11 Sea-Glass Crafts Guaranteed to Remind You of Summer

Sea-glass crafts are the perfect way to remember all of the fun times from your summer adventures. The glass' frost-like appearance is made from weathering by the ocean, which makes these beachside finds one of a kind.

Scour the sand for pieces of sea glass, seashells, and other beach prizes to use in crafts projects and jewelry. There are few things quite as rewarding as a craft you make from start to finish—when you source your materials, then turn them into something beautiful, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment and pride each time you see your handiwork. That's where homemade jewelry comes into play. If you're looking to make timeless trinkets, sea-glass earrings are simple accessories that will upgrade any of your summer outfits. A sea-glass necklace can offer the same effect. Adding the oceanic touches to a plain band can elevate your all-around look.

When it comes to home décor, trade out run-of-the-mill furnishings for ones you've updated yourself; adding sea glass to store-bought goods transforms basic essentials into treasures inspired by the ocean. What deserves a beachy update? A sea-glass-tiled tray or tabletop can make dinnertime a destination whenever you present a meal. You can even use sea glass to make the holidays a bit brighter. Sea-glass ornaments, made both to give and to keep, will make everyone's season a little brighter. Plus, the easy-to-make Christmas adornments are a great starting point for a unique holiday tree.

Read on for more ideas that are guaranteed to make sea glass your newest crafting tool. These pretty pieces are bound to upgrade your style, no matter the occasion or time of year.

It's easy to transform wave-worn sea glass into beautiful earrings. The different shapes you find will make each earring unique. You can also pick and choose the colors that you like best.

Dress up the bottom of a tray or top of a table with a pattern of sea glass and mosaic tiles. To begin this craft, use a craft knife and cut a sheet of tiles fit the inside of the tray. Cut out tiles to create spaces to fill with sea glass. Add a thin layer of mortar to the tray with a spackling knife, then lay the tile sheet—paper side up—on the surface, and press down firmly. Let it dry for two hours. Moisten paper with a damp sponge, and peel off. Using a craft stick, apply mortar to sea glass and place in empty spaces. Let it dry overnight. Tape off inside and top edges of the tray with masking tape. Using a spackling knife, apply fine white unsanded grout over the tiles. Gently wipe surface with a damp tile sponge to remove excess grout. Let it dry for one to two hours. Polish the surface and then apply grout sealer.

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Pendant necklaces, shown here, are simple to produce and serve as an easy way to show off unusual finds, such as amethyst, yellow, and cornflower-blue glass. To begin the craft, cut a length of silk cord long enough to fit over your head when looped. String a shard onto the cord, and tie with a double knot. Continue adding shards at even intervals. When you are finished, tie the cord ends together with a double knot. If you want to add more flair to your prized piece, try using a colorful cord to hang with the sea-glass.

Shop Now: Ashland Mixed Brown Sea Glass Rocks, $7.49, michaels.com; Bead Landing Nylon Cord Value Pack, $11, michaels.com.

Here's a craft that will remind you of your days at the beach. To make this mantelpiece display, bits of sea glass are piled into glowing votive holders and share the space with coral, shells, sand dollars, and vintage glass bottles. The color scheme, moving from blue and green to pink and purple, mimics a beach horizon at sunset. These votives can be created by placing a candle inside a glass holder, setting that in a larger glass vessel, and filling the space between with shards.

Shop Now: Ashland Multicolored Sea Glass Rocks, $7.49, michaels.com.

Sea glass can be combined with ceramic shards and shells to form a beachy necklace. Fill a plastic container with a small amount of water, and set a shard of sea glass inside; it should be slightly covered but not submerged (drilling the shard in water will guard against cracking and prevent it from getting too hot). Wearing safety glasses and holding the shard with the eraser end of a pencil, make a hole in glass using a craft drill, below right, fitted with a number 61 diamond bit (it may take a few tries to drill through completely). Cut a length of silk cord long enough to fit over your head when looped. String a shard onto the cord, and tie with a double knot. Continue adding shards at even intervals. When finished, tie the cord ends together with a double knot.

