I love the beach. It has always been one of my favorite places to go and to be. When I was in college I started collecting sand from some of the more memorial beaches we have been to.
They have become one of my favorite treasures and decor. They are not expensive to create either. When on vacation I collect sand in a Ziploc bag. Then when we get home I hunt at thrift stores or Jo-ann’s for the perfect bottle.
To mark the bottles I just type out the name of the place, pick a font that I feel portrays the feel of the place, and print it on natural colored paper. Then I rip the tag to the perfect size. I use an eyelet punch 
to create a place to loop my string through and to tie it on.
On some of the jars I even used a little wire and some beads to display the tag. This was my first jar and is still one of my favorites because it was the last trip I took with my Mom as a single woman before I got married and it was such a blast!
I try to come up with different natural strings to tie the tags on and I try to tie them all in a different way. My kids love to look at them and get so excited when we go to a new place and can collect sand to bring home.
I really wanted an old bottle to go with our collection and how cool is it that my husband found one the Philippines and actually dove down to get it for us! It was perfect for our collection.
So the next time you are on vacation and trying to figure out what to bring home think about starting your own collection of fun sand bottles!
Virginia S Patton
Do you have to clean the sand? My concern is that it will mold or grow algee. Does it keep in the bottles?
Pam Dana
I haven’t had any problems! I’ve always chosen to collect sand in a clean area that has had water over it recently. I lay it out on a sheet pan in a thin layer and allow it to dry well before putting it in the bottle!
Michele Durham
These are beautiful! Do you make these and sell them??
Pam Dana
Thank you so much. I don’t sell them though!
The Curvy Girl
What a GREAT idea! Love it!
Marci Butterfield
I do this too! Except I use glass soda bottles that I find from that particular location….. I think I like the look of yours better though. Looks nicer than just soda bottles with sand.
Aliza Biorn
What a fun idea! We already collect shells from different beach trips and I never know what to do with them when we get home. We could take some sand too and make these!