Easy and Impressive Sand Crafts

So the kids are grown and gone and there's no use for the sand box outback? Don't worry, there's still a lot of use that can come of the sand. One thing you can make that's quick and easy is a sand candle. Add food coloring to the sand to color it or add glitter, if you desire. When the sand dries you can make your candle.

Fill any size bowl two-thirds full of sand. Use a slightly smaller bowl to press down on the sand, twisting it back and forth, making a bowl shape in the sand. Set the wick in the sand and pour in wax. Allow to set. Remove the candle and blow off excess sand. Make the candle large, with several wicks, or small with one wick.

If you're going to the beach soon, or you've already brought sand home from the beach, there are some really cute gifts you can make for others. One thing you can do is make a keepsake bottle. Fill the bottle half full of sand and turn it on its side. Use long tweezers to add shells, miniature flip-flops, mini sun umbrella, mini towel, or any other trinket. Make a small craft sign, to go inside the bottle, with the destination written on it, such as: "Honolulu". You can place the bottle on a plate holder or just balance it on its side.

Kids love playing in sand - inside or outside. Tape coloring book pages to cardboard and let the kids make sand art pictures. They can fill each section on the picture with glue then sprinkle sand over it. Instead of using food coloring to tint the sand you can also spray the sand with tie-dye spray found at a craft store. Make sure the sand is dry before letting the kids make their pictures. After the glue has dried, turn picture upside-down, tap excess sand off, and let kids put their creations in picture frames.

Another type of sand art is made in glass or clear plastic bottles. Tint the sand and layer different colors in the bottle. Use a long wooden craft stick to make designs in the sand. Add stickers to the outside of the bottles, if desired.

Put a layer of colored sand in a 20 oz bottle. Add glitter, sequin, small plastic toys and other trinkets. Fill with water and glue on the lid. This makes a cute toy that will keep small children busy for hours.