DIY shell crafts: where and how to use shells brought from the sea

Seashells are the most inexpensive and atmospheric souvenirs that you can collect on the seashore and bring home. These little things will remind you of warm water, bright sun and colorful summer for a long time. In addition, they will become an unusual addition to the interior and create an atmosphere of lightness and carefreeness in your home.

Any decorations you make yourself will be useful in creating an original interior.

Shell decor is an element of eco-style in the interior.

Handmade decorations allow you to create a unique design for your home. You won’t find a similar interior in any of your friends, because you put a piece of yourself into every such handmade item.

An important detail in the decor of shells is that such an item will cost much less than one bought in a store.

Shells brought from the sea are an ideal material for such creativity. Sea shells are quite easy to use and do not require any special skills or talents. At the same time, there are a huge number of ideas for decorating various objects with shells. They can decorate:

• Photo frame;
• Mirror;
• Vase;
• Casket;
• A picture.

Sand, shells, starfish, pebbles - these are the natural materials with which you can create a unique style.

Large and small sinks are also used as independent interior decorations. For example, a large voluminous shell can become an excellent pencil holder or even a flower pot.

Give yourself the atmosphere of a sea breeze - decorate the interior of your home in a marine style.

Seashells can be used almost everywhere. The most logical place for them in the house is the bathroom, but they will also fit well in the living room and bedroom. Even the most ordinary shell on a shelf or bedside table will look extraordinary.

It is also difficult to imagine an aquarium without them, where they are often simply necessary.

The main thing in this style is to preserve the energy of nature.

Putting the shells in order

Seashells in the interior are always clean and shiny shells, as if they came straight out of pictures. However, nature does not create them exactly like this.

In order for them to become ideal decorations and suitable for use in decoration, you will have to work a little on them.

Pre-freezing will help extend the life of shells. Put all your sea treasures in the freezer. When they are frozen, take them out and use a knife to remove the insides. For absolute results, it is worth boiling the shellfish for about 15 minutes, peeling them again and rinsing in water.

Shell decor is back in fashion!

At the last stage, the sinks are bleached. Any bleaching agent can be used. Pour over the shells and leave for several hours, then rinse, dry, grease with vegetable oil and varnish.

See also: Do ​​it yourself: decorate the mirror.

Panel

We cut out a shape, any shape, from thick cardboard, make a hole for the rope, completely cover it with shells in any order, the main thing is that the gaps between them are minimal. We thread the twine through the hole, tie it in beautiful knots, dry it - and the panel is ready.

You can add other marine components to the panel

Wonderful vacation memory

A delicate panel is suitable for decorating a children's room

In the same way you can decorate smooth headbands, bracelets, pencil holders, vases, etc.

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Decorating the mirror

The bathroom will be transformed beyond recognition if you decorate the mirror with seashells. To create the background of a composition made in a marine style, use gold or turquoise acrylic paint.

Seashells, pebbles, small, beautifully shaped beads will be an excellent decoration for mirrors.

When gluing shells, you need to take care of the strength of such fastening. The glue should be suitable for damp rooms, because water and fumes will constantly fall on the mirror.

Anyone can make such an original decor on their own.

Seashells in a bedroom interior will look no less impressive, but here it is better to stick to a pastel color palette.

The decor of the mirror should be more restrained and match the style of the room.

Seashell decor is a beauty that is very easy to create. To decorate the mirror you will need:

• Seashells of different shapes and sizes;
• Thermal gun for needlework;
• Double sided tape;
• Imitation pearls;
• Pebbles;
• Clear varnish.

Decorate the frame with shells of different sizes and colors.

Before starting work, wash and dry the shells. Protect the mirror surface from damage by covering it with cloth or paper.

1. Choose the smallest shells. It is desirable that they be of a similar size. Glue them along the inner rim of the mirror using a glue gun or double-sided tape.
2. Proceed to decorate the second row with larger shells. The distance between them should be approximately the same. For better adhesion, apply glue to both the mirror frame and the shell itself.
3. Fill the space between the shells with pebbles and pearls.
4. Let the glue dry, then coat the resulting composition with colorless varnish.

Enjoy the resort atmosphere from the comfort of your own apartment.

See also Aquariums photos

“The candle was burning on the table...”

We buy ordinary tablet candles at any budget store, take them out of the foil and pull out the wicks from below, glue them to the center of large shells. We return the candles to the tin bases, put them in the frying pan and turn on the stove, wait until the paraffin becomes liquid. We take the molds with tongs and pour the contents into shells with glued wicks.

