Repurpose Sea Glass For One-Of-A-Kind Coastal Garden Decor

Collecting sea glass and stones when you're walking along beaches is fun, but aside from putting those little trinkets in a jar, what else can you do with them? If you're looking to create a more coastal, nautical, or whimsical look to your lawn or garden, you could use those collected bits to make a DIY stepping stone. The colorful sea glass and stones you rescued from the beach will become a lasting art piece for your lawn, providing years of enjoyment. We found an excellent tutorial from Lovely Greens on YouTube that breaks down the steps of making your sea glass stepping stone in an easy-to-follow way.

All you need are a few ingredients, a little time, and some patience. For your mold, you'll want an old pan or a plastic pot saucer (which will be easier for the removal of your finished stone) that you're no longer in need of. This project also requires cement, builder's sand, matte white outdoor use spray paint, a clear glossy spray paint for outdoors, and your collected sea glass and stones. You can also add other items to your stepping stones — like broken pottery pieces, shells, or any other random small objects you've found while scouring the beaches. Here are some things to know before picking up seashells.

The first thing you'll do is apply the matte white spray paint to cover the backs of your sea glass, creating a solid background that will make the colors stand out even more in the stone. While the paint dries on those, you will mix your cement (you'll want a bucket for this). For one stepping stone measuring around 10 inches in diameter, you'll mix a cup and a half of cement with 6 and a half cups of sand. Slowly add water and mix the two ingredients — you only want enough water to wet the mix; too much will make your stones sink when you try to arrange them.

Now it's time to dump your mix into your mold. Once all of it is in, shake the container side to side to even out the cement. Put on some rubber gloves and start adding your bits of sea glass (unpainted side up), stones, shells, and anything else you'd like, and make whatever pattern you prefer. Be sure to push them in enough that they'll stay in place as the cement dries. Give the stepping stone about a week to fully dry. Tip it over gently over the grass, and give it a shake, and it should come out. Before applying the clear spray paint to the top of your stone, thoroughly clean it, paying close attention to the areas around the stone. Once you use the spray and it dries completely, place your stone wherever you'd like. It's a great way to bring the beach to your yard.