My latest shell project was this sea glass and shell seahorse picture. I got the idea from Pinterest (of course). It was from the website shelldesigns.com. I figured it was much easier for me to make it myself then to buy it from this website. That probably saved me about $30 plus I love doing crafts. I definitely prefer using shells and sea glass I find myself on the beach but I will admit I bought some of the sea glass online. I didn’t have enough pretty colors in the glass I had found so I decided it was worth it to buy some. This project was a little time consuming but it was worth it in the end. I’m really happy with how it turned out!
Materials:
8” x 10” Picture Frame (I got mine at Kohl’s)
Piece of Cardboard that Fits in Frame (I used the cardboard piece that came with the frame)
Sand (at least one water bottle full)
Mod Podge
Foam Paint Brush
Sea Glass (I purchased from Etsy)
Medium & Small Shells
Hot Glue Gun
Seahorse Template (google search)
Instructions:
For the background of this picture I used the cardboard piece that came with the frame that is used to keep a photo in place so it doesn’t move once you frame it. If you are using this piece start out by removing it and setting the rest of the frame aside. You can also remove the glass if you want since you won’t need it. You don’t necessarily need to use cardboard but it needs to be something thick and sturdy so that the layers of sand and shells won’t bend it.
Put your cardboard piece on a surface that will catch the excess sand. I used a baking sheet with sides. Pour some Mod Podge onto the cardboard and smooth it out so that it reaches all corners. It’s ok if it’s a thick layer.
Pour sand onto the Mod Podged surface and spread it evenly across. Dump any extra sand off onto your baking sheet.
Let the sand dry onto the cardboard. This may take 30 minutes to an hour. It doesn’t have to dry completely but it works better if each layer is dry before you start another.
After dry, knock off the extra sand that didn’t stick. Then, put on another layer of Mod Podge and add sand. I did a total of 4 layers of sand but 3 layers also looked fine.
While everything is drying you can cut out the template you will be using and pick out the shells and sea glass you will be using.
Once the background is dry tape the template to the background and make sure it’s centered. It’s best to tape all sides so the template doesn’t shift while you are gluing inside it.
Next you will start gluing you shells and sea glass with hot glue. It’s almost like a puzzle putting the pieces in where they fit. It’s a good idea to overlap shells so that gaps won’t show. Be careful not to glue the shells onto the paper template. I made that mistake and it made it harder to remove the paper afterwards.
The last thing to do is remove the template and put the background back into the frame!