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 Michelle Pierre is a freelance writer and Registered Dietitian. Michelle writes comedic essays from a mother’s point of view at www.betweenthecushions.com. She has been designing crafts and party planning for many years. Some of her creations can be seen on her Facebook site, Lucia Grace Bowtique. She can be reached at designsbymichellepierre@gmail.com |
| No need to miss the beach during the winter months. Sand dollar and starfish ornaments hung on the Christmas tree provide a beautiful beachy feel to the holidays. Most craft stores carry popular beach craft supplies throughout the year. The natural shape of these pieces provides a great craft medium for decorations. Paint, glitter, decoupage, mini pom-poms, ribbons and a trusty glue gun are what is needed to create a seaside Christmas. An old-fashioned vintage Christmas can be created by keeping with white or antique colors. Paint the starfish and or sand dollars with white paint and sprinkle with fine white glitter. Use your imagination, adding pearl trim, small shells, vintage lace, feathers or marabou. Small pieces of Christmas holly or winter flowers add a nice touch too. To hang on the tree glue ribbon mixed with twine for a more earthy feel. If you want to go with a traditional Santa Claus for the sand dollar, a few basic paint colors are all you need. To paint a Santa face start by painting the top red for the hat and then the rest white, leaving a semi-circle in the middle of the sand dollar for the face. You can dust a bit of fine white glitter on the beard and seal with a decoupage liquid. Be sure to seal the entire painted ornament with decoupage when the paint is completely dry. Add a whimsical touch by attaching a tiny pom-pom onto the end of the hat. The starfish can be painted in red with white cuffs and black gloves and boots. The tiny starfish Santa face requires a touch of red, white and beige. (see image) Hang adorable starfish sunbathers on the tree or give as a gift to your favorite beach bum. These are as easy as can be with the addition of holiday-inspired swim shorts, tiny craft sunglasses and a few raffia pieces for a grass skirt. All pieces can be transformed into a hanging tree ornament with a simple piece of holiday ribbon hot glued to the back and covered with a small piece of felt glued to reinforce the ribbon. Make these heartwarming seaside ornaments and allow your dreams of summer to continue even when the snow is falling. |
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20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 