Create some funky sea glass art with sea glass and pebbles collected from the beach.  A unique piece of art thats simple to make and ready to hang!

Sea Glass Art Inspired by a Trip to the East Coast

We visited the eastern coast of Canada this summer and it was literally a dream come true!  I love the coast AND I’m a huge nerdy Anne Of Green Gables fan so it’s always been a childhood dream of mine to explore the gorgeous island of PEI, Canada. This vacation also inspired some sea glass art – the step by step tutorial is below!

On the last day and last beach of our vacation – we were exploring the shoreline in the town of Souris- a beach known for sea glass.

It was low tide and we were literally walking on the ocean floor- so cool by the way! We spotted some sea creatures like crabs, clam shells and multiple jellyfish waiting for the sea to come back.

After walking along the entire beach, I spotted a local family that were digging for soft shell clams, for a yummy traditional east coast clam meal.

They shared a tip to look along a pebbled path on the shore, which is where sea glass usually washes up.

What is Sea glass and where can you find it?

I didn’t know what sea glass was until I saw some pretty neat art on Pinterest. I was intrigued and wanted to know more.

Here’s what I learned.

Sea glass is the result of broken pieces of jars, glass and ceramics being tumbled for years in the ocean. Cool eh? So basically the ocean naturally recycles these sharp glass pieces, and gorgeous sea jewels are left behind. Amazing mother nature!

It takes on average 30 years for the sharp pieces of glass to get their naturally frosted and soft edges.

Sea glass is traditionally used in DIY jewellery, but a recent trend has been to incorporate it into art pieces. You can find a bunch of beautiful pieces on Pinterest and even wrapped sea glass pendants on Etsy!

Where to find sea glass?

Sea glass and beach glass can be found on many coastal shores, and even on the shores of the Great Lakes.

Here’s some awesome tips on how to spot sea glass. They were given by some sea glass experts. And I totally agree with looking on a pebbled beach, versus sandy, that’s what worked for us!

Can you Buy Sea Glass?

You can buy sea glass online online on amazon and Etsy. But there are a couple of things to watch out for.

If you are looking for the authentic sea glass (I.e. made by lakes or oceans), make sure you read the description very carefully. There are many people selling “at home tumbled” sea glass pieces, which are often cheaper in price.

I personally haven’t bought any online, but from the reviews the “at home tumbled” variety can be a hit or miss.

If you’re looking for authentic sea glass, Etsy is a great place where you’ll find many people who have collected them from beaches and are willing to sell them.

But they are more expensive.

If you do choose to buy online, make sure you ask the seller before you buy- if the sea glass come from the beach/ocean or has been made by a tumbler machine (at home).

How do you Glue Beach Glass?

There are a couple of glue’s you can use to stick sea glass to card stock, canvas, wood, etc. Some experienced sea glass artists use E6000 glue (just make sure you wear gloves when using this stuff), since its an industrially strong glue.

I wanted to use something a little safer (since I often craft with my kids). I found that Aleene’s Tacky Glue worked perfectly with my Sea Glass art.

I’ve had my sea glass art hanging up on my wall for almost a year without a problem!

Now, that your up to speed on all-things sea glass- let’s move on to the tutorial!

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Tutorial

Materials:

1. Sea glass
2. Pebbles
3. Tacky Glue
4. White card stock
5. Shadow Box Frame. I bought the square Ribba Frame from IKEA. If you shop online I found this one which is similar and got good reviews.

Step by Step

1. Cut your card stock to the size of the frame. You can use the frames backing piece as a template.

2. Glue the card stock to the backing with the tacky Glue.

3. Place your sea glass and pebbles on the card stock in the design you want. Do NOT use glue in this step. This step is to plan out where everything goes, before gluing.