Sand Vessels

I find this project to be very meditative.
1. You will need an empty glass vessel with a lid.
2. For the sand you have two choices:
A. You can buy sand that already has color in it.
B. You can make your own colored sand by buying white sand (if you live by a beach or sand
dune you can collect free sand) and use colored chalk to color the sand.
           1. On a large sheet of paper poor a small mound of the white sand on the paper.
           2. Then take one color of chalk and begin rubbing the sand with the chalk.  Make sure you are holding the chalk horizontally to cover more of the sand. Keep rubbing the chalk into the sand until all the sand is colored.
3. Take one color of sand (ex. red sand) and poor some into the glass vessel.  It's always best to poor about 1/2 inch because the more layers the better.  But it is your jar so poor as much as you like.
4. If you are making your own colored sand repeat step (B) to make your next color.  Take a second color and poor in another layer of colored sand into the jar.  Keep repeating this process until your jar is full with different layers of colored sand.
5. Get a piece of thin gauged wire, such as, a wire coat hanger.  Make sure the piece of wire is the length of the vessel, this way you will be able to reach the bottom.
6. With the wire piece poke the inside sides of the glass vessel to begin making the design.  Make sure you slide the wire down the sides of the glass as best you can to create a design.  Keep doing this around the entire jar until you are satisfied with the sand design you achieved.
7. Once you have finished poking the sand put the lid on the glass vessel.  If you have any space between the sand and the lid make sure you fill it with more sand.  There should be no air between the lid and the sand, we want it as tight as possible.  This way if the jar ever fell the sand won't get all mixed up.