Enjoy a little bit of the summer any time of the year by making a beautiful coastal seashell wreath.
See our Coastal Twig Wreath for more inspiration!
Beautiful DIY Seashell Wreath
Hi creative friend. It’s Jane from Sustain my Craft Habit, a DIY and crafts blog which I write with my sister Sonja.
We love to collect treasures along the beach near our family cottage each summer. These nature-made supplies are perfect for all sorts of crafting! For example, we collect beach pebbles for art, driftwood to make mirrors, and sea glass to make Christmas trees to name just a few.
The one thing we do not have a lot of along our beach is nice seashells. I had to order a whole bag of them to make this pretty beach-themed centerpiece a few years ago.
The leftover seashells have been lurking around for ages. So I thought it was high time to put them to use and make a lovely coastal seashell wreath. It’s perfect for our cottage, or I may put it in my coastal-themed bathroom.
Materials Needed to Make a Seashell Wreath
- Round foam wreath form (12″ diameter)
- About 100 medium sized seashells
- Hot glue gun and clear craft glue
- Wooden cut out with a beachy phrase (the one we used, reads “Sun, Sand & Sea”)
- Twine
- White cotton rope
How to Make a Seashell Wreath
Gather all your materials. Decide what color you would like your wreath to be. Although the seashells I had included various shades of colors, I decided to use the shells which were mostly white for my wreath.
Start by practicing the arrangement of the seashells to get a sense for which sizes and placements you’ll need. On my wreath form, it took about 3 shells to make each row across.
Once you’re happy with the arrangement start gluing the seashells in place.
Work row by row and make your way around the entire wreath. Make sure you use enough glue to keep the seashell firmly in the wreath.
You’ll likely need to use the smallest of the seashells a lot around the inner and outer surfaces of the wreath. Use the bigger shells for the front of the wreath.
Make sure the sea shells slightly overlap each other as you go around to create a lovely scalloped effect.
Once you are done with the seashells it’s time to add on the phrase if you choose to do so.
Glue a section of twine to the back of the wreath and then glue the phrase to the twine.
For the final step, loop your cotton rope around the top of the wreath and then tie a knot for hanging.
I love how this wreath turned out. I knew it was a winner when my kids started ooing and ahhing over it. My 8-year-old even said, “Mama I can’t believe it! It’s like you brought it straight from the store.” She’s my favorite ;D.
Do you have lovely seashells on the beach near where you live?
Have any leftover sea shells? See how you can make these adorable seashell creatures with the kids, or for the adults, you’ll love these DIY seashell wine charms!
More Coastal Crafts
- Coastal Wood Slice Coasters
- Beach Terrarium
- Twig Coastal Wreath
- Beach Sign Ornaments
- Cottage Slat Beach Frames
DIY Seashell Wreath
Supplies
- 1 round foam wreath form 12" D
- 100 medium sized seashells
- 1 hot glue gun with clear glue sticks
- 1 wooden cut out with a beachy phrase
- 1 piece twine 12" long
- 1 piece cotton rope in white
Instructions
- Gather materials.
- Start by practicing the arrangement by placing a few rows of seashells on the foam wreath.
- Working one seashell at a time, add glue to the back side of each seashell and hold in place until glue sets.
- Continue working one row of seashells at a time.
- Overlap each row of seashells slightly to firm a scalloped affect.
- Position a piece of twine through the center of the wreath, gluing the ends in place on the reverse side.
- Glue the wooden cut out to the center of the twine.
- Tie a piece of cotton rope to the top of the wreath for hanging.
Video
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Julie says
This shell wreath is beautiful!
However, as someone who plays around with shells ALOT, I’d like to offer some ideas.
The styrofoam can break/crack easily and that would make all your efforts a loss. I would use a wood form.
A hot glue gun is not going to last. In a short time the shells will fall off, especially if you hang the wreath on a front door that gets sun exposure.
Best to use a clear industrial glue like E6000 or Bond 527. Shells won’t come off.
May your creations last forever!
JulsOfParadisedotetsydotcom
Linda says
I’ve found that if you don’t score the back of the shells, they fall off very easily . This happened with both my wreath and a seashell Christmas tree. Also, a change in temperature, especially to cold makes the shells fall off at the slightest touch.
I’ve since drilled and wired all my shell arrangements. Yes, it takes more time but there’s nothing worse then having a customer come back seeking a refund for a beautiful and costly piece that you’ve made because the shells have fallen off.
Your work is lovely and I hope you continue…I’m just hoping to save you some of the embarrassment I felt when a piece was returned.
Good luck.
Debby says
How does the glue hold up on the outdoors? Is there something else that can be used to withstand the outdoor elements?
Amanda Formaro says
It should be fine, unless the wreath will be exposed to long hours of hot sunlight. That could melt and loosen the hot glue. Instead you can use E6000, it will just take longer to assemble :)
Sue Charlton McEndree says
This is a great idea. Now I have to find all my shells so I can make one. Thanks for posting this one.
Tiffany McMurdie says
Hi, do you by chance just sell the wreath completed? :).
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sorry, we don’t!