How to make: shell & driftwood wall hanging

Life’s a beach…someone said. And a beach is a treasure box, I say. There are so many beautiful things you can find: driftwoods – bleached from their journey at sea, amazing shells – which look like artwork, incredible stones – rounded and smoothed by the waves. For me, a good day at the beach is when I find something to take home.

You might already know that I like using driftwood or shells in my projects as I love bringing nature into my life and home. And all these materials are free!

This time I combined the two beach treasures and made this shell and driftwood wall hanging. There is nothing sadder than having collected all these wonderful pieces and not showing them off. But I know the struggle of finding the right displaying space – if you have any left – so I took it to the wall this time.

I used these stunning abalone shells, here in South Africa they are called perlemoen, because they are the most beautiful shells – just look at them – and they come with holes already. But if you want to use other shells, it is actually quite easy to drill a hole into the shells. Given, you have a power drill.

If you don’t have a beach nearby, don’t worry, I found these beauties in Indonesia on holiday. Just keep it in mind on your next beach holiday and look for these amazing craft materials a.k.a. shells and driftwood.

For the shell & driftwood wall hanging you need:

• 6 shells with holes
• driftwood stick
• nylon thread
• super glue
• shells of sea urchins or small shells to decorate

1 – Cut 6 pieces of nylon thread, for the length consider the space you want between wood and shells and the thread you need to tie it to the driftwood and the shells. Loop the pieces of thread around the driftwood and make double knots.

2 – Arrange shells from small to big and thread the nylon through the holes in the shells, finish with a double knot. Try to get the same distance between shell and driftwood every time. Trim any excess nylon thread.

3 – Glue the sea urchins or little shells onto the driftwood.

4 – If you want you can tie a longer piece of nylon to both ends to hang it. Or you put it onto two nails on your wall. Done.

I am sure this wall hanging will be a wonderful keepsake of your holiday or beach day. What kind of treasures have you decided to hang on your wall? Please share with us.