Make Your Own Chic Cocktail Toothpicks

There is a really cute preppy and beachy store near my parent's house that is my go-to place for hostess gifts or any girly gift.  I absolutely love their merchandise and to Jon's chagrin, I can never leave that store empty-handed.  They sell little packages of cocktail toothpicks with seashells on the top, but they're a little overpriced in my opinion.  Rather than pay their price, I decided to make my own toothpicks with mini seashells and starfish (to go with the bridal shower theme) and was thrilled with the way they came out.  The toothpicks were so easy to make, yet they really dress up an appetizer plate.

Seashell and Starfish Cocktail Toothpicks

Supplies

• hot glue gun
• large sandwich toothpicks
• mini seashells or starfish (we found ours on Ebay)
  
  

Directions

1. Squeeze a small amount of hot glue onto the flat end of a toothpick.
2. Quickly, before the glue dries, stick the gluey end of the toothpick into the seashell, or for the starfish, press the gluey end onto the center of the starfish.  Be gentle; little shells are fragile!
3. Place in a small cup (shot glasses work great) to allow to dry. 
4. Stick in your favorite appetizer (that would be cheese for me!) and voilá!  Instant charm!

Note:  Since our seashells were so teeny tiny, I had Jon hammer the end of each one to flatten them out a bit.  This allowed them to fit into the seashell opening and also made it easier to stick to the flat starfish.