Where we live on the gulf coast of Florida, there are a lot of white sandy beaches and many of them are perfect for shell collecting. Since I’ve been back and forth for two years, I’ve gathered a collection of shells from beach walks and was inspired to create art in the classic shadow box format.
This framed shell art project is incredibly easy to piece together, all you need is a collection of shells (or you could use sea glass too) and shadow boxes. I had three sources for mine, the local Florida beaches, ones I bought on Amazon for variety, and sliced shells from a shop on Etsy.
My sources for shells:
beach walks here in Florida
these mixed shells on amazon
tibia shells from Etsy
sources: white frame shadow box set / sliced tibia shells / shell variety
I played with a few shell arrangements, it’s relaxing sitting with coffee creating different shell combinations on the linen backgrounds.
I eventually settled on a spiral pattern for the sliced tibia shells and grid pattern of pink patterned and white scallop shells.
Once I had the layout I liked, I applied dabs of hot glue to the backs of the shells to secure them to the linen backgrounds.
Eventually I think these will end up on the narrow wall next to my dresser in the primary bedroom, but for now I’m displaying them in our kitchen.
Retail versions can be pricey, in the hundreds of dollars. Below find a few for further inspiration!
pottery barn shell shadow box
translucent shell set
white shell shadow box
pearlescent shell pair
circle pattern shadow box
If you’ve collected shells from a beach vacay you can recreate this project, or buy natural sea shells online, Amazon and Etsy are both great sources.