Maybe you wandered along a Maine beach this past summer while on vacation during the annual Maine Lobster Festival and picked up some weathered blue, green, purple or clear gems of the sea — what the locals call “mermaid tears” — and now you have a jar of it sitting on a windowsill.
Or maybe it’s on your bucket list of things to do next summer while you are here for the 2019 Maine Lobster Festival. (If so, here is a Beachcomber’s Report on where to find the best sea glass in Maine!)
Either way, here are a few ways your sea glass can be crafted into a memorable keepsake of your Maine vacation. Turn your gems into jewelry, a candle holder, a shadowbox or an eco-friendly miniature tree for yourself or just in time for a gift for the holidays.
Jewelry
Martha Stewart, who owns a summer home in Maine, is the perfect one to consult when it comes to creating something naturally harvested. With a craft drill and earring wires from any craft store, Stewart’s Sea-Glass Earrings Project shows you step by step how to take pretty matching shards and turn them into beautiful earrings.
Sea Glass Candles
This craft is so easy, even a young child can do it. Pick up a glass vase or goblet, sand, a tapered candle (all of which can be found at a craft store or even a big box store) and get to work arranging the layers. When you’re done, the flickering light shows off your handiwork.
Sea Glass Shadowbox
This is also easier than it looks. Without having to fuse or solder anything, all you need is a double glass shadow box from a craft store. Lay your glass down in patterns and get creative with other natural materials, such as dried starfish, seaweed, stones or twigs. To get really artistic, find pieces that can be arranged to create a miniature scene such as these.
Sea Glass & Driftwood Christmas Tree
Here is an imaginative way to create an eco-friendly Christmas tree out of driftwood and your sea glass (and maybe a few sea shells thrown in). You’ll need a drill, some clear fishing line, and a base, such as a live-edge round piece of wood you can get from any craft or big box store. Who knows, getting crafty with Maine sea glass might even lead to your own Etsy store.
You don’t even have to collect the sea glass yourself to make these creative crafts. The next time you are in Maine, look at antique barns such as the Rockland Marketplace or Elmer’s Barn and chances are, you’ll find a jar of old sea glass, sitting in the windowsill just waiting to be transformed.
Our blog on the Maine Lobster Festival website has more ideas of fun things to do while visiting Midcoast Maine.
