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Sea Tow Foundation DIY Craft Time: Nautical Coasters

Posted By Gail Kulp, Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Updated: Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Sea Tow Foundation's DIY Craft Time: Nautical Coasters

Everyone knows that the best boating memories are the ones made out on the water. However, being out on the water isn’t always possible because of the weather, work and school schedules, or millions of other things going on in our lives.

With that in mind, the Sea Tow Foundation has created a monthly nautical craft to help bring those boating memories home. These crafts are easy for anyone to make and require limited tools and materials. In fact, all of the tools and materials are available at online retailers, or at a local craft store if you don’t already have the items lying around your house. Younger children may need the help of an adult for some portions of the craft project, but they can help with most of the personalization of the crafts. And many of these crafts make great homemade gifts!

In this month’s craft project, enjoy your hot or cold beverages at home while remembering the fun you had on the boat!

Materials to Make Nautical Coasters:

  • Felt paper
  • Sisal rope
  • Hot glue
  • Nautical stamps
  • White stamp pad or white paint
  • Black construction paper
  • Drinking glass
  • Marker
  • Scissors

Directions for How to Make Nautical Coasters:

  1. Use the drinking glass to trace circles onto the felt paper with the makers and then cut the circles out. The felt will protect your tables from being scratched with the rope coasters and also serve as a guide to the size of the coasters in the next step.



  2. Take the sisal rope and begin twisting it into a swirling circle using hot glue to secure each new curve.
    Safety Note: An adult should assist with the hot glue to avoid burning fingers.



  3. When the circle is slightly bigger than the felt circles, cut the sisal rope and secure the lose end to the circle with the hot glue. Allow the glue to dry completely while working on the next step.



  4. Stamp the nautical stamps onto the black construction paper. As the stamp pad ink is white, it will show up against the dark paper. You can also coat the stamp with white paint and stamp directly onto the sisal rope, if desired.



  5. Cut the stamped images out of the construction paper and glue these to the tops of the coasters. If you mess up, you can turn the coaster over and glue it to the other side.



  6. When finished, glue the felt pieces to the back of each coaster using the hot glue. This also hides any mistakes.


Congratulations on making your own Nautical Coasters! Share your creations with us on Facebook and Instagram by tagging @SeaTowFoundation and using the #DIYNauticalCraftTime

 

If you found this article helpful or entertaining, please consider a donation to the Sea Tow Foundation today to help us continue our efforts to educate boaters and keep them safe on the water. You can donate securely online at www.boatingsafety.com/donatetoday or by clicking on the DONATE tab at the top of the page.

Tags:  boating craft  DIY craft  homemade gift  nautical craft 

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Sea Tow Foundation DIY Craft Time: Sea Salt Hand Scrub

Posted By Gail Kulp, Thursday, December 3, 2020
Updated: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Sea Tow Foundation’s DIY Craft Time: Sea Salt Hand Scrub

Thinking back to those boating trips from the warm weather months might have you missing the smell of the ocean breeze and the feel of the salt spray against your skin. Don’t worry – you’re not alone!

The Sea Tow Foundation has created a monthly nautical craft to help bring those boating memories home. These crafts are easy for anyone to make and require limited tools and materials. In fact, all of the tools and materials are available at online retailers, or at a local craft store if you don’t already have the items lying around your house. Younger children may need the help of an adult for some portions of the craft project, but they can help with most of the personalization of the crafts. And many of these crafts make great homemade gifts!

With this month’s nautical craft, you can create a sea salt scrub that is perfect for giving as a gift or keeping for yourself. And this craft is perfect for little hands to make as none of the items are dangerous so this makes it the perfect craft for the holiday gift-giving season! And with Hanukkah and Christmas coming up, you'll be all set!

Materials to Make Sea Salt Hand Scrub:

  • 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
  • 1/8 cup liquid coconut oil
  • 5 to 7 drops of essential oil of your choice
  • Dry measuring cup
  • Wet measuring cup
  • Funnel
  • Fork and spoon
  • Labels
  • Ribbon
  • Newspaper
  • Glass Container with Lid (4 oz container used in photos)
 

Directions for How to Make Sea Salt Hand Scrub:

  1. Open the lid of the glass container and place it on a flat surface with newspaper underneath in case of spills. If you are reusing a container, ensure that it is clean and empty.

  2. Measure out the sea salt into the dry measuring cup and pour it into the container using the funnel to avoid spilling. Please note that the demonstration photos use a 4 oz container so the portion sizes are based on that, but if you use a bigger container, you can increase the amount of ingredients used.

 

3. Add the coconut oil next using the spoon and the liquid measuring cup. Please note that if you are making a lot of these jars to give as gifts, you should do all of the dry ingredients before the wet so that the salt doesn’t stick to the funnel.

