Shellcraft Photo Frame

with

Seashells

Horizontal Design

You can use any wood photo frame to create your own unique photo frame. The one shown here was bought at the local craft store and holds a 5” x 7” photograph of your choice. You can use the same technique for smaller or larger photo frames depending on what you have available.

Take a quick look through the instructions to see what it is all about. If you have done Shellcraft projects before, just skip the sections you don’t need.

Specific Materials:

1. a wood photo frame with a glass protector 2. a variety of sea shells – approximately 1/2” to 1”

3. pearls

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 grit

4. set of hobby brushes

5. a nail or a picture hanger

Other Materials:

1. newspaper for protection and collection

If you need materials for this project try one of the following craft suppliers:

Examine the frame you have chosen for this project. Pay special attention to whatever is holding the glass and backing on the frame. Carefully remove or move aside the holders and take out the backing and the glass. Set the backing and the glass aside in a safe place. You will need them later.

Set the frame down and take a look at it. Take a piece of sandpaper and lightly buff the sections of the frame on which you are going to place your seashells and sand. The ones I show you here have the design on the upper surface. I did not place any design on the sides of the frame. That doesn’t mean you have to do it the same way. If you want to add seashells and sand to the sides, by all means do so – it is your project.

After you have sanded the sections of the frame you are going to design on, remove the sanding dust from the frame. First shake loose any particles onto the newspaper you put under the frame and empty the particles into a trash bin. Then take a damp cloth or paper towel and wipe the frame down to remove the fine dust that the sanding has made.

Let the frame dry for a bit. If you are in a hurry, try using a hair dryer to speed the drying process up a bit.

If the frame requires that you add the wall hanger to it, do it now before you start the design process. This frame shown here required that I nail a hanger to the back of the frame. It was a real pain to put in after I put the design on the frame without breaking anything.

Actually, I finally got out a drill and using the thinnest drill I had, I drilled a couple of holes where I wanted the hanger to be placed. Then I used tiny screws, instead of the small nails that came with the frame, to hold the hanger on the frame. So attach the hanger now and avoid the aggravation.

Setting up your Design:

The design on this Shellcraft photo frame is set up to use horizontally. That is the photo that goes in it is longer horizontally and shorter vertically. You could use the frame in the vertical orientation, but I think it would look out of place.

Place the frame in front of you with the sand papered side up. Take a look at the way the frame is designed. This particular frame has a smooth face with all the sides at angles downward toward the photo. Because the surface is larger and flatter than on the project 1 frame, you can use bigger seashells for the design.

Pick through your collection of seashells and find shells similar in shape to those I show on the photo. As you can see, you will need a central seashell for the bottom of the frame that stands out on its own. This is your focal point or anchor seashell, and should be as unique a seashell as you have. You will use it to anchor the bottom of the frame and give you a reference for placing the other shells.

Next find four elongated seashells for placing on the four corners of the photo frame. Place them on the corners to be sure they fit well. The first one I picked up was too large and I had to keep looking through my collection for just the right size.

Now you will need 10 clam style seashells. You will be placing 1 on each side of the elongated shells and 1 each in the center of the photo frame sides. Finally find two smaller seashells to make a small grouping in the center of the frame top.

You can now add pearls like I did, or substitute beads or even rhinestones. For this particular design I liked the look of the faux pearls.

Place all the shells on the frame. Then place the rhinestones and the pearls. If the pearls won’t stay put, just place them on the inside of the frame on the newspaper close to where you want them to be. When you are happy with the design, remove the seashells, rhinestones, and pearls (if they are on the frame). Place them on the sides of the frame, more or less in-line with their position on the frame. This will help you place them in the right place when you are ready for gluing them in.

Applying Your Design to the Frame:

I have found that for frames, the best way to glue the design is as follows. For the seashells and rhinestones, if used, apply a small amount of glue – enough to cover the bottom – to each. For the pearls, apply a small amount of glue to the frame, set the pearls on the glue.

Pick a spot to start. I usually start the gluing the same way I laid out the design. In this case, I would start with the main or anchor seashell. Apply glue to the bottom of the seashell and put it in its place.

Apply glue to the elongated shells and place one in each of the corners.

Select out eight clam style shells, apply glue, and place one on each side of the elongated shells. Place them so they make a nice grouping with each of the longer shells. The design would be similar to a butterfly, with the long body and two wings.

Select two more clam style shells and place one on each side, in the center between the other clam shells. This will finish off the two sides.

Now pick a couple of round style seashells and place them on the top of the frame near the center.

Finally select some pearls (or other accessories such as rhinestones or beads). There are five on this design, so you may as well select five of them. There should be one larger size pearl and four smaller pearls. Place two of the smaller ones to each side of the anchor seashell you placed on the bottom of the frame. Place the larger pearl in the center of the frame top, and use to smaller pearls on the outside of the round style seashells.

Check the design one last time and make sure that all the items are still in the place you wanted them to be. Then take a break and give the glue time to set and dry.

Applying Sand to Your Design:

You will need a hobby brush, your glue, and your container of sand. Make sure the glue from the previous step is nice and dry. This is so you don’t knock your design around while putting on the sand.

Now apply some lines of glue directly to the frame. Then use your brush to spread the glue around so that it forms an even film on the frame. I usually do 1 side of the frame at a time. You need to apply the sand over the glue while it is still wet. So, just for the heck of it, start with the topside of the frame.

Apply the glue, spread it out all over the wood. The glue needs to go right up to the edges of the seashells and pearls. Make sure that are no voids or empty spots. Once you have a spread a nice thin coat of glue on the frame, pour sand over it. Make sure you cover all the glue.

Wait a ˝ minute or so, then carefully tilt the frame over so that the excess sand falls on the newspaper. If you want, gather up the loose sand and return it to your container.

Now do the left side of the frame the same way, then the right side. Finally, apply and spread the glue to the lower part of the frame. Pour sand on, wait a bit, and finally lightly shake off the loose sand.

Move the frame to the side, where it can sit and dry without being disturbed. Disturbed frames have a tendency to develop bald spots and other damage.

Gather up the loose sand and return it to your container. Let your frame design sit so the glue dries all the way. I usually wait 2 or 3 hours.

Cleaning up your frame

Once the glue holding everything together is dry, you may want to remove any excess sand. For the loose sand, just turn the frame over and give it a light shake. Gather up your sand.

Next pass a dry brush over the pearls and seashells. This should knock off any sand that may have stuck to them.

Finally, you can use something to scrape sand off. I use a pair of tweezers to gently remove any unwanted sand from the seashells and pearls.

Preserving Your Design

The best way I have found to preserve the design and add a bit of shine to the seashells and sand is to apply a coat of semi-gloss or gloss polyurethane. Liquid polyurethane is best for this purpose, so you can apply it where you want it to go.

Use a hobby brush to apply the preservative to the sand and the seashells. DO NOT apply the polyurethane to the pearls, it will make them dull.

Once again, when you finish covering all the seashells and the sand, set your project aside and let the paint dry.

Finishing Up

Now that everything is dry, it’s time to bring out the photo you want to use in your frame. In my case, I placed a photo of the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse (a photo that I took with my Olympus Camedia D-595 camera) in the frame. The Lighthouse sits at the mouth of the inlet used by boats to get out into the Atlantic and is just north of the town of Pompano Beach.

First put the glass back in the frame. Make sure it is clean before you put it in. Then place your photo on the glass. Finally place the backing over the photo and lock it all down.

There you are. A beautiful Shellcraft Photo Frame for your home. Enjoy!

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