#seashell flowers

Restocking some seashell flowers for my etsy shop! A few more pink rose cup flowers and white cup seashell flowers.

Lark on the Sand on tumblr

Here is a diy tutorial for a small, delicate 3 layer seashell flower. I am using apple blossom seashells, but it can also be made with other clam style seashells. The important thing is to have 3 sizes of the same shell. 

The trick to this flower (and to most of the flowers I make) is the glue mat and the 527 glue. The glue peels easily off the mat, so you can make the flowers directly on the mat, then peel them off and they are ready to go. 

Supplies:

9 large apple blossom seashells

6 medium apple blossom seashells

2 tiny apple blossom seashells

1 tiny yellow littorina seashell

527 glue

hot glue gun mat

tweezers

small, sharp scissors

I purchased my supplies from Michael’s. My seashells are either from my great-grandmother, or from Deltona Seashells, which has beautiful seashells and ships from the US. There are also many great seashell supply stores on etsy.

Step 1: The first thing to do is make the middle flower layer of 6 medium-sized petals. It needs to dry a little before it can be picked up, and it needs to be picked up first. Begin by squeezing a small dollop of glue onto the mat.

Step 2: Using the tweezers, place each seashell petal on the glue, over lapping each other, forming a circle. When you reach the end, slide the last petal slightly under the first one, closing the circle.

Step 3: While you let this middle layer dry a little, make the outer layer of the 9 largest petals. Squeeze a second, larger circle of glue on the mat, a little bigger than a dime.

Step 4: Using the largest of the petals, place them one at a time in a circle, slightly overlapping, as you did with the middle layer. The circle will be larger, as there are more petals, and they are larger. When you reach the last petal, slip it slightly under the first petal, closing the circle.

Step 5: When the outer layer is complete, check to see if the 6 petal middle layer is dry enough to move. It needs to be flexible so that it can fold into the larger layer, but it needs to be dry enough to not fall apart when it's moved. Carefully peal up the medium-sized 6 petal flower. Using the tweezers, pull up a little at one side of the flower, (ideally holding onto dry glue, not seashell). Let go, then pull up a little on the opposite side, then move around the circle pulling the sides up gently. If the petals don't stay together, wait a few more minutes, then try again. While you want the flower to stay together, you don't want the glue very dry. If the glue is too dry, this layer won't fold into the outer layer.

Step 6: Once the middle layer is off the mat, grab your small, sharp scissors. The glue will be gummy, but do your best to cut off any excess glue around the sides.

Step 7: Place a dollop of glue in the middle of the 9 petal outer layer of petals.

Step 8: Place the 6 petal flower directly onto the 9 petal flower, then, suing the tweezers, press the middle flower down in the middle. The flower should fold together, and the petals curve upward.

Step 9: Using your fingers, pinch the outer flower layer a little. This will bring the whole flower together.

Step 10: The final pieces to add are the middle 2 petals and the tiny yellow littorina center. Put a dab of glue in the middle of the flower.

Step 11: Place each tiny petal inside. They should stand up right, off to each side, so that the littorina can fit into the center. I find this to be the hardest step. The shells are small, and easily slide under each other. It might take a few tries, but eventually you want to see the littorina in the middle, with a tiny petal on each side.

Step 12: The flower is now just about finished. Wait at least 30 minutes, until the glue is dry and the flower fairly solid. Then pull the flower up, off of the mat, tugging on different sides until the flower comes up. It the petals wiggle as you pull on them, let it sit another 10 minutes, then try again. When it is off the mat, trim the excess glue with your small, sharp scissors.

The flower is now finished! The glue will continue to strengthen over the next 24 hours. It's ready to be used in a seashell bouquet, sailor's valentine, jewelry or other project, or simply as a lovely little flower!

If you like this flower, but don't want to be bothered to make it yourself, I sell them at Lark on the Sand on Esty . I also make and sell many other seashell flowers.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments! Happy shelling!

Here is a DIY tutorial for a simple six petal apple blossom seashell flower. Many other seashells can be used following these same instructions, with more or fewer petals, to make an infinite number of lovely seashell flowers of all sizes. 

The trick to this flower (and to most of the flowers I make) is the glue mat and the 527 glue. The glue peels easily off the mat, so you can make the flowers directly on the mat, then peel them off and they are ready to go. 

