Crafts from seashells - DIY mirror decor. Mirror with shells or a mirror in a nautical style (40 photos)! Small decor for a mirror from shells

Entry from: 9-21-2016

This year I finally made my old dream come true - I made a decor from seashells. I collected shells for a long time - from every trip to the sea I brought with me a certain amount of shells. Everyone was going to start making crafts from shells for the interior, but, as they say - “the fees were short-lived” 🙂 The only thing was that the shells went to decorate miniature gardens in bowls, the creation of which I am fond of.

This year I was lucky enough to visit the sea not far from Anapa, in st. Blagoveshchenskaya, where we camped on a sandy spit. There were absolutely extraordinary shells - the kind I had never seen in my life. They were large, bright, some even covered with some kind of limescale, reminiscent of coral formations.

Of course, all the time I spent my rest I was enthusiastically engaged in collecting this beauty, with the aim of subsequently making a decor from shells. Other shells are smaller, I collected on the Sea of Azov when we went to the port of Kavkaz near Taman to meet a comrade from the ferry.

When we returned from the sea, we stopped at Ikea near Krasnodar and there I bought two wooden mirrors, hoping to decorate them with shells. I started decorating a mirror with my own hands while on a trip - it's nice to do something creative on vacation, when there is a lot of free time. For this I only needed pva glue, shells and the mirror itself.

How to glue shells to glass

Many people are interested in me - how and with what glue shells can be glued to glass - I will say with full responsibility that there is no better PVA glue.

You need to glue the shells like this: squeeze the PVA glue onto the surface (it should be thick and create a layer of millimeter 3 on the surface. This is exactly how, and not as many do - just smear the surface with a brush. In the latter case, the shells will fall off almost immediately.

But if you squeeze out the glue in a thick layer, then carefully put the shells in the glue (do not be afraid, this will not harm beauty), then they will stick very well. When the glue dries, its layer will become thinner and it itself will become transparent and invisible. In this way, I glued the shells to the mirror. Large orange ones are collected on the Black Sea, and small ones - on the Azov Sea.

See the shells themselves in macro photography - you can't see the glue at all!

This is the original mirror.

Well, and so it became after decorating with shells.

The next idea for execution is to make from shells. Fortunately, after the last trip I have a lot of them.

Hello dear readers! How do you want to extend your summer vacation at sea, right? But work and other obligations are urgent, at least the memories of a wonderful sea vacation are warm in my soul! But such memories can be prolonged, and not by looking at colorful vacation photos, but by a self-made mirror frame, decorated in a nautical style. Just imagine how wonderful it will look in the interior of the bathroom or hallway, constantly feeding you with pleasant memories of the warm sea!

Mirror with shells photo

Mirror with shells photo

If you brought seashells from the sea, then literally in a few days you may notice that they darkened, and a terribly unpleasant smell appeared, below you will learn how to bring the seashells into their proper form.

How to clean shells at home.

Freeze shells. Some recommend freezing the shells in a bag filled with water, I know from experience that no water is needed, put the shells in a bag, tie it up and put it in the freezer. After a while, when you can deal with shells, take out the bag, wait until the shells are thawed (do not untie the bag during defrosting, otherwise you will feel a pungent smell). After defrosting, tie a cotton-gauze bandage on your face, put gloves on your hands, arm yourself with tweezers, a knife, and a sharp wooden skewer and remove the insides of the shells.
Boil the shells. There is another way to clean the shells, pour water into a saucepan, in which gently submerge the shells, boil the shells in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Then drain the water, let the shells cool down, arm yourself with tweezers and remove all the insides from them. At the final stage, thoroughly rinse all sinks under running water.
How to whiten seashells. Take a glass container, immerse shells in it and fill it with linen bleach. After 1.5 hours, you can take out the shells, if necessary, you can hold it longer. Rinse the sinks under running water, dry, grease with vegetable oil and after a while, cover with a colorless varnish. When drying in the sun, try not to overexpose the shells, otherwise they will crumble.

How to decorate a mirror with shells.

✓ Required materials:

✓ Mirror in the frame;

✓ Hot glue gun with glue sticks (you can use transparent glue moment);

✓ Shells, pearl beads and river pebbles;

✓ Colorless varnish;

✓ Tweezers.

Where can I get seashells?

Collect on the seashore;

Purchase in coastal shops (usually in such departments shells of all shapes and sizes are sold at affordable prices);

Purchase in souvenir shops in your city;

Order in the online store;

Purchase in the All for Creativity stores;

Ask friends and family.

