Christmas coastal creations

Have a crafty Christmas

With a bit of flair and a few simple materials, you can fashion the perfect coastal Christmas gifts for all

Styling: Maxine Brady. Photographs Mel Yates

Mussel-shell wreath

The perfect gift for: your mother\'s new seaside cottage

What you do: collect or buy 500g (approx 200) empty Atlantic mussel shells. Wash and dry them thoroughly. Glue three rows of shells to a round, wire frame (try www.theessentialscompany.co.uk), ensuring that all of them face up and point in the same direction. Finish with a ribbon.

Velvet ribbon in olive, £5, Re. Baubles, from a selection, John Lewis. Vintage bottles, from £8 each, Willow & Stone. Loop scissors, £18, Plümo. Atlantic mussel shells, £15.40 for 500g bag, Online Shells. Alternatively, you can buy a wreath ready made from Papilio 

Pearly cushion

The perfect gift for: a downshifting friend who has moved to the coast

What you do: stitch or glue mother-of-pearl buttons onto a cushion cover (natural colours and textures are best) in a maritime pattern. Designs such as an anchor or a knot work well.

Plain cotton cushion pad, £3.50, John Lewis. Timba fabric in Cobble (made into cushion cover), £25 per metre, Malabar. Pearly king and queen buttons, £6 for 100g, The Button Company. Panel linen cushion cover (behind) in Natural, £26, Volga Linen. Chunky hand-knit throw in ecru, £125, Toast. Fairy lights (in foreground), £8.99 for 120, Argos

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Seashore-scented candles

The perfect gift for: a city-bound friend who is yearning for the sea

What you do: melt some beeswax in a ceramic bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add a few drops of essential oils from flowers or herbs that grow on the coast, such as yarrow, sage, thyme or camomile. Pour into a rigid mould and insert a wick (support the wick as the candle sets). Remove the candle from the mould when it\'s cool and hard.

Essential oils, from £7 for 5ml, NH Organic Oils. Cylindrical, rigid candle mould, £3.95; beeswax, £12.50 for 510g bag, and candle wick, £1.20, all
www.candlemakers.co.uk. Recycled glass wind light, £18, Baileys Home and Garden. Mother-of-pearl garland, £23, Florestine. Vintage bottles, as before 

Tidal clock

The perfect gift for: a yachtie brother

What you do: buy a cardboard clock and a book of tide tables. Customise the clock by pasting pages over the surface. Choose a birthday month to make the gift more personal. For a suitable adhesive, try www.hobbycraft.co.uk.

Mantel clock in corrugated cardboard, £28, by Dovetusai at Giles Miller. Tide Times, £1.95 each, Nigel J Clarke Publications. Fairy lights, £8.99 for 120, Argos 

Coastal hamper

The perfect gift for: a naval uncle with epicurean tastes

What you do: find an old suitcase from a charity or antiques shop. Line the interior with used navigation charts or maps of the coastline. Fill with pantry favourites, such as jars of pickles, Morecambe Bay potted shrimps, ginger beer, Cornish cheeses, home-baked bread and English wine. Add a Thermos for tea or fish soup.

Produce, from a selection, Bill\'s. Chapel Down Bacchus Flint Dry wine, £6.64, Waitrose. Ribbon, £5 per spool, Re. ‘Map\' wallpaper, £34.95 per roll, Wallpaper Direct. Vintage Thermos, from a selection, Time Travellers UK 

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Embroidered throw

The perfect gift for: a youthful aunt to take on holiday

What you do: find an old linen sheet - try a vintage shop or buy one from Parna. Lightly draw a seaweed design on it in pencil. Stitch the design using an embroidery needle and coloured thread.

Vintage linen sheet, from £55 for 1.5 x 2 metres, Parna. Embroidery, Just Sew. Althea cushion, £38, Laura Ashley. Hand embroidery thread, £2.20, www.sewessential.co.uk.

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Driftwood table decoration

The perfect gift for: your own coastal Christmas table

What you do: go beachcombing for a long, straightish piece of driftwood
(after a winter storm is a good time). Buy a selection of glass baubles and loop them onto the driftwood with pieces of ribbon and string. Hang over the table from cup hooks suspended from the ceiling.

Baubles, from a selection, John Lewis. The Pier cake stand, £120, Seafront tea set with teapot, £170, and platter, £50, all Esther Coombs. Provence cutlery, £24 for a set of six, and linen napkins, £14 for six, both Dibor 

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