Here I Go Again!

Greetings! How is your week going? I’ve been busy working on a few little projects. I’m back at it again, priming and painting old, plastic charger plates.

Priming Charger Plates

 

Recently I purchased a few bags of shells to supplement the last of the ones I still have left from my visit to Captiva and Sanibel Islands 30 years ago.

Shells and Seaglass

 

Ever since I made shell chargers a few years back, I’ve been itching to make them again incorporating a little sea glass. (Shell charger tutorial can be found here: DIY Shell Chargers for Nautical Table Settings)

Pottery Barn Knockoff Shell Chargers

 

I came across some sea glass recently in soft colors of blue and aqua while shopping in HomeGoods .

Aqua Seaglass

 

Quick! Someone knock some sense into my head before I embark on this time-consuming, finger-abusing journey again! 😉

Shell Chargers for Nautical Table Settings

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Comments

  1. Carolyn Price says

    Go for it, Susan! Abused fingers and all. You will love them when they’re finished!! So will we.
    Pace yourself, though, so as not to abuse your fingers too much?!
    Cannot wait! Those are our colors, too, here on the NC coast!

  2. Sounds like a wonderful project. Maybe the Home Goods stores around where I live have some of this lovely sea glass. I would love to do a DIY project like this, so I can hardly wait to see how your plates turn out. :0)

  3. Eeeekkk…I will LOVE THESE! You are a “glutten for punishment”…thank goodness!! 🙂 franki

  4. Do it!!! They will be worth the labor of love!!! Can’t wait to see them!

  5. Go for it, Susan! Just think of the tables you can come up with when they’re done. The colors are extraordinary! Good luck…….just remember to complete them in shifts so you don’t overdo. Looking forward to the reveal! Rosie

  6. You should try the silicone fingertips that they make for hot gluing. I know you can get them through amazon or hobby lobby. Just a thought!

  7. Marlene Stephenson says

    Sounds like a great idea,go as slow as your little fingers will allow,then let us see. Sounds like something interesting to do.

  8. Oh the plates are going to be awesome!…Keep lots of gloves on hand!!

  9. Nope- we’re letting you do it again! Now we have to see them since you told us! 🙂 I love the color of sea glass- it’s one of the best blues out there!

  10. I think the sea glass chargers will be gorgeous! I have a few bags I bought on sale at Pier I a few years back and have no idea what to do with them yet. Please remember to describe things like frustration and finger aches on a 1-10 scale so we’ll know if it’s worth it for the rest of us!!

    • lol Terri, you made me laugh out loud with the scale. That sounds like something I would think of! Ha, ha, ha! Well, last time, by the time I got through placing all those teeny, little filler Dove shells, the fingertip pain was only about a 2 or 3 on the scale. lol And that’s just because I was like the horse who can see the barn, I was so close to being done, I didn’t want to stop and kept going instead of giving my fingers a break. 🙂 It’s worth it, but a little overwhelming at the start.. Last time, there were over 230 shells in each charger! Time consuming but definitely worth it since you get to use them over and over.

  11. Can’t wait to see the finished project!

  12. Sandy Park says

    OOOOOOOOH can’t wait to see them. You go girl, they’ll be beautiful.

  13. Well you have more patience than I. I think the ones with just shells are beautiful and I’m sure the sea glass ones will be too.

  14. Peggy Thal says

    They are so beautiful Susan. It looks very time consuming but I think fun. Could even be relaxing with a glass of wine and some great music. When you are finished you can have a BIG party with all your pretty chargers. You seem to have some great shells. I always wanted to make a mirror or cover a whole piece of furniture with shells. I have the shells but never started. One day!

  15. I glued flat glass ‘marbles’ to felt a couple of years ago (it’s on the blog) and made placemats. VERY time consuming, but I always get compliments on them. Not sure I would do it again though! lol

    The sea glass is such a lovely color blue Susan, how can the chargers NOT turn out awesome?!

  16. Bea Hart says

    Great job on those chargers! If you need more shells or sea glass Hobby Lobby carries them. Good luck on your hands!

  17. I am excited to see what you will be doing with the sea glass! I had forgotten about your chargers. I went to the beach recently and collected some shells. In addition I bought a bag of shells from Wal-Mart! I haven’t decided what to do with the shells yet! Share your finished craft. I’m sure it will be amazing!

  18. Cant wait to see them, I’m thinking…..may spray painting the chargers ocean blue? Ummmm just a thought

  19. They are beautiful. I know working with shells can be hard on your fingers, but you just have to take one look at your beautiful chargers to appreciate all the work and pain that goes into them. Are you thinking of using the sea glass to make chargers? Those would be beautiful too!

    • Thanks so much, Chloe! Yep, I’m thinking of making them again, only adding in some sea glass. It may be next summer before they are finished, though! 🙂

  20. Susan, you amaze me! I know this is a tedious, time consuming craft. Have fun. I know they will be gorgeous.

  21. I forget if you said you ‘hot glued’ them, but use GE Silicone in clear. Also, gloves would be good. Michael’s carries beach glass in your colors, get a coupon on your phone from their website. Look it up at the store, should you need more.
    Can’t wait to see them finished! Well, at least ONE!!!!

  22. P.S. If using your glue gun, keep a bowl of ice and water close to where you are working. First time my daughter watched me making something, I kept burning my fingers and my lip pulling off the glue (shall we say airhead!?!) She brought me the bowl with the ice and water…clever girl.

  23. Go for it! I think they are so pretty!

  24. I can’t wait to see how they turn out. I remember seeing your post when you done it the first time! I bet it is time consuming but oh so pretty! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

  25. Gorgeous…a project, but worth it. And when your guests see them they will know how much you fussed and feel loved. People always say when they are coming to visit “now, don’t fuss”….I just LOVE to fuss. It’s in our DNA !

  26. Thanks for taking one for the team, Susan. Can’t wait to see the finished product!

  27. Cyndi Raines says

    Hi Susan
    You will love them! You inspired me to make them and I added beach glass because I was getting low on the shells and I LOVE them! I didn’t have any plastic chargers to spray paint, so I went to Hobby Lobby and bought the chargers that have brown burlap on them, thinking if anything showed through the shells it would look like sand. I also did the napkin ring holders and instead of a starfish I added small shells and they turned out great. I took the set to work to show the girls and they were really impressed. We have rented a beach house in July so I’ll be taking them there to dress the table. Oh, one trick I learned was to put the dab of glue on the plate and then set the shell on it rather than the glue on the shell. I rarely burn my fingers that way. I will soon be making the knock off Pottery barn / Ball canning jar lanterns. You are SUCH an inspiration! Thank you for such a FUN project.

  28. Oh how beautiful! So unique and lovely. And, the sea glass would be awesome. Will have to check out the fingertip protectors for hot gluing – had not heard of them. Thanks for sharing these gorgeous chargers!

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