Beach Sand Collection
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You guys know I love the beach, and I've been lucky enough to visit a few amazing beaches in my life. For example, I lived in Puerto Rico for a couple of years when I was younger, and during that time, I visited St. Thomas as well. A year or so ago, I found some long-forgotten bags of sand that I had kept as souvenirs of the beaches on those two islands. I vowed then to start a beach sand collection, hoping eventually to have mementos from around the world.
Since then, I've collected a few more samples, but have struggled with finding a fun way to display them. I considered collecting small glass bottles of various sizes, but that seemed too hodgepodge. I had sort of settled on the idea of re-using empty spice jars that I could display in a wall rack. That would have looked neat, but I really wanted something more uniform, modern, clean, and small.
And then I went into The Container Store.
You know me well enough to know that I went nuts when I saw all the amazing little boxes and storage ideas in The Container Store, and my mind went into organizing overdrive. I was most intrigued by their mini round boxes that measure a little over an inch across. It only took seconds for my brain to travel back to my pending sand collection and a brilliant idea was born! At about $2 for a dozen, it was an easy decision to grab about a hundred boxes and head to the register.
(P.S. If you don't have a Container Store near you, there are lots of tiny round plastic jars available on Amazon too!)
To contain all these little boxes, I picked up a simple acrylic box frame that measured 11"x14". I really wanted a square one, but couldn't find one, so I had to settle for rectangular. The first thing I did was remove the cardboard inserts from the frame.
Then I started putting the little round boxes in the frame, lining them up to make sure that they fit and that I had enough to fill it. Fortunately, it was a "yes" on both counts.
I needed a new backing for the frame, so I got some really thin craft wood at the craft store, painted it white, and cut it to size. If you want to hang this on the wall, you can attach a little sawtooth hanger to the back.
Since the boxes weren't a perfect fit for the frame, the next step was to fill in the gap so the boxes wouldn't move around. I started by lining them up along two sides of the board, making them as straight and centered as I could. I used my ruler to help line them up and center them in each direction.
Then I measured the amount of space on each side and cut some tiny wooden strips to that size. I glued them along the edges of the wood backer and painted them white. Be sure to check out the model/hobby section of your local craft store for wood strips -- they come in every tiny size you can imagine!
With the woodworking done, it was time to finally start putting some sand in the boxes. First, I used a fine-point black marker to write the name of the beach on the lid of the box. I really like the Sharpie Extreme for this because it resists fading, so the writing will stay dark longer.
Then I filled the box with sand and sealed it shut with some clear tape all along the side of the box.
Just look at how cute this tiny little specimen of Sanibel sand is!
After I'd filled a box with each sand in my collection, I put them in the wooden frame, along with the rest of the empty boxes.
To display the collection, I just put the frame back on top of the board, and it fit perfectly. I secured it with a little piece of clear tape on each side.
I am so pleased with how this beach sand collection display came out. It's so sleek and modern, but fun at the same time. I have had so much fun adding new sands to it every time I travel to a beach. Even with my small collection so far, I am amazed at the variation in color. Imagine how pretty it will be with 80 shades of brown... I can't wait to see it all full!
Jo loved this idea as well, but she wasn't keen on making the display frame. Fortunately, she found a great alternative at our local craft store. Darice makes a clear bead storage container with 24 jars that worked great for this project. Once she fills up the 24 jars in this box, she can easily get more and display several of these container next to each other to expand the collection. This container makes it so easy because the jars fit so perfectly inside!
18 comments so far:
Next time I'm in my home town of Kenai, AK or down in Homer, AK, I'll grab some sand for you, if I can remember.
I love this way of displaying the sand though!
Mercedes, that would be wonderful, thanks! My Honey and I went to Alaska on a cruise several years ago and visited several cities, but didn't make it to either Kenai or Homer. I hadn't started collecting sand at that point, and I've kicked myself for not doing so. Now you can save me :)
Did you pick up some shells too? Put some of them in the empty containers, at least until you fill up more of them. I'm sure you can come up with other things to put in them until you get your sand collection more populated.
That's a good idea, Beth... I might try that! I prefer the solution of just going to more beaches very soon, though :)
aww this has renewed my passion for sand collecting, many thanks!
What a great idea! I love it. However I can't find the tiny box box pack you have displayed here. Is it only in stores? I do not see it online on the Container Store site. THanks!
Krystee, unfortunately it looks like they don't sell those little boxes online. Hopefully you have a Container Store near you?
UPDATE! These boxes are now listed on containerstore.com!
Thanks. There is one across town so I'm making my way there later today I want to give this as a "craft kit" with printed instructions to my friend who collects sand! I can't wait to see it all together. I hope she likes the idea as much as I do.
What a lovely idea, Krystee! Let us know how your friend likes it :)
SAND SAND SAND SAND HOW GRAND! Love it guys!
Dear sand colectors. I live in Belgium west-Europe.My hobby is collect sand and small lava stones from all around the world.I never imagined that sand could be so differend from beach to the next. The most facinating thing for me is the enommous variety of colors and grains of sand. The grains tell us storis about millions of years.
One of the simples and most efficent ways to increas my personal sand collection is to exchange sand with others. I hope to hear from you soon . I want tanking you in advance. Daniél.
I googled how to display a sand collection and yours is the first I visited. So glad I did. I have been an advid collector since I was 10. Pensacola,Florida's white sandy beaches were more amazing then the Midwest wheat fields. I always asked friends and family to bring me back sand or shells from their travels. I have collected rocks and shells along with sand from most of my travels.
I will be traveling the beaches of Michigan during the summer for the next few years thanks to my son-in-law. The last few summers were spent exploring Seattle and the surrounding coastal lines. Over the years I have learned to par down the amount I gather. I am working on a painting that will incorporate the overflow sand from a few of my travels.
A painting that incorporates sand from your travels is a lovely idea, Wanda. We'd love to see it when it's done!
Love your idea!
Thanks for this post. This might be perfect for displaying some other collections I have.
Hi! I would like to enjoy the sand exchange movement! How do I proceed?
Ollie, we're not organizing any official exchanges, but you're free to work out a trade with some of the other folks who have commented on this page.