Beach in a Block

When I was fourteen, my family went to NYC to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center along with some other touristy sights. I barely remember the day except for the fact that my older brother had asked if he could bring his "friend" with us. We then found out that she was his new girlfriend. Fast forward a few years, Bethany came on a family vacation with us to Aruba. We had a blast. She was already a part of our family. One night, Ryan and Bethany took a bottle of wine and two glasses and went down to the beach to look at the stars. When they came back, they were engaged. My brother married his high school sweetheart almost two years ago and I am so happy because of it. I could not have picked someone better for Ryan. 

All of that back story is to give this DIY some meaning. I like to give gifts to people that will mean something. The first Christmas that they were married, I decided to make this for them.

All I did was take a simple craft block that I bought at Michaels like this one

and filled it with sand, a few shells, a cork and a picture from that night when he proposed. It probably cost less than $20 for the whole thing and turned out beautifully. I have seen some really clever things done with craft blocks. People use them as wedding centerpieces, fish tanks, they fill them with candy, Christmas lights, cover them with paper mache and light them up... you name it. What have you done with craft blocks?