DIY shell crafts - beautiful products for beginners

Many people have a collection of shells at home, reminiscent of carefree vacation days, hot sun and azure sea. You can preserve shells as memories of memorable events, as exclusive and spectacular decorations, toys, and souvenirs.

Seashells are an excellent crafting material that are free, safe, affordable, natural and durable. The sinks are quite diverse, each of them has individual colors, shapes and patterns. These features depend on the glands that mollusks have.

DIY shell crafts will be easy for adults and children to make. The process of joint creativity will bring family members closer together, and the result will delight you for a long time.

Preparing the shells

The first step is to process the shells. First, check to see if there are shellfish remains in them. If there is a foreign smell, the collected shells should be boiled for about five minutes and then the remains of the shellfish should be removed with long tweezers.

If the shell is empty, dip it in bleach mixed with water in equal proportions for half an hour. In some cases it may take a little longer. Then the dark layer should be removed.

You can use a stiff toothbrush for this work. Thoroughly clean the surface of the shell from plaque.

At the end of this stage, the shell will become dull and lose its shine. For some seashell crafts, the matte effect adds a touch of sophistication. If you need a classic gloss, the shell should be further processed.

Order is needed in everything

First, let's do some cleaning. Even if there are no foreign particles or shellfish remains on the surface, the shells should be soaked in a chlorine-containing solution. Any bleach or chlorine detergent will do.

A regular toothbrush is suitable for cleaning the surface.

One way is to fill the clams with water and place them in the freezer.

To get rid of live shellfish and their relatively fresh parts, the shells need to be placed in boiling water and the excess removed using tongs. There is another way - heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds and clean them of remains in the same way. If the first half a minute does not produce results, repeat the process until all particles are removed. Next, the material must be disinfected by rinsing in a solution with chlorine.

Add chlorine to the water

If there are chips

If cracks or chips are found, they must be sanded. Regular sandpaper or a sanding block will do for this.

Transforming a shell with glitter polish

Any rich cream will do to add shine.

Drilling holes

If we are planning necklaces, bracelets, dream catchers and other crafts that require stringing, we drill holes in advance. You can do this in two ways:

1. Using a drill or screwdriver, place the shell on a wooden board and glue it with tape. We take the thinnest drill and make a hole right on top of the tape, this will not allow the material to crumble.
2. Using a nail and a hammer – we cover the sink with tape (painting paper), draw a mark on the depressed side, place the point of the nail and lightly hit the head with a hammer several times to mark the hole. Next, we gradually expand it with the same nail or awl to the desired diameter.

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How to make a hole

For some crafts, small holes should be made in the shells. You can do it in two ways:

• Screwdriver,
• Manually. To do this you will need a hammer and the thinnest nail you can find.

The work should be done carefully. Too much force and the shell will crack.

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Drilling methods

Holes in the shells can be made manually using a nail and a hammer (or something that can replace them, for example, an awl or nail scissors). The second method is using a drill.

The shell is firmly fixed with tape to the surface in a vice. Start drilling from the inside, carefully moving the drill back and forth. Having made a hole, it is advisable to treat it with varnish.

Glossy effect

Water-dried shells look less vibrant than the items on store shelves. To achieve a beautiful glossy shine, the parts are treated with acrylic varnish with a transparent or pearlescent tint.

After processing, mother-of-pearl models acquire a lasting shine. It seems that the shell was just taken out of the water.

Sea Horse

We offer another step-by-step master class. Panels on canvas are another common option for crafts.

Accessories:

• background with stretcher;
• clean sinks;
• glue “Moment” or glue gun;
• stencil in the form of a seahorse;
• scotch.

On the background with the stretcher, we fix the stencil with the pattern with tape. We trace the outline with a pencil.

We fill the “ridge” with small shells without going beyond the boundaries.

Let it dry well. Ready!

Craft options

Shells can become a decorative element or represent a single composition. For example, photo frames designed to look like crafts made from seashells, or watches with a dial decorated with seashells, are still popular.

You can create various souvenirs from shells, including:

• Pictures in frames.
• Candlesticks.
• Animal figurines and ship models.
• Jewelry, including bracelets and beads.
• Postcards.
• Interior decorations and much more.

Handmade crafts made from shells will make an excellent gift.

Vertical compositions

Designer things are always in place. Their non-standard appearance can decorate a shelf, window sill, chest of drawers, desk or dining table in any room. This means that such unique things are definitely worth making! By the way, they are perfect for gifts.

What crafts and decorations made from shells do you have at home?