 

4. Add 5-7 drops of essential oil. We are using orange, but you could also use mint or another scent of your choice.



5. Stir the mixture with the fork until everything is well combined.

6. Wipe the edge of the jar to remove any of the scrub and then close and seal it. Attach the decorative label to the front of the jar and add ribbon along the top of the jar so that it is ready to give as a gift this holiday season.

Who will you give this to this holiday season?

If you found this article helpful or entertaining, please consider a donation to the Sea Tow Foundation today to help us continue our efforts to educate boaters and keep them safe on the water. You can donate securely online at www.boatingsafety.com/donatetoday or by clicking on the DONATE tab at the top of the page.

Tags:  boating craft  Christmas craft  DIY craft  Hannukah craft  holiday craft  homemade gift  nautical craft  sea salt scrub 

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Sea Tow Foundation DIY Craft Time: Nautical String Art

Posted By Gail Kulp, Monday, November 16, 2020
Updated: Monday, November 9, 2020

Sea Tow Foundation’s DIY Craft Time: Nautical String Art

Even though our busiest boating season has drawn to a close, boating does not have to end entirely. Now you can bring your on-the-water lifestyle inside your home with the next Sea Tow Foundation boating craft. Bring the entire family to participate in this fun craft.

The Sea Tow Foundation has created a monthly nautical craft to help bring those boating memories home. These crafts are easy for anyone to make and require limited tools and materials. In fact, all of the tools and materials are available at online retailers, or at a local craft store if you don’t already have the items lying around your house. Younger children may need the help of an adult for some portions of the craft project, but they can help with most of the personalization of the crafts. And many of these crafts make great homemade gifts!

In this month’s craft project, find a fun way to bring your boat inside your home!

Materials to Make a Nautical Picture Frame:

  • A wooden board (already sanded and stained)
  • Various colors of embroidery floss
  • Hammer
  • Nails (not as long as the board is tall)
  • Paper
  • Tape
  • Pencil
  • Marker
  • Scissors

 


Directions for How to Make the Nautical String Art:

  1. Find or purchase a wooden board and measure it to determine the size. You will want your design to be slightly smaller than the board to allow for space around the edges.

     

  2. Draw a simple boat or other design on your piece of paper and make sure it is slightly smaller than the size of the wooden board. After drawing the photo, mark dots every 4-5 millimeters to note where you’ll place the nails. If you are not a good drawer, you can also search for a drawing online that you like and print that out to use.

     

  3. Tape the paper to your wooden board. You don’t need to tape all of the sides, just a few pieces will work to keep it from moving when you first start to insert the nails.

     

  4. Hammer in the nails on each of the black dots. Start in one area and work your way around the board to fill in all of the spots. Make sure the nails are all the same height off of the board.





  5. Once all of the nails are in, remove the paper and tape from the board.

     

  6. Take one of the pieces of embroidery floss and tie a simple knot around one of the nails. Then create a frame by going back and forth around each of the nails. You can work in whatever pattern you would like and even change the color of the embroidery floss for different parts of the picture. At the end, tie another knot around the last nail and cut off any excess string.



Congratulations on making Nautical String Art! Share your creations with us on Facebook and Instagram by tagging @SeaTowFoundation and using the #DIYNauticalCraftTime

If you found this article helpful or entertaining, please consider a donation to the Sea Tow Foundation today to help us continue our efforts to educate boaters and keep them safe on the water. You can donate securely online at www.boatingsafety.com/donatetoday or by clicking on the DONATE tab at the top of the page.

Tags:  boating craft  DIY craft  homemade gift  nails and string art  nautical craft  string art 

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Sea Tow Foundation DIY Craft Time: Cork Boat

Posted By Gail Kulp, Thursday, October 22, 2020
Updated: Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Sea Tow Foundation’s DIY Craft Time: Cork Sailboat

It’s time to drop anchor on another Sea Tow Foundation boating craft! You don’t need to be on your boat to keep the boating lifestyle going strong. Continue to make wonderful memories from the comfort of your own home.

The Sea Tow Foundation has created a monthly nautical craft to help bring those boating memories home. These crafts are easy for anyone to make and require limited tools and materials. In fact, all of the tools and materials are available at online retailers, or at a local craft store if you don’t already have the items lying around your house. Younger children may need the help of an adult for some portions of the craft project, but they can help with most of the personalization of the crafts. And many of these crafts make great homemade gifts!

In this month’s craft project, make a fun sailboat that really floats and enjoy racing them in the backyard pool, creek or even the bathtub!

Materials to Make a Cork Sailboat:

  • 5-9 Wine Corks
  • Popsicle Sticks
  • Foam sheets of various colors
  • Construction paper
  • Hot glue
  • Scissors
  • Knife or box cutter
  • Markers
  • Pencil
  • Ruler

 Supplies to make cork boat

Directions for How to Make the Cork Sailboat:

  1. Line the corks on a table side by side and apply hot glue to secure them together. The more wine corks you use, the larger your boat will be.
    Safety Note: Since the glue can be very hot, please ensure that children are supervised or that an adult takes care of this step.

