Beach Card Designs

Everyone loves a beach walk, and it's hard to resist picking up a handful of pretty shells or tiny nuggets of tide-tumbled coloured glass as you stroll along. Making handmade cards with what you've found on the beach is a relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

The sand from this card was collected from Kaiteriteri beach in Tasman. If you've stayed at a friend's bach, make a Thank You card from sand collected at their beach.

3 simple DIY beach-inspired card designs

If you're away on holiday, or just taking a morning stroll along the beach, collect a few shells and use the ideas below to create something special. There's no need to get complicated - simply let nature's perfection shine.

1. Design a simple card with sand

Cut a piece of double-sided adhesive paper into a stylised spiral or shell shape, adhere to a square card, and sprinkle with sand. Use a pencil to handwrite the name of the beach where you collected the sand, and send it as a thank you to your host.

2. Use seashells to create a quick handmade card

Seashells are beautifully sculptural, and little more is needed to create a gorgeous handmade card. Use a single shell, or cluster foraged items into shapes or arrangements.

3. Make a miniature collage card from items found on the beach

Depending on what you find on your beach walk, you might be inspired to create a collage from your tiny treasures. Grouping items into a grid formation with plenty of white space helps balance the composition, allowing it to breathe.

The spiral shape below is actually made with double-sided adhesive and a superfine silica sand used in kilns, which adheres evenly. Every card is a unique work of art, by virtue of the found objects and the way you use them.

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Ephemeral Nature Portraits

Gav Barbey is a multi-disciplinary Australian artist who runs Creative Workshops around the world, with a focus on socially engaged, contemporary, participatory and immersive art. One of his many areas of play is the Ephemeral Nature Portrait. Gav invites us to "go towards what sparks your imagination; treat it with awe, like a meditation, sit with it and play." Follow Gav Barbey on Instagram

Examples of ephemeral nature portraits

Experimenting with natural materials and organic shapes and forms stimulates the senses, and allows for creative, imaginative play. Get inspired by other peoples' ideas with found & foraged items, as you embark on your own creative card making journey.

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