The selection uses photos from the sites: podelkidetkam.ru, fashionhobby.com, dacha-olgino.narod.ru, stranamasterov.ru, skachat-kartinki.ru, make-self.net, xvostrusalki.ru, maam.ru, portal.azertag .az, nach-shkola.ru, detkisemya.ru, fb.ru, androidxxlvip.ru, world-mans.ru, garden-pictures.irixpix, english-drawing-room, su.com.ua, craftingforyou.info, s30893898787 .mirtesen, dnevniki.ykt.ru, beaute-non-standard.ru, maminsite.ru, becti.net, morefactov.ru, labhousehold.com, storyteller.rf, vladmama.ru, dreams-mist.livejournal, pinterest.com , sonechko.gixx.ru, samozvetik.ru, darudar.org, mirzenshiny.ru, liveinternet.ru, kaksdelatcvetok.ru, bebezona.bg, podelkidetskie.ru, labhousehold.com, vidashki.ru, detskiepodelki.ru, udivitelno.com , studon.ru, surfingbird.ru, lubimayahozyaika.ru, copypast.ru, video.agaclip.com, hmhome.ru, mirzenshiny.ru, liveinternet.ru, eva.ru, vseumeyka.ru, bestwatch.ru, istra.tinot .ru

Photo frame

Every year, designers come up with new ideas for making crafts from shells that will complement the interior. One of them is photo frames.

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Materials needed:

• Seashells.
• Glue.
• Acrylic paints.
• Varnish.
• Wooden frame.

Sequence of actions in the photo frame product

First you need to attach the largest parts, for example, shells and voluminous beads. Then we place smaller ones between the large elements and glue them, trying not to leave any free spaces. You can manipulate the arrangement of photo frame elements as your heart desires.

To create a calm image of our craft, you can glue shells or decorative items of the same size and shape to the edges of the frame. The photo frame can shine under a mantle of sparkles, or shimmer in a variety of bright and matte shades.

How to do

First of all, we cover the blank frame with acrylic paint of any shade. Then we prepare the shells: remove the mollusks, polish them, and, if necessary, varnish them.

Small shells of various colors are best suited for photo frames. We glue the prepared shells to the base using a heat gun and wait until they dry completely.

After this, you can insert the photo into the frame and hang it on the wall.

Jar and shells - MK on creating a pencil holder

To create a beautiful and useful thing, it is not at all necessary to have a lot of expensive materials on hand. This craft requires only shells, a jar and flour, and the result of creativity with children can be used for many years.

For the stand you will need:

• Flour;
• Salt;
• 0.5 liter jar;
• Shells;
• Brush.

Knead the salted dough in the following proportions: 2 cups flour; 1 glass of salt; 2/3 glass of water. The result should be a mixture that does not stick to your hands and is soft enough for modeling. Roll out a wide layer 1 cm thick.

Carefully distribute the dough throughout the jar, removing excess pieces. We form a thin sausage from the mass and close the neck of the jar with it.

While the dough has not hardened, decorate the jar with shells. To fix them, press shells of any size into the dough. The pattern, size and color of the shells does not matter - here the child himself can imagine to his heart’s content.

Using a brush we can create additional patterns on the jar. The craft is almost ready. Now the dough should harden; to do this, place the jar in a dry and warm place for 2-3 days.

Paintings and panels

It is known that children love to make crafts from a variety of materials. One of them is shells.

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One of the most common shell crafts for children are wall panels. They can be decorated not only with shells, but also with sea pebbles.

To make a painting in a marine style you will need attention and perseverance, as well as the following materials:

• White dense paintings,
• Paints,
• Pencils,
• Shells and pebbles.

Sea shell flowers

Agree that thin and delicate sea shells resemble the petals of earthly flowers. You should definitely take advantage of this similarity and make a flower arrangement for the holiday, as a gift, or to decorate your home.

How to do

The first step is to cut out the base of a certain shape. Then, the cardboard is pasted over with colored paper or painted with paints. And after the background has completely dried, all decorative elements are glued.

Such panels are considered one of the most common children's crafts made from shells. The author's imagination is not limited by anything. Children can glue shells in absolutely any order.

How to make paintings from natural materials

Using shells, you can create unusual paintings or decorations. Doing this is not as difficult as you might think at first glance. You just need to approach the work from a creative side, using your imagination. The main material is shells, which can be bought or collected on the coast. Then they need to be sorted depending on type and size. To create a masterpiece, you will also need the following materials at hand:

• base, you can use plywood, board or thick cardboard;
• frame;
• glue;
• paints;
• beads, twigs, blades of grass, sand, beads and other decorative elements.

The process of creating a picture from shells consists of the following steps:

1. Sketch design. If you are not very skilled with a pencil, find a picture on the Internet, scan it and make an image along the outline.
2. Preparing the base. Thick plywood or a cutting board, such as a cutting board, is best. It is recommended to sand the base and then repaint it. The background can be made with a stain of a suitable color or potassium permanganate.
3. Drawing. If you are working with a sketch, it is better to use a carbon copy to transfer the picture onto the base, or simply create the future picture directly on the board, like a mosaic. You need to paint the material before you start gluing it. It is advisable to use bright acrylic paints. If you are making a flower, it is better to take white or multi-colored paints, but for a panel with a seascape, green and blue shades are suitable, which convey the color of the waves well.
4. Gluing the material. Shells and other decorative elements are well fixed with PVA glue.
5. Framing the painting. Homemade baguettes can transform paintings, but making them will require a lot of patience and skill.

