Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Crafty Sea Shell Ideas


We all love Sea Shells, they remind us of holidays, picnics, lazy days at the beach, paradise etc. At Largs Bay Antiques and Collectables  we’re lucky enough to be very close to the beautiful beach of Largs Bay, so we have many Sea Shells at our door step. We are always trying to come up with interesting ideas to use Sea Shells for our customers. Here are a few ideas to try and make or you can purchase online.


Fix a chipped dish with Sea Shells






Here’s a crafty way to disguise a big chip in your favorite dish that’s quick and easy. So easy in fact you can get the kids to help. If you’re lucky enough to live close to the sea, you can pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it with the kids. If you don’t live close to the beach most craft shops sell interesting sea shells.












  






  1.  Put some glue, e.g. contact, silicone, super glue or 2 Pac Araldite, over the chip, I used contact, it’s the best one if kids are helping, just make sure the area is well ventilated.












2.    Place a large feature sea shell that fits the chipped corner well, down first.






3.    Now repeat with some smaller interesting sea shells.






4.    Gradually reduce the size of the sea shells.







5.    Fill in gaps by overlapping with tinny sea shells.






6.    And there you have it, easy. The chip is well disguised and the dish now looks even more interesting. I chose sea shells for this project because the dish looked like a wave and our shop Largs Bay Antiques is so close to the sea. You could also use stones, pebbles, glass beads etc.  If it better suites the dish. You could continue all the way around the dish but some times less is more, up to you.







More Sea Shell Ideas





hobby




Sea Shell Photo Frame

These frames are made much the same way as the Sea Shell Dish project earlier but take a lot more time, about 2 hours in total. It’s created over a few stages to allow for the glue to dry so you can build up the 3D effect. We put sea shells in the frame but you can put your favorite photo in it. We sell these Sea Shell Frames in our Store Largs Bay Antiques from $27.50






Sea Shell House


Most craft shops have a large range of premade interesting display cases that are ready to be varnished or painted. I use my home made polish cleaner for these as it brings out the grain of the wood, the polish cleaner recipe is available free at Largs Bay Antiques . Polish a couple coats until you’re happy with the look, allow to dry in between coats it takes about 1 hour in total. We sell these Sea Shell Houses in our Store Largs Bay Antiques from $22.50





Bucket Sea Shell


We use different size Galvanized Iron Buckets new or old and rusty (for character) filled with succulent potting mix, topped with sea shells and plant various succulents. Remember not to over water. Great indoors or outdoors, available at   Largs Bay Antiques from $15.00















Bottle Sea Shell

We use different size Bottles and Jars new or old (for character) with succulent potting mix, topped with sea shells and plant various succulents. Remember not to over water. Great indoors or outdoors, available at   Largs Bay Antiques from $5.00




Work In Progress















Sea Shell Table

Many hours, 25+ so far have gone in to this Beautiful Sea Shell Table will up date post when its finished

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tip. I have lots of thing wallowing on my mind after seeing your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. William@tribalarteryOctober 24, 2009 at 6:15 AM

    As a resident, sort of, of one of the world's best shelling beaches, I found your shell tips fascinating. Would you mind if I replicated them in a e-newsletter I do? I will, of course, provide a link.

    You may also find my blog at http://TribalArtery.blogspot.com of interest, as it covers news and stuff about tribal art. Real tribal art. Not tattoos.

    ReplyDelete
  3. by all means would be proud...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like the idea of using shells to fix the dish...It puts a certain flare on something that would otherwise be trash

    ReplyDelete
  5. http://trends.thatsellwell.com/November 8, 2009 at 9:22 PM

    Hey! Following your from blogcatalog.com
    I added you to my blog, take a peek...later keep those great ideas coming.

    ReplyDelete
  6. there is a forest and a lake for that.

    My website; arrow shed owners manual

    ReplyDelete