How to Make Faux Capiz Shells

Capiz shells are thin, round disks with a slightly transparent, mother-of-pearl finish. These shells are often used in home decor and fashion accessories, but they can be quite expensive, especially if you are using a lot. Make faux capiz shells using your empty milk jugs. The thickness and color of the plastic jugs are a close match to the appearance of the shells, making milk jugs an inexpensive craft supply alternative. Typically, capiz shells used for crafting are 1 to 2 inches in diameter, but when making your own, you can choose whatever size you desire.

Things You'll Need

• Gallon-size, plastic milk jug
• Knife
• Scissors
• Compass
• Lightweight cardboard
• Stylus
• Medium-coarse sandpaper

Instructions

1. Pierce a gallon-size, plastic milk jug, just below the curve leading to the spout, with the tip of a sharp knife. Remove the knife and insert scissors into the slit. Cut around the jug to remove the spout.

2. Cut off the top and bottom of the handle using scissors.

3. Cut open the corners of the jug from the top cut edge to the bottom. Cut off the jug sides from the bottom of the jug. You now have several pieces with flat surfaces.

4. Trace a circle, the desired size for your faux capiz shells, on lightweight cardboard using a compass. Cut out the circle. This is your capiz shell pattern.

5. Lay one milk jug piece on your work surface. Place the shell pattern on a flat area of the piece. Using a stylus, and pressure to produce a slight etched groove, trace around the pattern. Trace additional circles on the remaining flat areas on all of the milk jug pieces.

6. Remove the pattern. Cut out the circles along the groove lines using scissors.

7. Sand each side of each circle using a circular motion and medium-coarse sandpaper. This will give the shells a natural texture.

Tips & Warnings

• It is impossible to say how many shells can be cut from one jug. Not all milk jugs are created equal. Grooves and indentations may be added to the surface of jugs produced by different manufacturers. To produce realistic-looking capiz shells, the circles need to be cut from the flat areas.

• A dry ball-point pen can be substituted for a stylus.

• If your project requires many capiz shells, ask your friends to save their empty milk jugs for you.

• Experiment with the color of your capiz shells by rubbing a used teabag on the sanded surface.

• For shells that will be stitched to craft projects, or used to make jewelry, pierce a hole through the faux shell using a large-eyed needle.