Supplies:

6 apple blossom seashells (all the same size)

1 tiny yellow littorina seashell

527 glue

hot glue gun mat

tweezers

small, sharp scissors

I purchased my supplies from Michael’s Arts and Crafts. My seashells are either from my great-grandmother, or from Deltona Seashells, which has beautiful seashells and ships from the US. There are also many great seashell supply stores on etsy. 

Step 1: Sort through your apple blossom seashells, finding 6 that are the same size and color.

Step 2: Place a small dollop of 527 glue on the glue gun mat.

Step 3: One at a time, place the seashells onto the glue. Angle them a bit upward, on the edge of the glue. Place the second one touching the first, overlapping slightly. Place the rest of the shells, overlapping, so that they curve around. When all six seashells are in place, they will create a small circle. 

Step 4: When you get to the last flower, place it to close the small circle. Slide the last flower slightly under the first flower, so that they all overlap slightly all the way around the circle. You might need to adjust the petals a bit, to get them in the precise desired position. When the glue dries, the flower will be solid, so make sure it looks as you want it to.

Step 5: To add the yellow center, place a small dot of glue in the middle of the flower.

Step 6: Using your tweezers, place the tiny yellow littorina in the middle of  the flower, press it gently into position. 

Step 7: Wait at least 30 minutes for the glue to dry. When you think it’s ready, use the tweezers or your fingers to tug one side of the flower up a little off the mat. If it seems solid, and the petals don’t wiggle, then pull it off all the way. If they do wiggle, let it sit another 10 minutes, then try again.

Step 8: Flip the flower over. Using the small, sharp scissors, trim off any excess glue. 

Voila! One tiny, pink seashell flower :-)

If you like this flower, but don’t want to be bothered to make it yourself, I sell them at Lark on the Sand on Esty I also make and sell many other seashell flowers.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments! Happy shelling!

Here is a tutorial for how I make apple blossom seashell flower branches. These are one of the simpler seashell flowers to make, though they do take a bit of time and patience.

Supplies:

hot glue gun mat

527 multi-use glue

tweezers

small, sharp scissors

thin green wire 

wire cutters

needle nose pliers

apple blossom seashells (for petals)

tiny yellow littorina seashells (for center)

I purchased my supplies from Michael’s. My seashells are either from my great-grandmother, or from Deltona Seashells, which has beautiful seashells and ships from the US. 

The trick to this flower (and to most of the flowers I make) is the glue mat and the 527 glue. The glue peels easily off the mat, so I can make the flowers directly on the mat, then peel them off and they are ready to go. 

Each flower blossom is composed of 3 apple blossom shells and one tiny yellow littorina shell. How many you make will depend on how long you want your branch to be. Today, mine will be 6 blossoms long.

Step 1: Gather the seashell petals. Sort through your apple blossom seashells, with the help of tweezers, and pull out the shells you want for your petals. You will want 3 seashell petals that are the same size for each blossom. I want my blossoms to be different sizes, so that when I line them up on the branch they taper toward the end. 

Step 2: Glue the petals together. Once you know what petals you want to use, you can assemble them. To do this, put a small drop of 527 glue on the glue mat, then, using the tweezers, place the shells on the glue so that they touch in the middle. Nudge them into exactly the shape you want. I like to press them down a little in the middle, so that the petals angle upward. Repeat this step for each of the blossoms. As the glue sets over the next few minutes, make sure that they are drying in the shape you want. Don’t go too far away, and continue to adjust their placement, as needed. 

Step 3: Add the yellow littorina center. After 15 minutes or so, the blossoms should be dry enough to add the yellow littorina center (though they are not dry enough to pull off of the mat). To add the center, drop a tinydot of 527 glue in the middle of the blossom. Just enough for the blossom and the littorina to touch. Then, using tweezers, place the littorina shell on the glue, in the center of the blossom. Adjust the placement as you wish. Repeat for each blossom. Again, adjust as needed over the next few minutes. 

Set the blossoms (still on the glue mat) aside, and let them dry for about an hour. 

Step 4: Cut and bend the green wire stem. This step is straight forward, at least in theory. Using wire cutters, cut the stem much longer than you think you want (you can always shorten it later). Using your hands and your needle nose pliers, bend the wire so that it lays flat on the table, and bends in the shape you want your flower branch to bend. Set it aside.

