Wall Plaque
with
Seashells
in a
Cross Pattern

A wood plaque is the canvas on which this seashell arts and crafts is placed. This wooden plaque can be any hanging wood item you want. I use wood photo frames that are made to be painted. Most craft stores carry them. Let's get started.

Specific Materials:

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

2. sea shells

3. sand

4. pearls

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, figures, etc.

2. Wood Stain or Varnish

3. a small pair of pliers

4. a hammer

Take out your choice of wood plaque. Decide what preparations you will need to do to get it ready to become the canvas for his wall plaque.

I use wood photo holders as my plaques. I have found two types of these photo holders at the local craft 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 going on.

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 have to plug up the slot later on. This type also has a thin twine rope hanger. Its a bit long for my taste and on the wrong side of the wooden plaque, so I remove it and put it back in the way I want it. Then I chop off 3 or 4 inches of the twine. It's a bit tricky, but you should be able to figure it out.

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 it 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 as guides to the shell layout to use on your decorative wall plaque. For this plaque we will be using a Cross pattern. This is not an exact science, so let's say we will be making the Cross as best we can with whatever seashells are at hand.

First look through your available seashells and find the shells to make the Cross with. You need some clam shaped seashells. Make a grouping of 7 or 8 small shells a bit less than 1/2" in size that have a similar look. You will also need 4 similar style shells that are 3/4 to 1" in size.

Now place the wall plaque flat on your work space with the side to be designed facing up. Take all the clam shells and set them up on the wood. Position them until you have a nice looking Cross more or less in the middle of the wood plaque.

The 4 larger shells should be on the four outside edges of the arms. You need 1 small shell between the top shell and the crossing shells. In fact, 5 of the smaller shells should form a tight little group right where the arms cross each other.

Below them on the longer "arm" you can use either 2 or 3 of the smaller shells to form the rest of the length.

Once you have your layout of these "clam" shells set up, you can start gluing them in place. Pick up each shell in turn, apply glue to the bottom and put it back in its place. After the last of the Cross shells is in place, adjust them to make the Cross look the way you want it to. Then set aside to 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. This time try to use thin long shells. You will use them to create the "halo" pattern around the Cross seashells. Set them in place and glue them in place once you like the way they look.

Finally, place the four "pearls" near the corners formed by the arms. You can use any beads you may have around that you like, if you don't have or want pearls.

Let's put a design on the frame portion of the wall plaque. For this design let's pick 6 medium size shells, one for each corner, and one for the center of the long side of the frame.

Next pick out and place 4 of the long "teardrop" style shells on the frame to the sides of the cross. For the top and the bottom of the frame pick out 4 similar shells and put them in place.

Place each shell on it's place of the frame. Move them around until you have them where you want them. Finally, pick them up one at a time, apply glue to the bottom edge, and place them back where they were.

Carefully set the decorative wall plaque aside, and let it sit and dry.

Finishing the Project

After the glue has dried and the seashells and pearls 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. I try to avoid getting poly on the pearls. It seems to make them dull, same as it does to glass and porcelain.

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.

Using Your Handcrafted Decorative Wood 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. Pop a nail or picture hanger into the wall. Hang your plaque. 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).

Stand back a bit and admire your artwork
Now make yourself another plaque just like the one you just made as a gift for a friend or relative. Or try one of the other designs.

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