Decorative Vase
Horizontal Pattern

Specific Materials:

1. clear glass vase (The glass vase used here is around 4" tall).

2. a collection of seashells, clam style

3. sand

General Materials:

1. a bottle of Elmer's Glue-All or equivalent

2. a can of polyurethane - gloss or semi-gloss

3. set of hobby brushes

4. fluffy rag or towel

5. newspaper

Optional:

1. Accessories such as small rocks, small pearls, etc.

Make sure the glass vase is clean and dry. Look for cracks, chips, or other damage.

CAUTION!Do not use glass vases that are damaged. You can cut yourself up pretty bad if the cracked or damaged glass vase breaks while you are handling it.

Pick out around 6 or more larger sea shells. You are going to place these sea shells in the center of the vase one at a time. Since the shells are going to go around the vase in a horizontal row, pick out the center point for the first shell.

Try the sea shell on the glass without glue to see how it will fit. Since the design is going to go around the vase, you'll have to set up the center row one shell at a time. Use the picture above to guide you in the sea shell selection process, and the placing of these shells.

Place the glass vase on top of the towel. Use the towel to steady the work so it doesn't roll around on you. You may have to move the towel around and push it up so that the vase remains in one place.

Attaching the center anchor seashells to your decorative vases project:

Pick up the first center seashell and lay it on the glass. If you still like the way it fits and looks, pick up the seashell and apply glue to the underside. Place it back on the glass vase. You can move it around and position it the exact way you want it to be while the glue is still wet. Let it sit for a while (an hour or more) while the glue sets in place. You don't want the seashell to move or fall off when you move the vase around to place the next shell.

Once it is dry, turn the vase 1/4 turn to the left. The sea shell should now be parallel to the work surface and an empty part of the glass vase should be looking at you. Take your next center seashell and place it on the vase. Make sure you like where you placed it. Apply glue to the seashell and set it in place. Let it dry.

Once the first and second seashells have dried on the decorative vase you are making, you can apply the third seashell. Turn the vase a 1/4 to the left. The first seashell should now be right on the towel you are using for a holder. The second shell is on your left and parallel to the work surface.

Place a seashell on the face of the clear glass vases that is now visible to you. Find it's place in the design. Remove the seashell, apply glue to it, and place it down on the glass. One more major placement to go. Let this step dry.

Rotate the vase to the left so the last empty face of the clear glass vases is in play. Pick up your next center shell and find it's place on the glass. Apply glue to the seashell and put it in its place. Let it dry.

You now have a decorative vase that's been set up in quarters with four shells on it. You need to add more sea shells in between the four shells you already have glued in. Place the vase so that the empty glass between two of the shells is facing you.

Look over your collection of sea shells and pick out two or three that will fit between the two anchor sea shells. Remember to leave a little bit of space, 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch between the shells. This doesn't have to be exact just "kind of close to."

Place the shells on the glass and check for fit. The shells should be in line horizontally with the two anchor shells. If they stay put without sliding you can apply glue to them and place them back in their places. Then wait for the glue to dry before moving the vase around.

If the shells slide off the vase, you will have to position and glue them on one at a time.

Continue around the vase until you have filled in the gaps between all the anchor sea shells. You should now have a vase with a horizontal row of sea shells right down the center point of the vase. This is now your anchor row from which you will build your next two rows.

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Now it's time to apply an upper and lower circle of seashells to your glass vase. With the vase on the towel so that it stays in place, sort out some smaller seashells.

Pick a couple of starting points, one above the current row of sea shells and one below. The rows should have around the same amount of space between the new rows and the anchor row.

Place the shells on the glass and find where they fit the best, and where you like them the best. Apply glue to them and put them back in place. These will form the starting points for your 2 new horizontal rows of sea shells. Depending on the roundness of the glass vases you are using, you may be able to place a seashell to either side of the two you just placed. Let these dry before going on.

Decide whether to go to the left or the right. Either is fine. You want to continue to place seashells around the vase until you end up back at your starting point.

If you place the vase just right on your towel, you can probably place two or three at a time. Glue them, set them, and wait for them to dry in place before moving the glass around so you can place and glue the rest of the seashells.

Applying the sand to your decorative vases

To finish off these unique decorative vases we will be using sand. The sand will both provide texture to these craft vases, soften the edges of the shells so they become one with clear glass vases, and help hide any glue streaks that may be showing.

We are going to apply the glue and the sand at one sitting so remove the towel and replace it with some newspaper. The newspaper is there to catch any sand that falls off the decorative vases project at this point.

Pick a spot between the horizontal rows. Either at the top or the bottom. Apply some glue to the glass and use a hobby brush to spread it around - kind of like painting the glass with the glue. Try not to get glue on the top side of the seashells. Don't take too long at this, you want to the glue to be wet when you apply the sand to the decorative vases.

With the glue still wet, pour sand over it. Pour a bunch of sand on the glue so that it covers the glue completely. Wait 15 seconds or so and tilt the glass vases over the newspaper so the excess sand falls off. Place the jar on the side and return the excess sand to your container.

Continue around the vase applying glue, spreading it around, then pouring sand on the still wet glue. Make sure you get the glue between the seashells or seashell pieces. Pour sand over the glue - wait a few seconds - dump the excess sand on your newspaper and recover it.

Repeat steps a and b until you have covered all the clear glass with sand. The sand should cover the glass above the rows, in-between the rows, and below the rows. Also between the sea shells. Only the bottom of the vase and the inside of the vase should be free of sand.

Lightly shake off any excess sand that hasn't already fallen off. Place the decorative vases on the side and let it dry completely. Recover your loose sand from the newspaper and return it to your container.

Once the glue has dried you can scrape off any sand that may have appeared on top of the seashells.

Now you can add accessories. Small pearls, tiny pieces of coral, etc. It's up to you how extravagant you want to be. Wait for everything to dry well then continue.

Finishing your decorative vases

To protect and give your project some shine use the clear gloss or semi-gloss polyurethane paint. Apply a coat to each of the seashells or seashell pieces. Finally, apply a coat of the polyurethane over all the sand. Set the decorative vases on the side to dry.

Try Another Vase Project

Project 1 – "V" Pattern
Project 2 – Rhinestone Flower Pattern
Project 4 – Circle Pattern

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