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March 20, 2012 ·

Shell Art

Crafts· DIY· seaside decor· shells

Our favorite family getaway is to a Hatteras Island beach cottage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina (OBX as we call it). Each time we go we collects hundreds of shells and now my home has bags and bags full of shells taking up space! I had to come up with some creative solution to display our treasured shell finds and thought a gallery wall of framed shell art would be perfect!

Shell Art

 

I’m thinking we might have gotten a bit carried away with the shell collecting this last trip. We also spent the evenings sorting the shells into separate color piles. (Yes, I’ve passed down some horrid OCD tendencies to my kids… sorry kiddos.)

shell collection

How to Make Framed Shell Art

To make shell art you will need:

frames with mats, shells, card stock, tape, scissors, hot glue.

Optional items: spray paint and high gloss spray polyurethane.

Pick up some inexpensive frames with mats. I chose 6 frames from Target. They were 15 x 19 inches with an 8 x 10 inch opening inside the mat and ran around $15 each. They came in black and white but I wanted a brushed nickel color so I disassembled the frames and spray painted them! You will not be using the glass in your frames, so save it for another project. While the frames were drying, I decided to spray the shells with a light coat of high gloss spray polyurethane. The gloss brings out all the gorgeous color and shine of wet shells.

Tape a piece of white cardstock to the backside of the mat on all four sides. I used strong packing tape.

tape edges (1024x683)

Flip the mat and cardstock back over to the front side and start placing and arranging your shells onto the card stock. I chose to place the largest shells at the bottom and worked my way up to the smaller shells at the top.

arrange shells

Once you have all the shells arranged exactly how you like them, then carefully pick up one shell at a time and apply the hot glue to the shell.

Framed Sea shell art

Apply the hot glue just inside the edges and foot of your shell. Carefully place the shell back onto the cardstock. You get ONE chance at this, because once it is down on the paper you can not move it. You also don’t want to apply too much glue or it will ooze out from behind the shells.

hot glue the shell

After gluing your shells, reassemble your mat into your frame and you are ready to hang it on your wall! These shells that we collected come in so many different colors. We found black, gray, white, cream, pink, yellow and red shells. Yellow was not shown here because I didn’t have enough shells to fill the space. I’ll have to look out for those on our next trip!

shell collage

Display your framed shell art as a single piece of art or as an entire gallery wall! I did a post on Tips & Tricks for Making a Gallery Wall which will save you a ton of time and frustration and give you professional results!

Sea Shell Art

Framed Shell Art

If you like decorating with shells you might like these posts too:

Capiz Shell Christmas Trees

Natural Textured Cones

Ceiling Medallion Wall Art

Kim

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Comments

  1. Calypso In The Country says

    March 20, 2012 at 11:55 am

    What a wonderful idea! They look perfect in that spot! My kids are always collecting shells so this would be great for them to help with!
    -Shelley

  2. Christa Delgado Design Inc says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:22 pm

    Great TUT! My children and I have collected shells from so many states and countries. This gives me a new way to showcase them!

  3. The Creativity Exchange says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:44 pm

    Beautiful Kim! I love it!

  4. coastal femme says

    March 20, 2012 at 3:25 pm

    Kim,

    Thanks for the inspiration. I love your gallery wall. Living near the beach, I too have hundreds of shells and love to display them. I’m definitely going to copy this tutorial!

  5. The German Girl says

    March 20, 2012 at 4:38 pm

    I love this idea. I think I will dig out my shell collection and start working on it this weekend. Thank you so much for sharing!

  6. Jessica @ Stay at Home-ista says

    March 20, 2012 at 4:42 pm

    We just did a shell project too, except we were on a beach in Lake Tahoe where there was a ton of snow, so the kids were digging the shells out of snow and ice. I think they had more fun collecting than anything else. I love how yours turned out.

  7. Paula says

    March 20, 2012 at 8:26 pm

    What a great way to display shells so that they can be enjoyed. My mom has a small OBX cottage and this would make a perfect display for above her sofa.

    We vacationed at Avon in the 80’s. Boy has it changed since then!

  8. LiveLoveDIY says

    March 21, 2012 at 12:49 am

    LOVE IT. Seriously amazing! Such a great idea!!!! 🙂

  9. Jamie @ Sew Rockin' says

    March 21, 2012 at 2:03 am

    Gorgeous!!! I totally want to do this for my bathroom 🙂

  10. Amy Fountain says

    March 21, 2012 at 5:23 am

    I never know what to do with shells from the beach, this is a wonderful idea!

  11. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    March 21, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    Kim, this looks fabulous. I didn’t know the shells would fit under a regular frame. Nice to know. Thanks for sharing at Wow.

