How to Make a Card With Seashells

During trips to the beach, people often collect seashells to bring home as souvenirs of their vacation. Many use the shells as decorations for their home, displaying them in vases as table center pieces or scattering them across mantles and other surfaces. You may be surprised to learn that seashells can also serve as a crafting material. Share with others the thrill of being close to the ocean by decorating your homemade greeting cards with seashells.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scissors
• Spiraled-shaped Helix shells
• Clam shells
• Card stock
• Hot glue gun

1. Use scissors to cut out the desired card shape from card stock. Thinner materials such as paper may not be able to support the weight of the seashells.

2. Select small Helix and clam shells that measure approximately 1 or 1 1/2 inches.

3. Create an arrangement of shells on the front panel of the card. Examples include creating a border of shells that outlines the shape of the card or arranging several shells in an artistic cluster at the center of the card. Placing shells on the inside panels of folded cards that open up will prevent you from being able to fully close the card.

4. Use the glue gun to attach the chosen arrangement of shells to the card stock. Provide maximum hold by coating with glue the bottom surface of a Helix shell or the bottom edge of a clam shell in its entirety.

5. Place additional decorations made of other materials and/or text next to or around the arrangement of shells if you wish to further embellish the card.

Tips & Warnings

• Add some sparkle to the card by placing a drop of glue to the top of each shell and sprinkling colored glitter over the glue before it has a chance to dry. Place cards decorated with seashells into large, padded envelopes that will provide plenty of room and cushioning for the protruding shells.