Today’s DIY project was inspired by my friends Amy and Jimmy, who created something just like this as invitation for their Cozumel wedding! I was so impressed and had to share this awesome idea with everyone. It could be used as a destination wedding invite, a save the date, or even asking someone to be your maid of honor / bridesmaid / best man / groomsman.

ITEMS BOUGHT FOR THIS PROJECT:

Small Glass Jar w/ Cork ($.99), Sand ($2.99/bag), Small Shells ($4.99/bag), Paper ($.49/sheet), String ($2.79/roll)

OTHER ITEMS NEEDED:

Fine-tipped Sharpie or other nice pen to write message with, Label Paper for name on outside, Pencil or other skinny object to roll paper around

One piece of paper will make 6 equally sized pieces to write a small message on. A medium weight paper is best: it is not as flimsy as standard white paper, and if you go too heavy it will not roll very well.

Write your message/invitation/question using the fine-tipped sharpie or other nice pen, and roll up the paper using a pencil or other skinny object (I used a paintbrush!)

Tie the rolled paper at the top and bottom using the string. Make sure that one end has a long piece of string, approximately 6 inches, to hang out of the bottle.

Using a funnel, carefully pour 1 inch of sand into the bottle. Don’t have a funnel? You can create one out of a piece of paper– just cut along the dotted outline shown, roll, and tape!

After pouring in the sand, put the small shells into the bottle. *Make sure* when purchasing the shells that they are small enough to fit into the top of the bottle!

Insert the piece of rolled paper into the bottle with the long piece of string at the top. Use your pencil (or a paintbrush, as I did) to push the paper down into the bottle if it is a bit snug going in. Don’t worry, it will come out!

Attach a label to the end of the string with the recipient’s name, and you’re all set!