     Glue corks together

  2. Once the glue has had a chance to dry, use the knife to cut a slit into the middle of one of the center corks that is large enough for the popsicle stick to be inserted.
    Safety Note: Adults should handle the knife used in this step to avoid injury to children.

     Put slice into center cork

  3. Draw a large rectangle on the foam sheet with the pencil and use the scissors to cut it out. Cut a horizontal slit ½ inch from the top and bottom edges. Then decorate with the markers. If using the knife, an adult should take over this step.

     Cut slits on foam sheet

  4. Slide the foam sheet onto the popsicle stick and bend to form a sail.

     

  5. Draw a small triangle on the construction paper and cut it out. Glue this to the top of the popsicle stick as a racing burgee.

    Decorate foam sheet and put on stick 
  6. Insert the popsicle stick into the cork base and your sailboat is ready for the water and its first race!

 

Congratulations on making your own Cork Sailboat! Share your creations with us on Facebook and Instagram by tagging @SeaTowFoundation and using the #DIYNauticalCraftTime

If you found this article helpful or entertaining, please consider a donation to the Sea Tow Foundation today to help us continue our efforts to educate boaters and keep them safe on the water. You can donate securely online at www.boatingsafety.com/donatetoday or by clicking on the DONATE tab at the top of the page.


Tags:  boating craft  cork boat  DIY Craft  homemade gift  Nautical Craft 

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Sea Tow Foundation DIY Craft Time: Nautical Picture Frame

Posted By Gail Kulp, Thursday, September 24, 2020
Updated: Thursday, September 17, 2020

Sea Tow Foundation’s DIY Craft Time: Nautical Picture Frame

Everyone knows that the best boating memories are the ones made out on the water. However, being out on the water isn’t always possible because of the weather, work and school schedules, or millions of other things going on in our lives.

With that in mind, the Sea Tow Foundation has created a monthly nautical craft to help bring those boating memories home. These crafts are easy for anyone to make and require limited tools and materials. In fact, all of the tools and materials are available at online retailers, or at a local craft store if you don’t already have the items lying around your house. Younger children may need the help of an adult for some portions of the craft project, but they can help with most of the personalization of the crafts. And many of these crafts make great homemade gifts!

In this month’s craft project, capture your treasured memories spent on the boat with these easy to make nautical picture frames.

Materials to Make a Nautical Picture Frame:

  • Foam Board
  • Box cutter or sharp craft knife
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Hot Glue
  • Alphabet stickers
  • Washi Tape
  • Sisal rope
  • Scissors
  • Photo for the frame
  • Newspaper or something to cover your table
  • Decorative items of your choice (seashells, stickers, twigs, colored string, etc.)
Materials for the Nautical Picture Frame
 

Directions for How to Make a Nautical Picture Frame:

  1. Determine what size frame you want based on the size of your photograph. You want the frame to be wide enough to allow for decorations.
    Some suggested dimensions are listed below as a guide using standard size photos and frames:
    4 x 6 photo – 8 x 10 frame
    5 x 7 photo – 11 x 14 frame
    8 x 10 photo – 16 x 20 frame

  2. Measure the foam board using the ruler and pencil and cut it out using the knife. Children can help with the measuring, but an adult should handle the cutting as some pressure must be applied to the knife to get through the thick foam. After the outside rectangle is cut, measure the inside area for the photo ¼” shorter than the sides of the photo that you are using and cut that out as well.  The cut edges will be rough, but these will be covered up in the next step.

     Foam board after cutting frame

  3. To cover the rough edges on the inside, use some decorative washi tape along the edge. You can find washi tape that coordinates with the colors in your photo. This is a great step for the kids to help!

     Cover inside of frame with washi tape

  4. Along the outside edge of the frame, attach the sisal rope with the hot glue. Warning: the glue gets very hot and can burn fingers easily, so adults should help with this step. Also, this is a good time to have the newspaper down to protect the table.

    Cover outside of frame with sisal rope

  5. While the glue is still hot, use this time to add decorations to the frame including seashells or anything else that would need to be glued down. The children can help decorate using alphabet stickers, twigs, or they can even color the frame with markers.

     Apply decorations to frame

  6. Once all of the decorations have dried, turn the frame over. Place the photo in the opening and ensure it is lined up properly. Then, secure the photo to the back of the foam board using washi tape.

 Add photo to frame and secure with washi tape

Congratulations on making a Nautical Picture Frame! Share your creations with us on Facebook and Instagram by tagging @SeaTowFoundation and using the #DIYNauticalCraftTime

If you found this article helpful or entertaining, please consider a donation to the Sea Tow Foundation today to help us continue our efforts to educate boaters and keep them safe on the water. You can donate securely online at www.boatingsafety.com/donatetoday or by clicking on the DONATE tab at the top of the page.

Tags:  DIY Craft  homemade gift  Nautical Craft  Nautical Picture Frame  Seashell craft 

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