Have you ever gone on vacation and wished that you could bring a little bit of it back home with you? Sure there are the overpriced souvenirs that you can buy from the shacks that line the tourist attractions, but wouldn’t you rather have a piece of paradise that you would enjoy looking at everyday and really feel like it was yours? With a little creativity, you can make a piece of art that is not only nice to look at, but that also reminds you of the places that you have visited.
Now let’s talk about a fun way that you can use sand art to preserve your travel or vacation memories. The first thing that you need to do is to gather sand from the place that you are visiting. If you are visiting a place that does not have sand, be creative. Maybe you could gather dirt or pebbles. Whatever it is that you are gathering try to find pieces that are as small as possible so that you can then create layers. The most common form of sand art involves filling a jar with layer after layer of colored sand. While you could simply go to a craft store, pick our sand and a bottle and make your own sand art craft, you can apply this same concept with sand, dirt, pebbles or whatever else that you may find during your travels. Some people who wish to incorporate more color into their sand art jars combine what they have found at a special vacation site with colored sand that can be bought at the store. Another fun idea is to use sand art layers at the base of the jar and use the top portion of the jar to grow something in. For example, you can fill the jar with layers of different colored sand from a desert area, and grow a small cactus native to that area in the top portion of the jar.
If filling a bottle is not something that you want to do, why not incorporate pieces of your vacation into a picture. To do this, simply sketch a pattern or picture on a piece of paper. Carefully apply glue to the sections of your pattern that you want to have covered with the sand from your travels. Make a paper funnel and slowly spread the sand (or colored sand if you are choosing to use that) on the glued areas. Allow the glue to dry before trying to shake or brush off any excess sand. Continue filling other portions of your picture if you wish. Another idea that is fun for kids to do is to encourage them to color a picture of what they remember from a family vacation somewhere and then use the colored sand to fill in the blank spaces. In this example you do not have to bring home the sand to remember the vacation.
If you are less interested in bringing home large quantities of dust, dirt, or sand but still want a tangible reminder of your vacation site, why not try collecting only a small amount of sand and displaying that sample in a scrapbook. For places that may be especially dear to you, there are necklaces that you can buy that have small vials on them. You can create a miniature sand art piece in this vile and wear it around your neck so that you always have a reminder of your special place. Using sand art to preserve memories is a fun way to bring pieces of your special places back home with you.