Decorate with Seashells

By Amy Bickers Mercer
May 13, 2009
Laurey W. Glenn / Syling: Lisa Powell Bailey
Turn the seashells collected from your beach vacation into fun crafts and beautiful ways to decorate your home.
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Coastal Decorations

Scott Wiseman

I

t’s a quandary as old as the oceans: What do you do with shells gathered with such glee during trips to the shore and then so quickly forgotten? Here are 8 of our favorite ways to decorate your home with shells.

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Pretty Seashell Container

Laurey W. Glenn / Syling: Lisa Powell Bailey

Put shells, starfish, and other found items in a glass canister. Use a paint pen or permanent marker to write the vacation location on a sand dollar, and hang it from the side of the canister with twine.

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Desk Accessory

Laurey W. Glenn / Syling: Lisa Powell Bailey

Use larger items, such as conch shells or puffy sea biscuits, as paperweights on your desk for at least one daily reminder that isn’t about something on your to-do list.

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Summer Garland

Laurey W. Glenn / Syling: Lisa Powell Bailey

String starfish and shells along a piece of twine, and swag it along a window.

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A Movable Beach

Laurey W. Glenn / Syling: Lisa Powell Bailey

Fill a rectangular glass container with sand, and tuck in bundles of wheatgrass. Glue shells and starfish to bamboo skewers, and then stick them in the sand so they stand up tall. (Note: You can water the wheatgrass while it’s in the sand.)

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3-D Frame

Laurey W. Glenn / Syling: Lisa Powell Bailey

Prop a photo from your vacation in a glass vase, and surround it with seashells to hold it up. This is an easy way to make a simple snapshot something see-worthy!

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Creative Chimes

Laurey W. Glenn / Syling: Lisa Powell Bailey

String shells along florist wire, and attach to a simple wire hanger for a primitive wind chime. You can drill a hole in each shell with a small drill bit, but many times you’ll find nature has done the work for you. Shells often already have holes in them because many mollusks drill into shells to get to the animal inside.

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Delightful Dish

Laurey W. Glenn / Syling: Lisa Powell Bailey

Use a large shell, turned upside down, as a bowl for jewelry. Put it on your bedside table for easy access morning and night.

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Simple Stunner

Laurey W. Glenn / Syling: Lisa Powell Bailey

Set down the glue gun. Get big impact without a lot of fussy arranging or gluing. Just set a large conch shell on a side table. Shells are naturally gorgeous. While you probably won’t find one on a typical beach walk, you can easily purchase them from Nautical Seasons.

If you can’t get to the beach, don’t worry. Surf the Web for online seashell sellers: Try SeaShellWorld.com or SeashellCity.com.

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By Amy Bickers Mercer