Simple DIY Framed Seashell Art Tutorial

Our family recently vacationed with friends in the Florida Panhandle. Our condo was right on the beach, and every morning, I walked along the beach with a bucket collecting shells and sand dollars. Most of the shells I collected were broken pieces, but they were still so beautiful, even though they were just partial shells. I wasn't sure at the time what I was going to do with my bucket full of broken shell pieces, but during the long car ride home, I came up with a plan. 

My plan was inspired by my previous seashell art wall hanging I made from the shells I collected in Hilton Head a few years ago. Check out my full tutorial on how I made this gorgeous seashell wall hanging. This time, I wanted to make several smaller pieces to give to each of the families we vacationed with as souvenirs of this trip. I basically used many of the same steps from the previous tutorial, but added some modifications to create a brand new piece of art.

Follow along with me as I explain to you how I made these framed seashell art pictures.

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HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE DIY FRAMED SEASHELL PICTURE

SUPPLIES

• Wood panels with solid wood center or a piece of wood cut to the desired size (8" x 10")
• 1" x 4" scrap wood (for the mounting block)
• Glue (see recommendations below)
• Seashells
• Picture frame mounting kit 
• Paint - indoor house paint or acrylic paint

PREPARE THE WOOD PICTURE FRAME:

Years ago, I got a bunch of white wooden picture frames that have a solid wood center. For this project, I started by painting over center panel with some interior house paint I had on hand to create a solid color background for the shells. 

If you have trouble finding a solid wood picture frame, you can either build your own or use just a square or rectangular piece of wood cut to the size you want. 

CUT WOOD "MOUNTING BLOCK"

Use a small piece of scrap wood cut to a size you think looks best when centered in the middle of your picture frame or wood back. I used a 1"x 4" and cut it down into a slightly rectangular shape of approximately 3" x 4".  I call this small piece the mounting block

Paint the small piece of wood and let it completely dry. I painted the wood to match the paint color I used for the center of the frame, but you could use a bold background color, too. Most of the wood will be covered up, but small pops of color would look nice too.

If you are using a cut piece of wood rather than a picture frame, make sure to add mounting hardware to the back of the wood so you can hang it up.

ARRANGE THE SEASHELLS 

This step is where you get to be as creative as you want! You have endless options on how to display your shells, whether it is by color or size, or type of shell. I like a blend of shells with at least one or two large shell pieces as the main focal point. Lay the shells out on the mounting block, adding any smaller-sized shells to fill in any gaps. Make sure to take a picture before you start gluing it down, in case the shells get bumped!

APPLY THE GLUE

It is important to use a strong, long-lasting glue for this project. Here are my recommendations to choose from for this project:

• Gorilla Glue
• Wellbond Universal Adhesive
• E6000 Clear Craft Industrial Strength 

There are two methods you could use to glue the shells to the mounting block: 

Method #1 

• Remove the shells from the mounting block
• Apply glue to the surface of the shell that will be touching the mounting block 
• Then, place the shells back on the wood mounting piece using the picture you took as a reference for the location of each shell

Method #2

• Leave the shells on the mounting block, arranged the way you like it
• Pick up one shell at a time, apply glue, then press back down onto the wood mounting block
• Fill in open spots with additional shells as needed

Make sure to let the glued-on shells dry completely before the next step.

ATTACH THE MOUNTING BLOCK

Once the shells on the mounting block are dry, spread a generous amount of glue on the back side of the mounting block. Center it onto your solid wood frame (or cut and painted piece of wood), gently press down, and then allow the glue to dry completely. 

I really like how these framed seashell pictures turned out! Before I gifted them to our friends, I wrote the date and location of our trip on the back so they would always remember where the shells came from. These beautiful pieces are one of a kind and full of great memories.