Since getting married, my husband and I have taken a few big trips. When we travel, we, generally, limit ourselves to two souvenir categories: Christmas ornaments and baggies of sand. I know the latter may sound strange but stick with me. Instead of collecting knickknack on top of knickknack, we enjoy bringing home a small piece of wherever we’ve traveled. While packing to leave, we grab a few snack-size Ziplock bags and a permanent marker for our little gatherings. Collecting the sand has become a fun activity for us to slow down and connect with a little bit of nature – no matter where we go. And it has low environmental impact! It’s not like collecting shells or agricultural items. The best part is, outside of the initial investment of supplies, this souvenir is free but very meaningful.
To store the sand, we purchased small glass corked bottles and glass-front display cases from Michaels Stores. The bottles are actually from a set found in the wedding aisle, on clearance! We used 40% off coupons to purchase the display cases and ta-da! Super inexpensive project.
I use my Brother P-Touch to create small labels that include the actual location of the sand (to this point either a beach or a baseball field) and the city, state.
I kind of dig the look of wrapping the label around the edge of the bottle. It saves me from having to put the label on perfectly straight and centered. Ugh! Too much stress for a vacation souvenir! Instead, I place the label in a bottom left corner and wrap it around the corner.
If you have a funnel that fits in your jars, great! If not, use paper and a piece of tape to make a small open cone.
Perfect fit! And how cool is this black sand from Waimea, Kauai?! We fill the bottles about 80% so they aren’t too full or heavy and then cork those bad boys! But first…
… grab some E6000. This is the best almost-all-purpose adhesive and also the perfect way to ensure the sand stays in the bottle.
Create a small ring of glue around the cork and pop them into the neck of the bottle.
If you use E6000, the corks will need to dry for 24 hours. The corks may lift as the glue dries, so I recommend laying a book or heavy-ish flat object on top to ensure they stay put.
And then put these adorable little souvenirs on display!
We need to find some different, smaller bottles to mix in. The bottom shelf has less depth than the other two due to the frame and the current bottles are just a tad too big. I’m going on a search for those next!
We love these in our home and hope you will love them in your too!
This blog post was not sponsored but contains links as part of an affiliate program I participate in. Meaning, if you click through and purchase, at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission. I have student loans to pay… help a sister out.
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