Shell Wreath for Screen Door
by
KatAych
6 Materials
$20
6 Hours
Medium
I responded to a Craigslist ad for free shells and was definitely NOT disappointed! The garage was full of boxes and boxes of seashells, so I have been churning out seashell art projects for the past few weeks...this one is the latest!
Welcome to our home!
Have always wanted to do a wreath for the front door (screen), but just recently got around to making a shell wreath -- here's how I did it!
The starting point!
I started out with a grapevine wreath; I just happen to prefer grapevine, but you could certainly use whatever type of wreath you like -- styrofoam would work, too! I picked this one up at Michael's for about $8.
Once again, my process is to go from large to small. So I sifted through some shells and pulled out some larger pieces I wanted to use. These are your "anchor" pieces; eyeball where you think they look good and start gluing them down. I would suggest testing the spot and seeing where the shell touches the wreath form so you have a general idea of the best placement for glue. (I used a regular glue stick and just held the shells down for a few seconds to make sure they were secured to the wreath.)
Once you've got the big shells secured, start filling in with medium-sized shells. These shells I got from Craigslist were unbleached, so I had several different nicely colored ones from which to choose. I like to mix up the shapes and colors, and even the placement -- some slanting to the side, some upside down, etc. It adds more visual interest!
Once the wreath was pretty full, I added smaller and smaller shells to fill in gaps and add some layers. if you like yours less full/busy, you can stop at any time prior to this step - just let your eye guide you! I had a couple larger pieces of coral and cut small "branch" pieces to tuck here and there as well.
To hang the wreath, I used a hook I had purchased as part of a 12-pack from the Dollar Store. I secured it to the INSIDE of the screen door, upside down, using Gorilla Glue and let it cure for 24-hours. Once it was secure, I cut a slit in the wreath's burlap ribbon and slipped it over the hook. I was concerned about the weight of the wreath with all those shells glued to it, but Gorilla Glue is very strong, and I thought having the door closed with the hook on the inside would help alleviate some "pull" on the burlap.
Here is what is looks like hanging from the outside.
I glued a strong magnet to the wreath, then put the other piece on the inside of the screen. These are very, very strong magnets -- it took me a few minutes to even work them apart, the attraction was so strong! The magnet provides extra support, and keeps the wreath from "bouncing" on the screen every time it is opened or closed.
And here's the final project from a little farther away so you get the full effect. :-)
Comments
Join the conversation
4 comments
-
Beautiful! Looks great!
-
You definitely put them to good use! This is a masterpiece!
-
Thank you!
-
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?