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Homemade jewelry doesn't have to be a hassle. You can make a bracelet your next statement piece in just a few simple steps. To make this ocean-blue-green bracelet, all you will need to get going are pieces of sea glass and ceramic. Begin by applying a dot of cement glue to each disk on a disk-and-loop bracelet form—available at jewelry-supply stores. Adhere the sea glass to disks, let it dry overnight, and then your masterpiece will be ready for wear.

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Sea glass pieces and ceramic shards, combined in a Calder-esque mobile, produce a charming effect when hung by a window. To start, cut a length of nylon cord. Wrap one end around a shard of sea glass or pottery and double-knot to secure. Continue adding shards until you've completed a string for the bottom tier. Apply a dot of cement glue between each shard and its knot. Repeat steps one and two to make another string for the bottom tier. Attach strings to a piece of driftwood with double knots, and apply glue between knots and wood. Tie a piece of cord loosely to the center of the driftwood; dangle mobile from cord, and adjust cord for balance. Create strings for subsequent tiers, and attach to pieces of driftwood, working from the bottom up; check balance at each level. Tie a length of cord to top piece of driftwood to hang.

Shop Now: Ashland Mixed Brown Sea Glass Rocks, $7.49, michaels.com; Bead Landing Nylon Cord Value Pack, $11, michaels.com; Sakrete Cement Glue, one quart, $8.97, homedepot.com.

When the holidays come around, it goes without saying that adding décor to match the holiday season is a must. To spread Christmas cheer and add pizzazz to your tree, why not add a beachy touch to the greenery. You can create these ornaments in a variety of hues, and they can pair nicely with the holiday theme you choose each year. Not to mention, these ornaments are also easy to create and set up so your holidays can go off without a hitch.

After you've gathered a cherished collection of sea glass, putting it up for display seems like a fitting next step. You can add pieces for a lovely addition to your wall art. To begin this craft, arrange the sea glass in the shape of mushrooms or sailboats. Next, adhere to slate or wood with contact cement. And there you have it—a simple take on wall art that can remind you of oceanside fun whenever you pass it by.

Shop Now: Ashland Mixed Brown Sea Glass Rocks, $7.49, michaels.com; Sakrete Cement Glue, one quart, $8.97, homedepot.com.

Bits of glass worked into a geometric tile arrangement give an ordinary table a coastal feel. Using a craft knife, cut a sheet of tiles to fit the surface of the table. Cut out black accent tiles to fill with sea glass. Apply mortar to the table with a spackling knife. Lay tile sheet on the surface, pressing down firmly. Let it dry for two hours. Wet the paper with a damp sponge, then peel off. Using a craft stick, apply mortar to sea glass and place in empty spaces. The shards should be flush with the tiles. Let it dry overnight. Using a spackling knife, apply unsanded grout over all the tiles, filling in cracks and holes. Gently wipe the surface with a damp tile sponge to remove excess grout and smooth grout lines. Rinse sponge and repeat. Continue rinsing and wiping until the surface is clean. Let it dry for one to two hours. Polish the surface with a clean, dry cloth and finish off by applying grout sealer.

Shop Now: Martha Stewart Swivel Cutting Knife, $13, michaels.com; Ashland Mixed Brown Sea Glass Rocks, $7.49, michaels.com; Abolos Landscape Danube Blue Linear Mosaic Textured Tile, 1" x 2", $15.47 per square foot, homedepot.com.

If you love sea glass, but don’t seem to have any handy—no problem. We have a project that you will love. To create a craft that still pays homage to the seaside staple, you can create hanging votives with specialty paint that will make the décor look no different that sea glass itself. Make sure you have small canning jars and chains to be able to hang them for an ocean-inspired endeavor that will leave you in awe.