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Advice! If the future candles are not in perfect shape and do not seem very stable to you, place them in egg cells - then the candles will harden evenly. Also, don't forget to cover the table with newspaper when pouring the hot paraffin.

Decorating photo frames

Even the simplest photo frame can become a stylish and original accessory. Seashell decor will help you achieve this effect. In addition to sea shells, your assistants will be the same acrylic paint, as well as pebbles, sand, beads and sparkles. Details made from rope thread or starfish will also look interesting.

A frame made of shells will remind you of warm sunny days.

Arrange them on shelves, hang them on the wall or place them above the fireplace. Such frames are simply created to place photographs from the seashore in them and remember the happy moments of your vacation on cold winter evenings.

You will not see such a frame among your neighbors - it exists only in one copy and is a manifestation of your individuality.

See also DIY kitchen panels, photo.

Preparation before starting creativity

Before you begin the creative process, the shells should be prepared. If they were purchased in a store or market, no pre-treatment is required. If they were brought from the shore of a reservoir or caught from a river or lake, it will be necessary to clean the shells from the unpleasant odor and possible remains of the mollusk:

1. If there are no shellfish remains in the shells, it will be enough to soak the shell in any chlorine-containing composition. Water diluted in half with “Belizna” will also work. Such a shell needs to be soaked in the solution for half an hour, then rubbed with a brush to remove the dark layer.
2. If there are remains of shellfish in the shell, then it must be boiled in boiling water for 10 minutes to remove foreign tissue and unpleasant odors. Warming up in a microwave oven for 1 minute is also allowed. After that, everything unnecessary is removed with tweezers and the empty sink is treated with a chlorine-containing solution.

Vase with shells

Even a simple glass vessel filled with seafood will look interesting. Pour some sand into a vase, aquarium or wide glass, add sea pebbles and shells. This decor made from shells is used for table setting for the holiday or simply placed on shelves, cabinets and bedside tables.

This vase will decorate any setting.

Flower pots decorated with seashells from the inside or outside look original. Unusually shaped shells can be placed inside the pot next to the flowers. And if you have many identical shells of the correct shape, then it is better to stick them on the outer walls or rim.

A vase decorated with multi-colored shells will add originality to the interior

See also: How to make a paper fan with your own hands.

Blooming candlestick

An unusual lamp can be made from bivalve mussels. Stages of work:

1. Cleaning the shell.
2. Take a round base and paint it a universal color.
3. We sort the mussels by size.
4. Glue the first row on the side of the base using hot glue.
5. We glue the second tier, placing the new unit overlapping the previous one so that one is between the other two. As a result, we will get a chess order.
6. We glue the third and subsequent rows not to the base, but to the joints of the previous ones.
7. We examine the composition, adding individual elements where they are visually missing.

Advice! To make the mussel “lotus” look even more beautiful, you can cover it with transparent glue and sprinkle it with glitter.

Great idea for room decor

Unusual seashell decor ideas

Above we described the most popular ways to use shells in the interior. In fact, there are many more of them, and among them there are quite unusual options.

• Shell topiary is a round tree with a foam base, which is covered with shells, pearls and other decorative elements.

Today, topiary is a fashionable decoration for any interior, which is becoming increasingly popular.

• Panel - wood, plywood, cardboard, mesh or burlap are used as a background. Sometimes it is sprinkled with sand or laid out with pebbles. The shells are arranged in a chaotic manner or arranged in a certain shape.

This product can decorate any room.

• Decorative letters – stencils are cut out that can form a word or represent the first letters of the owners’ names. The finished letters are decorated with seashells using the same principle as regular photo frames.

If there are a lot of shells and they are very large, then you can make individual letters by gluing them together.

• Candles – take one or more voluminous shells. Secure the wick inside and fill it with wax. A stylish accessory for the bathroom or bedroom is ready.

Shells are almost ready-made miniature candlesticks that are just waiting to be supplemented with paraffin and wick.

• Garlands - shells are hung on a string in one or several rows or attached to a Christmas tree garland in place of light bulbs. The second option looks more festive and is useful for party decorations.

They will not only decorate the interior, but will also prevent sea gifts from turning into a pile of garbage.

• A dream catcher is a popular Indian amulet that wards off bad dreams and can be made in a nautical theme. It is somewhat complicated to perform, but the result looks very impressive.

Decorations in the form of beads, feathers and shells make the Dreamcatcher bright and elegant.