Step 5: Peel off the blossoms and trim excess glue. When you think the blossoms are dry enough to peel off, test them carefully. To test them, slowly and carefully try to pull up one of the blossoms. If the petals wiggle at all, let them dry longer before peeling them. Once they are solid, peel them off slowly, one by one, and, using the small, sharp scissors, trim off any excess glue from the back of the blossom. 

Step 6: Glue the blossoms onto their green wire stem. To glue the blossoms onto the wire, you will again need the glue mat and the 527 glue. Set the green wire in the middle of the mat (you will not move the wire until all the blossoms are glued on and the glue has dried). Begin at one end of the wire. Drop a dab of glue onto the end of the wire, and place the blossom on top, so that it covers the edge of the wire. It is very difficult to trim this end of the wire after the flower is applied, so make sure to stem isn’t sticking out. I’m using my smallest flower blossom, so that the flower size tapers. Drop another dab of glue on the stem, just below this first flower. Place the next flower blossom, and adjust it so that it is as close to the first flower as you want it, and so that it is angled as you’d like it. Repeat for the remaining blossoms, until your branch is assembled. Once all of the flowers are placed on the wire stem, nudge them into the exact place and angle you want them. As the flowers begin to dry, don’t go too far. Make sure that they don’t slide off of the wire, or tilt the wrong way. They are usually fairly stable, but once they are dry, they cannot be adjusted, so make sure they set the way you want them to. 

Set the branch aside (still on the glue mat), and wait an hour for the glue to dry.

Step 7: Peel the branch off the mat, trim the excess glue and wire stem. After an hour, test the glue to make sure that it is dry. Slowly and gently begin to peel off the branch. If none of the flowers wiggle, it’s dry enough to continue. If they do wiggle, set aside longer to let the glue dry a bit more. Peel off the branch, and carefully trim any excess glue with the small scissors. If you want the branch shorter, you can cut the wire to its desired length with your wire cutters. The glue will finish setting and become very strong within 24 hours. 

Voila! An apple blossom seashell flower branch :-)

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments! Happy shelling!

Lark on the Sand on tumblr

Playing With Flowers This afternoon I devoted some time to making seashell flowers. Some of these will be added to my etsy store, but I have not been focused on that as I made these. I made what I wanted to make, and other than trying to make each one as well as I could, I didn't think about whether anyone besides me would like them. This is the way that I really like making seashell flowers! Exploring all sorts of different shells, using the petals that I’m drawn toward. I felt free to experiment and play. As I finished each flower, I wondered how I could improve on it for the next one. Sometimes I tried to make really weird flowers. Often these are duds, but every once in a while, I ended up with a really beautiful flower that I would have never otherwise discovered. I didn’t worry about how long each one would take to make. I just played as I wish. They didn’t all work out in the end, but they were all fun to make.

Seashell Flowers Now on Etsy

I decided to list some of my seashell flowers on etsy. Some of these were made with specific projects in mind, but weren’t used for one reason or another. Others I just made for fun, and I haven’t found a project for them. I have a small box full of all sorts of seashell flowers that I pick through as the need arises. I went through and found the nicest of them. I made sure they were symmetrical, and that they had no obvious flaws (many of the flowers in the box are asymmetrical or otherwise flawed, but I can’t bare to get rid of them!). I’m going to make more flowers with the intent to sell them, either separately or in small groups. My inspiration for listing flowers on etsy came when I made 2 somewhat elaborate coquina shell flowers to replace 2 clumsy flowers on a picture frame that I recently restored. It was fun to have a fairly short flower project. I could just focus on the 2 flowers, then stop before it started to feel monotonous. It also encouraged me to focus more on detail. I could add detail without worrying that I would have to repeat the step dozens of times on more flowers. A lovely passion project!

I finally finished my blue picture frame! I struggled with the arrangement of the flowers quite a bit. My original plan was to have an orderly trim of small pink apple blossom flowers, but when I arranged it, it felt too structured and it didn’t have the feeling of flowers. After rearranging them and struggling to make them seem more organic, I abandoned the idea of flowers all together for a few attempts. I tried  a line of long auger shells, but they felt too clunky. I tried a rim of scallop shells, but they didn’t fit well. Eventually I went back and made a mix of seashell flowers, and explored a wilder garden theme. I like the tidy yellow littornia shells and purple coquina shells, contrasted with the undisciplined flowers, like a gate struggling to keep in the overflow of nature. A wild flower garden.