How to Make a Seashell Bouquet

Look for shells with interesting shapes or colors for your bouquet.

Put a creative spin on a standard floral bouquet by using seashells in place of or alongside flowers. These bouquets fit nicely with a beach or summer wedding theme and are inexpensive to make, especially if you collect the shells yourself. Look for bags of seashells at craft stores to create your bouquet if you don't live near the beach or can't break away for a day of beach combing.

Things You'll Need

• 22-gauge craft wire
• Hot glue gun
• Seashells
• Green florist tape
• Fresh flowers
• Ribbon

Instructions

1. Cut 22-gauge craft wire into lengths approximately 1/2 inch longer than the desired stem length of your bouquet. You need one length of craft wire for each seashell in your bouquet.

2. Use a hot glue gun to pour a small pool of hot glue into the cavity of a seashell. Press one end of a wire stem into the hot glue.

3. Attach flat seashells such as sand dollars or starfish by bending one end of a wire stem into a small loop with needle nose pliers. Apply hot glue to the back of the shell and press the wire loop into the glue.

4. Wait for the hot glue to dry completely before moving or arranging the seashells.

5. Wrap green florist tape around each wire stem to cover the stem completely and create a realistic stem appearance.

6. Gather the wire mounted seashells together to form a bouquet. Add several fresh flowers to the bouquet, if desired.

7. Wrap a piece of craft wire around the center of the stems. Twist the ends of the wire together to hold the stems together.

8. Tie a colorful ribbon around the stems of the bouquet to add decoration and hide the craft wire used to secure the stems.

References

• Martha Stewart Weddings: Shell Bouquet