12 Summer Sand Art DIYs

All of my sand art associations are beach town souvenir shop-related—the kind of thing that looks cute when you’re on a vacation high but then seems woefully out of place once you return home. But there’s nothing inherently tacky about intriguing layers of cheerfully hued sand, as these 12 fabulous DIYs prove!

You can buy the HonestlyWTF X Makers Kit terrarium kit—or just make your own using dollar store vases, moss, sedum (or sedum seeds if you’re patient), a skewer, a pipette, and sand in the colors of your choice. Also lead image above.

First things first: making your own colored sand—using just food coloring and sand—allows you to perfectly coordinate your projects to your decor.

This sand art project actually uses table salt tinted with grated sidewalk chalk! Layer your glorious colors, plonk in an air plant or a candle, gild the rim of your vase with a gold paint pen, and you’re all set.

Convert a shadow box or flag frame into a vessel for sophisticated sand art. A small, not-too-heavy version could be hung on the wall!

Ooh, I would love to receive one of these as a gift! Make them for yourself and everyone you know using sugar, coconut oil, gel food colors, and essential oils. Present the sweet, colorful layers in gold-lidded jars or spray paint less-glam lids.

How did they get their custom-colored sand so glittery? Try this project and report back!

This tutorial takes the glittery factor a step farther by layering actual gold glitter with red sand, white sand, and white gravel. I think incorporating other materials like these can help incorporate sand art into modern decor.

Custom-colored sand, tiny succulents, and thrift store/dollar store glasses combine to form elegant, minimal, long-lasting centerpieces.

This would make such a cute gift for a baker or an ice cream sundae enthusiast! However, I do not support Brit + Co’s recommendation of displaying air plants in vases full of sprinkles. Sprinkles and plants do not go together, and open containers of sprinkles would surely attract pests, right?

These are delightful and would make a perfect party dessert-and-activity-in-one. This is also one of those visually appealing cake projects that tastes as good as it looks, since it’s just crumbled (food-colored) cake!

Evoke the layered look of sand art by dying your hair in horizontal triangles of poppy colors. The bad news for those of us with dark hair is that this tutorial requires blond hair, though maybe we could use hair chalk for a similar look?

Tackle this ambitious manicure while you’re on vacation, and then relive the beachy magic every time you catch sight of your nails!