coastal chic accents. The neutral pallet was ripe for a burst of color. The beach chic shadow boxes are the perfect size to be placed on a shelf near the linen closet. Lately, my go to colors have been shades of corals, blues and creams.

I absolutely love starfish, so they had to be included to complete the beach theme.  Plus the polymer clay pieces in the shadow boxes are made from molds of real starfish that my family has found. Sentimental would definitely be a word that is used when describing me. The doily bits are part of a large old table cover given to me by my great-grandmother Ethel. Once the cover had holes that were too large to strategically cover with cork trivets, the cover made it to my craft stash. I have used the little bits and pieces in more projects than I ever thought possible and I know my Grandma Ethel would be pleased. She held her family together during the Great Depression and had difficulty parting with things that could be reused and honestly she was a bit of a hoarder so I come by my craft stash naturally. 

Supplies for the beach chic shadow box:

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• Premo! Sculpey®, 2 oz , White – 2 blocks
• Mold Maker
• Sculpey® Clay Conditioning Machine
• Starfish or other sea shells
• Cornstarch (optional)
• Sandpaper
• Americana Craft Paint – Buttermilk, Raw Umber, Coral Blush, Sea Breeze
• DecoArt Glamor Dust – Ice Crystal
• Paint Brush
• Craft Knife
• Adtech Hot Glue gun and glue sticks, Permanent Tape Runner
• doilies
• scissors
• washi tape
• pattern paper
• Painters tape

Instructions for the beach chic shadow box:

If you would like to see a step by step on how to make the starfish check out this starfish headband.

If you would like to see a step by step of how to make a mold check out – how to make a mold. 

1. To make the mold of the starfish, pinch of a large piece of Mold Maker and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball creating a piece of  Mold Maker large enough to accept the starfish. Dust the starfish with cornstarch. Press the starfish into mold and then remove.
2. Bake the mold according to the directions on package.  Allow the piece to cool before handling.
3. Soften your polymer clay by rolling in your hands or running through a clay conditioning machine.  Press it into the mold and trim off any excess clay with craft knife. Bake the polymer clay according to the directions suggested by manufacturer.
4. Repeat process to create as many starfish as you’d like. Allow the piece to cool before handling.
5. Paint the piece with the Buttermilk acrylic paint, while the paint is wet, wipe excess.  Paint the piece with the Raw Umber acrylic paint, while the paint is wet, wipe off most of the paint. This will create a distressed finish.

To make the beach chic shadow box:

1. Brush on a light coat of Glimmer Dust if you would like a bit of sparkle. While the starfish bake you can paint the shadow boxes.
2. Give the shadow box a once-over with sandpaper to smooth out any rough edges.  Place Painters tape over the glass.
3. Paint the exterior of the shadow box in Coral Blush and sand between layers if needed. Paint the interior with Sea Breeze. You can sand the edges a little for a more worn look or you can dry brush on a bit of Buttermilk.
4. Trim pattern paper to go inside the boxes and secure the paper with a permanent double-sided adhesive tape or hot glue.
5. Adhere the doily with hot glue and the starfish too.

Tip: If you do not have painters tape on hand you can use adhesive note paper to protect the glass from paint.

I loved this Beach Chic project I sent it into Somerset Home and I love they way the photograph everything.  They create such a warm beach cottage feel with the image. If you would like to purchase a current issue or subscribe to Somerset Home Click. 

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