Seashell panel with seascape

This type of needlework will awaken everyone’s creative abilities. A panel with a seascape will look great in the bathroom. It’s not too difficult to make it using a master class:

1. Paint the frame with stain or potassium permanganate and set it aside to dry completely. For a panel with a seascape, use white, blue and green paints.
2. Insert the prepared base into the frame.
3. The background can be made of mesh, sand, fabric or burlap. Cut the material according to the size of the baguette, attach with glue or a special glue gun.
4. Proceed to the next stage - creating the picture itself from shells. Remember that you need to carefully attach each part with glue.
5. Cover the finished panel with acrylic varnish. This will give it a complete look, and the sea will shimmer, as if you were really standing on the shore.

Portrait applique made of seashells

A painting made by yourself will be an excellent gift or decoration in the home. To create a shell applique, you need to have a lot of base material in different sizes and colors. If you are good with a pencil, then making a portrait from shells will not be difficult. The process itself is as follows:

1. Prepare the foundation on which the creation will be located.
2. Draw a sketch using a photo of a person as a reference.
3. Apply glue to the image and immediately lay the shells, not allowing the glue to dry. Elements must be suitable in color and size.
4. If the portrait applique is ready, do not forget to spray it with varnish. This will give it shine and completeness.

Making a flower arrangement from shells

Using natural materials, you can create original interior items. The decor of the room will be decorated with a hand-made flower arrangement made from shells. For production you will need:

• main material – shells (any size);
• frame;
• varnish and paints in cans;
• universal glue;
• piece of film.

A step-by-step picture of flowers is made like this:

1. Use paint to create a background for your future work. Using a spray can for this purpose, you will do everything neatly and without streaks.
2. Start making flowers: wipe off the shells, place them in a row (this makes it easier to take).
3. Place a little glue in the center of the film.
4. Glue the shells one by one in the shape of a bud.
5. Make the core of the flower: glue a small shell of a different color into the middle of the half-opened bud.
6. Make the rest of the flowers in the same way, the quantity depends on your desire. It is worth noting that the flower arrangement will be more interesting if shells of different shades alternate in one flower.
7. Think about where each flower will be located on the base; you can make marks.
8. Glue the flowers and spray with varnish.

This is interesting: Jim Parsons and Todd Spivak

Abstract seashell mosaic

Such paintings will make any interior exclusive. Making a mosaic from sea shells takes a long time, but you will have fun doing it. When creating a masterpiece, an important step is preparing the base. The “weeping” shell is often used. Get started:

1. Draw an even circle on the sink and cut it out with scissors.
2. Glue the shells in a certain order onto a prepared base (photo frame, flowerpot or any other object). Start from the top outline, moving down, from the right side to the left. It is better to attach it with a hot glue gun, applying the composition to the base and to the sink. Please note that the glue strips should be no more than 2-3 cm.
3. When most of the mosaic picture is ready, apply glue only to the shells and carefully insert each one into place, pressing it firmly into the base.
4. Decorate the background with backfill - plastic or glass chips. Apply glue to the required area with a brush, then cover the material in a dense layer and press with your fingers to compact it. Afterwards, turn the picture of shells over so that the excess falls off.

How to do

Sanded sinks should be checked for edge sharpness. The excess is processed with a file or emery sheet.

The cinders should be melted in a water bath and poured inside the shell. Until the candle hardens, you need to place a wick with a bolt or nut attached to it. It is necessary to hold the wick until the paraffin completely hardens.

To make the candle not only pleasing to the eye, but also give a pleasant aroma, you can drop aromatic oil into the melted paraffin. The finished product can be painted or varnished.

Thematic mirror

We suggest doing a little work for beginners. It will look like a mirror with shells around the edges. It won’t take much of your time, and will also delight you and those around you!

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We will need:

• shells of different sizes;
• glue gun;
• mirror of any size;
• unnecessary newspapers;
• scotch;
• additional decorations (beads, seed beads) at your request.

If you don't like the look of the mirror frame, you should paint it the color you want. In order not to stain the mirror, it is worth securing the paper on it with tape.

We begin to glue the shells onto the frame. At your discretion, arrange the parts according to size so that the picture looks neater in the future.

We fill all the gaps with small parts or shell remains.

Well, that's it! Look how easy and simple everything is, but at the same time beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

Candlestick

Another craft option that will be useful in every home. A beautiful, unique candlestick will decorate any celebration. It's quite simple to make. You will need wide mollusk shells of different diameters, varnish and glue.

