Wall Plaque
with
Seashells
in a
Circle Pattern

I tried to have the sand come out in dark and light streaks. As you can see I was partially successful. That’s what can happen when you handcraft your own home décor and gifts. It’s not a bad thing since it proves that these babies are not from some assembly line. Like the other Wall Plaques I have designed, these are made on a wood photo frame with a twine hanger. I use wood photo frames that are made to be painted and then have a photo put in them. I have gotten mine from the local craft store but it seems to be a hit or miss proposition. You can use any wooden plaque that can be hung. There’s some repetition here, so if you already have made an item or two from the other designs, just skip down to where you feel you need to be. 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. a variety of seashells
3. a small piece of coral
4. 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, figures, etc. (I’ve used a small red crab made of glass)
2. Wood Stain or Varnish
3. a small pair of pliers
4. a hammer and some kind of wall hook or a nail

First question is what kind of wood plaque do you want to use for your shellcraft project. As I mentioned in the introduction, 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.

It’s 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. It's a bit tricky, but you should be able to figure it out.

The method I have found to work the best for me is to moisten the end of the twine, insert the tip into the hole, and then twist it as I push it into and thru the hole. Afterwards I tie a knot into the loose end and chop off the 3 or 4 inches of the twine that sticks out beyond the new knot.

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 that area 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. Do this 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 it. 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. Be careful while handling the wall plaque. With the glue still wet you can accidentally remove the sand.

It’s not a big deal since you can fix it. Just apply a thin coat of glue on the spot and add sand again. Then again it’s just best to be careful and not have to make repairs.

Apply the design

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.

For this plaque we will be using a circular design. This is not an exact science, so let's say we will be making the circle as best we can. It all depends on the types and sizes of seashells you have on hand.

First look through your available seashells and see if you can make a some small groupings of seashells that have a similar look. Keep the size on the small side.

You’ll need about 8 seashells for the circle, a couple of single seashells for the upper corners, a group of 3 shells for the bottom, and a piece of coral or another single shell for the last corner. For the frame you’ll need a group of about 12 shells, which are more or less the same size. The ones I used are around ½ inch wide. Also find one shell to place right in the middle. Use a colorful scallop shell, or some other seashell you consider to be unique, that’s around 1 inch wide at the widest point. The center seashells I used have a neat shape and some cool stripes.

Now place the wall plaque flat on your workspace, with the side to be designed facing up. Pick up the center seashell you choose for your design and place it near or slightly below the middle of the plaque.

This is not an exact placement, just eyeball it as close as you can. When you are happy with your placement, make it a bit more permanent. Apply glue to the bottom edge of the shell, and return it to its new home.

Now start placing your circle shells. I had a couple of similar seashells I wanted to use to start the circles on the plaques I crafted. They were slightly larger than the rest, so I started the circle at the bottom.

There’s about a ½ inch of space between the circle shells and the center shell. You may want to dry place all your shells first, to see how they will look. This way you can move them around until you have them in the circle the way you want them to be.

Now pick up each shell, apply glue to it, and place it back in its place.

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. Ah, yes. It is said that waiting makes the project that much better.

However, sitting there staring at it until it dries will just make you bored. Now would be a good time to read that little 500 page book on ocean ecology you’ve always wanted to get into and just never found the time for.

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.

Are you ready? Pick out your corner seashells and place one on each of the top corners. Yep, you get to glue these in also. Take your little trio of shells and place them along the bottom edge. Add your piece of coral and the last corner shell.

Continue to read the next 100 pages of your ecology book. Oops, I mean glue the shells or coral to the plaque, then let them dry. You don’t really need to let the shells dry. However, they make a mess if you happen to drop or jolt the plaque while the glue is still wet.

Yes, I have done both then had to spend time cleaning things up and re-doing the design. But if you are careful, you can just continue on to place the frame seashells.

Let's put the design on the frame portion of the wall plaque. For this design let's pick 12 small size shells, 3 seashells for each side. If you used a twine hanging plaque like I did, the knots will not get in your way with this design.

Start at the top of the frame. I put a uniquely dark shell in the center and used paler ones on either side. Glue those babies down.

While they are getting settled in, start on one of the side frames – same concept just a bit more space between the center and side shells. Do both sides of the frame. Yes, you can glue them down also.

Finally, set up and glue down the bottom row. Take a last look and make your final adjustments to the shell placements, if any. Go finish your book and let the decorative wall plaque sit and dry.

Finishing the project

After the glue has dried and the seashells 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 shine of the seashells and will enhance any colors they may have. 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.

Once the polyurethane has dried, you can add a small crab or other critter to your plaque. Even a pearl or two can be added. Just let them dry after you glue them down and everything will be fine.

If you’d like, sign your artwork on somewhere on the back. I use a regular ballpoint pen. You can even add your own label to the plaque. Or add a small note. Something like: made with seashells from my 1999 vacation to Malibu beach.

If you are giving your project away you can even use the back surface as your gift card: TO: FROM: and a few "from the heart" words.

Using Your Handcrafted Decorative Wood Paque

Of course, after all the fun you just went through you may decide to use your plaque for your own home decor. In that case just 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 (the standard is about 5 feet from the floor). Stand a bit back from the wall and admire your artwork.

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