No matter how many shells you bring from vacation, there will always be a use for them in the interior. Working with such material is easy and interesting.

Exclusive decor with shells, made with your own hands, will remind you of the best moments of your holiday at sea all year round.

See also: DIY crib: master class with drawings and photos

Other jewelry options

You can create very beautiful jewelry from shells, epoxy resin and polymer clay: hair clips, earrings, pendants, boxes. Seashells also serve as an excellent decoration for gift bottles, vases, and dishes.

Shells are one of the most accessible, but at the same time original, materials for creativity. With their help, it will be easy for both adults and children to create crafts that will remind you of clear summer days and give aesthetic pleasure.

Decor from shells in the interior - 50 photo ideas:

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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Application

Creating applications is a great activity for the whole family, and it will be especially interesting for children. Crafts made from shells step by step will help you quickly find your way and make a beautiful souvenir.

• Shells of different sizes;
• Plasticine;
• A sheet of white cardboard.

Progress:

1. We prepare all the material and place it on the table in a convenient order;
2. We will sculpt a flower and a butterfly from plasticine;
3. We make a preparation for the flower. We sculpt a leaf and a stem from green plasticine. We make a core from red;
4. Making a blank for the butterfly. Again, we need white plasticine. We sculpt the body, head and long antennae;
5. The preparations are ready. Now we take the shells and begin to form figures.

The application is ready!

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.

Frog

Making an amphibian will be more difficult for children. For this purpose you will need:

• two large and medium, as well as four small shells;
• glue;
• green paint;
• beads.

Two medium-sized shells are glued together. This will be the torso. A pair of large shells (the head) are held together so that they are slightly open. It gives the impression of a croaking frog.

The next step will be connecting the torso and head.

The amphibian's paws will be small shells.

The frog's eyes should be decorated with plasticine or small parts of shells.

The entire workpiece must be painted green, and the pupils of the eyes should be decorated with black beads.

Fairy lights

Not only candles can illuminate a room through the glass walls of vases. Electric garlands placed inside will turn the vase into a night light and simply an interesting decorative object. And in general, garlands are a magical material for interior decoration: “Glowing garlands: interesting ways to decorate”

Frame

This way you can decorate not only photo frames, but also picture frames and mirrors. The technique is simple and even children can do it.

You will need to prepare the following materials:

• Finished photo frame without decorations;
• Seashells of different sizes and shapes;
• Glue;
• Beads of different sizes and colors;
• Paper tape;
• A piece of paper or newspaper.

Stages of work:

1. We prepare the materials and try on the shells for the frame;
2. Cover the glass with tape and newspaper;
3. Let's start gluing the shells. Try to fill in all the empty spaces to make the picture complete;
4. Decorate the picture with beads;
5. Remove the tape and paper. Let the frame dry.

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Creating an original style

Marine crafts will help you create a unique, sophisticated eco-style in the interior, which is gaining popularity all over the world. It is characterized by the use of natural materials, an abundance of light, pastel colors, and the presence of small figurines and trinkets.

Crafts made from seashells fit organically into the design, emphasize its originality and originality, save the budget, since they do not require large financial investments, and in finished form they can compete with expensive original works.

When selecting material, you use your own imagination and sleight of hand, and this makes them more meaningful and soulful.

Terrarium and aquarium

If you are thinking about fish and reptiles, then we are not talking about them: in a glass vase you can make a beautiful composition of moss and succulents or sea pebbles and algae, but without inhabitants. Terrariums are now the most popular for decorating interiors in eco-style and many others. It’s quite easy to make one yourself: “DIY mini-terrariums.”

Step-by-step master class on making

Step 1. Prepare your workplace and tools.

Step 2. Lay out all the material, create a composition, evenly distributing identical elements around the entire perimeter, or focusing on the corners. Select the color of the finished product. If necessary, paint the prepared, cleaned parts in the selected color. Let dry thoroughly.

Step 3. Prepare the base. Paint the frame so that the original background does not show through the gaps.

Step 4. Using glue, attach the parts to the base, pressing firmly against the surface for a few seconds. Place the sinks in even rows, one next to the other. Seal the gaps with the second row. In the top row, try to lay out beautiful elements with an interesting texture, pattern, and shape.

Step 5. Coat the finished product with varnish and dry well. As additional decor, you can use colored sand, sparkles, and glass beads. In this style, you can decorate large and small paintings that will find a place on the desk or decorate the walls in the room, mirrors in the bathrooms, and the corridor.