We lay out the shells in the shape of an open lotus and carefully glue all the parts together. We coat the finished composition with acrylic varnish. Place a candle in the center.

This is how you can easily create unique interior items or figurines. A little imagination and patience will help you make a real masterpiece out of a bunch of shells.

Seashells in interior decor

Shells are a universal natural material, as they are suitable for decorating objects of any size and shape. The original combination of shells, beads and colored glass gives the products an unusual look.

Decorating the mirror

Creating decor from shells on a frame with your own hands is a task that is feasible even for novice needlewomen. Step by step process:

1. The surface of the frame is cleaned of dust. All material is thoroughly washed and dried.
2. Several large shells are evenly placed and glued along the frame.
3. The surface of the frame is then filled with small shells.
4. The remaining areas can be covered with small pebbles and pieces of mother-of-pearl.

Stylish decor for a mirror in the living room.

When choosing a material, you periodically need to move some distance away and evaluate the pattern of shells from afar. To prevent a small frame from looking overloaded with decor, it is advisable to use it sparingly.

Decorating photo frames

An original photo is the best idea to preserve your vacation memories. The kids love to collect pebbles and shells on the seashore. Every child will enthusiastically accept the idea of ​​covering a photo frame with them. The original option is to decorate the lower part of the frame with shells, and paint the top and sides with blue paint.

Or stick a small starfish and a few small shells in the upper corner of the frame, and grease the other sides well with glue and sprinkle with washed sand - you get a kind of piece of the seashore.

Vase with shells

A fashionable trend is to decorate the holiday table with glass vases filled with shells of different sizes and shades. Containers of non-standard shapes look especially impressive.

Unexpected decor of glass vases.

You can emphasize the maritime character of the decoration with a thin rope: just glue several rows of linen cord imitating a rope along the edge of the vase.

Panel

When creating a decoration, it is recommended to use a specially prepared base (cardboard, framed canvas, stretcher covered with fabric). Themes for the panels can be very different. Shells are pasted in random order, or figurines of a mermaid or seahorse are laid out on the canvas.

The music of wind

It is believed that the unusual Feng Shui talisman transforms the negative energy of the house into positive energy. Naturally, a handmade accessory brings a special atmosphere to the room.

Different ways to design crafts.

It is not difficult to create “music of the sea wind”: a cross is made from two identical sticks. Shells and mother-of-pearl plates are hung on threads, securing the elements with knots. Having collected 8 threads, secure them to the cross. It is necessary to select approximately identical elements so that the cross does not warp.

Candlestick made of shells

On the sea coast you come across a lot of bivalve shells. This material can be successfully used to create a candlestick in the shape of a flower bud. Step by step process:

1. A row of shells is glued along the contour of a round wooden base of small diameter.
2. In a similar way, the entire base is gradually filled, and closer to the center the shells are fixed at a smaller angle of inclination.

To stylize the craft and give it a more glamorous look, the edges of the petals are smeared with glue and sprinkled with glitter.

Exquisite candlestick with mother-of-pearl petals.

Shell topiary

An original and delicate topiary made from shells is created using conventional techniques. Shells, pieces of coral, beads, and small pebbles are used as elements decorating the ball. Small bows made of sisal will give the craft both a harsh marine and romantic look.

Flower pot

Clam shells are best suited for decorating large containers. But small pots will be interestingly transformed by a wide, beautiful border of shells. To prevent the pot from looking too colorful, it is recommended to paint it white or sand. The ground near the flower can be covered with small gray pebbles, which will go well with the white structural surface and protect the soil from drying out.

Desk lamp

When decorating lighting items, you need to decide in advance on which part of the lamp the shells will be attached. If you are decorating the base of the lamp, it is advisable to choose several large and many small shells. They can be glued randomly or according to a certain pattern (the sketch must be drawn in advance). Starfish and pieces of coral are perfect for decorating a lampshade or lampshade. It is better to glue large elements along the edge, and distribute small ones higher.

How to elegantly decorate a lampshade.

Photos of crafts made from shells

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Decoration of baskets based on shells

Seashells will complement the weaving of the basket with their natural beauty. The work contains very simple steps. With the help of such decoration, the basket will acquire an elegant image and give joyful emotions.

To implement this plan you will need the following materials:

• shells of all possible shapes and distinctive sizes;
• thick rope;
• strong glue;
• items that decorate the craft.

Step-by-step steps towards the goal

Carefully tie or glue the rope to the circumference of the basket. Paint the shells in the colors you like. Cover them with varnish base. Wait for the shells to dry. Glue them to the rope.

You can also make a hole in the shell and tie it to a rope. This will create different lengths of attached shells. This is followed by decorating the finished product with various decorative items.