  12. kelly@refresheddesigns. says

    March 22, 2012 at 3:04 am

    That’s the nicest shell art I’ve ever seen! Great idea and execution.

  13. Kim B. says

    March 22, 2012 at 5:31 am

    WoW!! Am having a little shell envy going on here! Our beaches have NO where near as many shells as yours in NC!! Plus, they’re mostly white, not all colorful like yours 🙂 Sooo beautiful & LOVED that you framed & displayed them as a fun reminder of your trips!

  14. Niki says

    March 25, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    Love this!! I am going to have to pass it along to my mom. She has a beach themed guest bedroom that is adorable…these would look great in there!!

  15. poindextr says

    March 25, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    looks wonderful in your lovely room!

  16. Jenn Erickson says

    March 26, 2012 at 12:10 am

    Kim, this really is a beautifully done and elegant project!

    Sophisticated and heirloom-worthy.

  17. Sara @ Mom Endeavors says

    March 27, 2012 at 11:15 pm

    Ooh! Love this! It would go great with the shell art I made for our bathroom–now, I just need that many different shells! 🙂

  18. Susan ~ Southern Fascinations says

    March 29, 2012 at 7:51 pm

    Kim… I’ve just got to create a couple of these… so very pretty! Thanks for sharing.

  19. Sarah@budgetfriendlydecorating says

    April 2, 2012 at 2:51 am

    I absolutely love this artistic use of seashells..I have a bit of a collecting issue myself and I love OBX to!

  20. Jenny says

    April 3, 2012 at 12:46 am

    Love this! What a great way to commemorate trip memories! Silly question, but is it hard to re-mat it with the glass, given the depth of the shells? Love the look though – makes for an eye catching gallery wall.

  21. Anonymous says

    November 1, 2012 at 5:56 pm

    I have actually done this with shark’s teeth. Just used a collage frame. There use to be THOUSANDS of them! But alas, no more. But I still have the river rocks and oyster shells! Topsail Beach is my stomping ground. Love the blog

  22. Anonymous says

    November 13, 2012 at 5:44 am

    simple but beautiful…i have a collection of shells when we went to Pangasinan but i don’t have an idea of making this… thanks for sharing…

  23. LaVee says

    June 25, 2013 at 10:27 am

    Hi, LOVE these ideas! Also love the paint color in your room above where the framed slell art hangs. Would you please share what color it is?

    • Kim Wilson says

      June 29, 2013 at 8:31 am

      Hi! The wall color is Atmospheric by Benjamin Moore. It used to be a popular Pottery Barn color also. I love it. Thanks for stopping by! ~ KIM

  24. Martha says

    July 7, 2013 at 4:21 pm

    I noticed that you mentioned removing the glass in order to paint the frames. You do not return the glass to the frame? If not, how are the white mats holding up? Have they discolored when you dust them? This is a terrific project that will allow us to display our shell collection!

    • Kim Wilson says

      July 7, 2013 at 5:45 pm

      Hi Martha!
      Thank you for the kind comment. You are correct, they do not have glass over them. They still look great today. 😉
      ~KIM

  25. Julie Khuu says

    May 28, 2014 at 8:56 pm

    What a cool and fresh idea! Especially for client’s beach homes, they’ll love this! Made so much better when it’s been collected over the years, such treasures!

    Thank you for visiting my blog doll, would love to get your thoughts on my latest design!

    xo-Julie
    Peace. Love. LOL!

    Haute Khuuture Blog

  26. Rilane says

    June 26, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    I love this idea. Certainly, copy your idea. Because I also have a large collection of sea shells 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. How to Make a Gallery Wall says:
    March 20, 2013 at 3:48 pm

    […] to check out the DIY Project Gallery Tab at the top! Click on the link to learn how to make the Shell Art like you see in the wall […]

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    […] I am sure everyone has collected a seashell or two to remember that wonderful trip at the beach or even because the shell was too beautiful not to take home. But, have you ever thought a turning your seashell souvenirs into a contemporary art piece? Besides shells, you would need to purchase frames with mats, shells, card stock, tape, scissors, hot glue. Some great examples, finished products as well as tips can be found at the  Sand and Sisal blog. […]

  4. 10 Awesome Beach-Themed Projects For A Vacation-Like Feel says:
    June 25, 2013 at 4:32 am

    […] Making shell art can be very fun. For this version you need frames, mats, shells, card stock, tape and hot glue. Spray paint the frame if you want to. Then tape a piece of card stock to the backside of the mat, flip it back over and arrange the shells onto the card stock. Once you’re happy with the design, glue the shells on one by one and reassemble the mat.{found on sandandsisal}. […]

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Kim WilsonWelcome to Sand & Sisal: where love of home and sea meet! I share tutorials in DIY, decorating, crafts, gardening, & recipes.  [READ MORE]

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