Decorative Wall Plaque

with a

Curving Shell Pattern

1. a 6" x 8" wood photo holder with hanger (metal or twine), to use as your wall plaque.
2. sea shells
3. sand

General Materials:

1. a bottle of Elmer's Glue-All or equivalent
2. a can of polyurethane - gloss or semi-gloss
3. sand paper - medium and fine grit
4. set of hobby brushes
5. a nail or a picture hanger

Optional Materials:

1. Accessories such as small rocks, marbles, pearls, figures, etc.
2. Wood Stain or Varnish
3. a small pair of pliers
4. a hammer

I have found two types of wood photo holders at the local crafts store:

The first has a removable thin slat of wood on the back held by small metal "wedges". Remove the wood slat and pull out the metal pieces. Use a pair of pliers to grip and pull the metal pieces straight out. Apply a bead of glue around the edge of the area the slat fits into and replace the slat. Wait for it to dry before proceeding.

The second one has a permanent backing and to be able to insert a photo, they have a slot that goes all around the face side. You'll plug up the slot later on.

Whichever type of photo holder you plan to use as your decorative wood plaque, first take a good look at it. Remove any stickers or other items that the maker or store may have put on it. You can remove the sticky goop the labels usually leave behind with a rag and a bit of alcohol or paint thinner.

If there are rough areas on the wood, you may want to smooth the area to make it look better. Use medium grit sandpaper to sand away any rough areas as best you can.

Take a bit of fine grit sandpaper and lightly sand all over the plaque. This should remove any "glaze" spots that may on the wood. It will help when you apply the polyurethane, stain, or varnish.

When you are done with sanding the decorative wall plaque to be, clean the plaque by dusting it with a rag, or use the hose on a vacuum cleaner to suck the dust up.

For a natural wood look, apply polyurethane over the wood. You can also apply a stain or a varnish to the wood plaque. Let the decorative wood plaque dry.

Apply glue to the facing surface in the "well" part of the plaque. That would be the area where the photo would have shown if we were using this as a photo holder instead of a wall plaque. Use a hobby brush to spread the glue around until you cover all the wood. Keep the glue off the "frame" area for now, we will tackle those areas of the decorative plaque later. Pour sand over the glue then set the wall plaque aside and let it dry.

* If you are using a wall plaque with a slot all around, you need to put a bead of glue where the slot is so the glue blocks the opening after you apply the glue and spread it around the flat part. Now pour sand on the glue and set aside to dry. Be sure the sand covers the glue completely, including the edges where the slots are.

Once the glue has dried, at least a couple of hours, remove excess sand by turning your wall plaque upside-down and carefully shaking plaque. Use a newspaper under your project to catch the sand. Return the loose sand to your sand container.

Examine the center area of the wall plaque to make sure that no "bald" areas have developed. If there are any, you need to fill them in by lightly applying glue in those areas and pouring sand on them. Wait a few minutes then remove the excess sand by turning the wall plaque over and lightly shaking off the excess sand.

Now you'll start the frame part of the wall plaque. Apply a bead of glue along the center of the top of the frame of the wall plaque. Spread out the glue with a hobby brush, like if you were painting the frame. Pour some sand over the glue, wait a minute or two, then remove the excess sand by turning the frame upside-down and lightly shaking. Gather up the loose sand and return it to your container.

You did remember to use newspaper under the wall plaque, right?

Do the next section of the frame the same way: apply glue, spread the glue, pour sand, wait, remove the loose sand, save the loose sand, go to the next section.

Keep going until you have applied sand to all sections of the wall plaque frame. Set aside to dry. Try not handle the wall plaque while the glue is still wet as you can accidently move the sand.

Now it is time to apply the main seashell design. Use the photos above as guides to the shell design to use on your decorative wall plaque. Pick either the left curve or the right curve. You can always make another plaque that uses the other curve later.

First look through your available seashells and see if you can make a grouping of 5 to 7 shells that look the same.

Now place the wall plaque flat on your work space with the side to be designed facing up. Pick out the largest of the seashells and place it on the upper right corner of the plaque. Pick the next largest and place it to form a row that curves down the down the plaque. Continue placing the rest of the seashells, using the largest first until you have them all placed. Move them around if you need to give the row a "bow" or curve.

Are you happy with the look? Then starting at the top, pick up the seashell, apply glue to the bottom side, and place it back on the wall plaque. Pick up each seashell in turn, apply the glue, and place it back.

Take a look to make sure you are happy with the design. Now would be the time to make small corrections in the placement. Happy? Then it's time to let the design sit and dry.

Once the glue is dry and the seashells are set in place you can continue with setting up the rest of the decorative wall plaque you are making.

Take out some more seashells, a coral piece or two, a marble, and a small figure if you wish. You can position the items directly on the decorative wall plaque to see how they fit. Use the photo for ideas on making mini-groupings with your seashells and other items that compliment the main group of seashells in your design.

With your idea in mind, apply glue to the first seashell and set it on the plaque. Since the plaque is laying flat, you can just continue to apply glue to your shells and set them in place. This is also a good time to put in any coral pieces, pearls, marbles, figures, etc.

After all the seashells and accessories are placed and the glue has dried it is time to design the frame. I like to use pairings of seashells for the frame part of the wall plaque, and sometimes double pairings. Take a look at the frame in the photo and you will see what I mean. Try out some combinations with the shells you have available until you find the combos that please you the best.

Now start placing them on the frame. Move them around until you like the way the seashells look.

Have you got it? Great! Now pick up a seashell, I usually pick up a corner seashell, apply glue to its bottom and set it back on the wall plaque. Continue around the plaque frame, picking up a shell, applying glue to the bottom, placing the shell back, until you have picked and placed all the seashells on the wall plaques frame.

Let the decorative wall plaque sit and dry.

Finishing the project

After the glue has dried and the seashells and accessories are set in place it is time to protect your project. Use a brush to apply a coat of polyurethane to the seashells. This will bring out the seashells gloss. You also want to apply polyurethane to sand. It helps bring out the shine and provides more gluing power so the sand doesn't come off easily.

Wait for the front of the project to dry, then apply another coat of polyurethane to the sides and back of the wall plaque. This will provide a bit more protection for the wood and any stain or varnish you may have used on the decorative wall plaque.

Now that you have finished the project, it's time to hang it.

Pick a spot on a wall at eye level or slightly above. If you plan on a group of plaques, The lower ones should be at or slightly below eye level(about 5 feet from the floor). Install a nail or a picture hanger in the wall.

Hang the decorative wall plaque.

Step back and admire your artwork.

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