I found a whole bag of these great multicoloured sea shells at a flea market and for about a year I was debating what to do with them, until I had the idea of using the shells like mosaic tiles. In a nutshell what I did was cover the shells in jointing compound and then partially dig them out again. Here is a more detailed tutorial:
What you need:
a plate or bowl (made of cardboard or wood)
lots of sea shells
joint compound used for mosaics
a hammer
sponges
a paint brush and white paint (which I forgot to include in the picture)
a mixing bowl and some water
Step 1: Figure out how you want to arrange the shells on the plate. If necessary you can break some into smaller pieces with a hammer.
Step 2: Mix the joint compound with water to create a thick paste. Cover the shells (and especially their edges) with that mix.
Step 3: Immediately after that start cleaning off the tops of the shells with water so only the edges are covered with the joint compound. Smooth out the areas between the shells. This might take some time, prepare to feel like an archeologist (at least I did). Let everything dry overnight.
Step 4: Paint the joint compound with white paint. Make sure to blend the paint into the edges of the shells.
I love DIYs, feel free to send me any cool ones you find or made yourself.
Yes to this, thanks for the introduction to your world.
Love this! I have some gorgeous shells sitting in my studio and I’d really like to try this. Great site, lots to read and see. :)
What a clever idea for my shells. Can’t wait to try this. Love your blog!
I love a great nautical DIY project – thanks for sharing!
I seriously was just looking at a bowl of shells and wondering what in the world I was going to do with them. Smart! Love it!
Excellent idea. I bet this would look equally as good using pebbles!
What is a great idea!! I have shells that would be perfect for this! :)
Wonderful ideas you have!
You have really cool diy tutorials!
thanks! :)
Creative idea! Great.