Wall Plaque
with
Seashells & Pearls
in an
X Pattern

The design will use a wood plaque as its canvas. 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. 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 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

First question is what kind of wood plaque do you want to use for shellcraft project. 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 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.

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 X design. This is not an exact science, so let's say we will be making the X as best we can with whatever seashells are at hand.

First look through your available seashells and see if you can make a grouping of 8 shells that have a similar look. Keep the size on the small side. If you can size them into pairs more power to you as we will be placing them on the wooden plaque in pairs.

Also find one shell to place right in the middle. If you have some colorful scallop shells a bit over 2 inches wide at the widest point, they'd be great as your center shell. The design I made was based on my desire. I wanted white shells against the darker beach sand.

Now place the wall plaque flat on your work space with the side to be designed facing up. Pick up the center seashell you choose for your design and place it right in the middle of the plaque. Doesn't have to be exactly in the middle, just eyeball it as close as you can. Apply glue to the bottom edge of the shell, and put it in place.

Pick over the eight shells you picked for your X design. Divide them into two groups: the larger ones into one group, the smaller ones into another. Now pair the largest together, then the next largest. Do the same with the other 4. You should end up with 4 pairs, with the shells making up the pairs close in size.

Start with the largest pair and place these shells in the bottom inside corners, one to the left and one to the right. The "tips" should point toward the center seashell.

Take the next largest pair and place them at the top left and right sides with the "tips" pointing at the center shell. You should now have 5 shells on the plaque. The center one is glued so try not to move it around. The other four are not glued and can still be moved around.

You want to place the other four smaller shells on the plaque now. Follow the same idea: 2 larger pair at the bottom half of the plaque and the 2 smaller pair at the top half. Place these shells so that they are between the larger corner sea shells and the center shell. Move any of these 8 shells until you have a X pattern that you like. 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.

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 diamond pattern within the X pattern. One shell will be set inside each triangle space made by the X. Glue the shells in place once you like the way they look.

Let's put a design on the frame portion of the wall plaque. For this design let's pick 4 medium size shells for the four corners. Place each shell in the corner you think it will look in. If you used a twine hanging plaque like I did, then the shells going in the top corners will be slightly smaller than those at the bottom. Put your shells in place and move them around until you like the way they look. Apply glue to the shells and place on the frame.

Find 6 shells that are similar in shape and size. Place 2 of these at the bottom of the frame, another pair on the left side, and the final pair on the right side. Space them so they seem to be part of the main design in the center of the plaque.

Pick out 1 shell and place this one in the center of the top part of the frame. It should be more or less in line with your center shell.

Check out the way these 7 shells are laid out. Move them around until the design looks right to you. Now pick them up one at a time, apply glue, and place them down. Once you have glued all 7 shells in place take a final look and make any minor changes.

Let the decorative wall plaque sit and dry.

Add some pearls to the design. Pick out 5 pearls for the frame and 1 for the center section. If possible, use a larger pearl in the center than the 5 you use for the frame. Put a drop of glue where you want the pearl to sit (you should have placed them dry first to see how they fit) and place the pearl on the glue. Keep going until you have all the pearls placed and glued. Leave the shellcraft sit until the glue is completely dried.

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 or try one of the other designs.

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