Well, let's start decorating the mirror with shells.

We put the mirror on the table, warm up the thermo-gun or simply arm ourselves with a bottle of transparent glue of the moment. We cover the mirror sheet with a cloth or paper, so as not to drip with glue and not stick.

We glue along the inner contour of the mirror - small shells, it is better to apply glue on the shell itself, of course, when applying glue to the frame, it will go faster, but since the moment tends to freeze quickly, you may simply not have time to glue seafood. Make sure that they are located symmetrically and do not jump out of the intended row.

After creating the shell contour, you can start gluing large shells, but before gluing, simply place the shell on the frame and evaluate whether it looks appropriate here.

After gluing the large shells, start filling in the gaps between them using pearl beads, river pebbles and small shells. If you plan to stick starfish, then remember that they are very fragile and you need to stick them first, and put other decorations around them. You can also fill in the gaps with clean sea sand or use light beads.

When the marine-style mirror is fully decorated with all kinds of seafood, we leave the product to dry completely, 24 hours will be enough. Then we cover the frame with a glossy, colorless varnish, and after another drying - we admire the result!

Mirror with shells photo

Mirror in a marine style photo.

I suggest you look at a selection of photos of square mirrors, complemented by shells.

Such mirrors will emphasize the interior design of the bathroom, hallway and bedroom. And how great they will fit into the thematic marine interior!

Mirror in a marine style photo

Round mirrors decorated with different-sized shells.

Such mirrors look very neat and quite compact, so they can be hung in any room of the house, in addition, such a mirror is perfect as a gift!

Oval mirrors decorated with seashells and other seafood.

Such mirrors look really cozy, they will help to instantly revive the general interior atmosphere. Just one mirror can dramatically change the entire home environment, thanks to its bright decor, it will become the main accessory in the house and will constantly catch the eye.

Rectangular mirrors decorated with large and small shells.

This form of the mirror is perhaps the most traditional and demanded one. A large mirror, decorated with a variety of shell shapes, can be hung in a central spot in the living room or dining room.

Mirror in a marine style photo

In addition to its functional mission, the mirror serves as a decorative decoration for the entire interior of the room, regardless of its purpose. Basically, mirrors are purchased ready-made, and the products offered are mainly produced in standard configurations, but you can also purchase a designer item, but its cost will be quite high.

You can also solve the issue yourself by making a frame for the mirror with your own hands or decorate the existing one with improvised materials and personal imagination.

If your imagination is a little tight, you can always resort to the help of Internet resources, where you can see many photos with options for mirror decor.

Mirror Decorating Ideas

Perhaps, almost everyone knows the amazing property of mirrors - the expansion of the space of the room, making it visually larger than the actual size, and the role of stylish interior decoration.

You can decorate mirrors with various materials, available in sufficient quantities for everyone. And your irrepressible imagination and great desire will embody into reality any ideas for decorating mirrors, moreover, made with your own hands, which will make your creation truly invaluable and unique.

The main field for creativity in decorating mirrors is not the mirror surface, but its framing, i.e. frame. To decorate it, you do not need special knowledge or work experience, this process is quite accessible to everyone, the main thing is to have good taste and be creative in the design process.

To decorate the mirror frame, you can use: seashells, pieces of broken glass or ceramics, tile shards, paper, newspapers, jewelry, remains of mosaics, bamboo sticks, tree twigs and much more.

Using shards of dishes

It is easy to make the decor of a mirror from fragments of broken dishes with your own hands. Did your favorite cup or plate break? Do not rush to throw away the fragments, because they can be used to make a decoration for a mirror frame.

Tile the pieces with the appropriate tool. Prepare in advance the project of the future creation and the field for creativity.

Glue the mosaic components on top of the workpiece using ordinary glue, small beads and stones with mother-of-pearl will not be superfluous, in addition, other details can be used at your discretion. At the end of the process, it is necessary to grout the frame surface and wipe it with a soft cloth.

Decor with shells

Decorating a mirror frame using shells is as easy as shelling pears if you have glue, acrylic-based paints and plenty of shells on hand. Prepare the surface of the frame in advance, clean it from dust and dirt. Apply glue on top of it and lay the prepared shells in a planned order.

Straight lines, wavy, in the form of circles or bends, and other configurations will look beautiful. Dry the composition for a while, then cover with acrylic paint or secure with varnish.

Decorating with stones

The frame, decorated with stones, looks quite expensive and stylish. When using glass drops, do not forget that they are quite massive, which means it is worth leaving the space around them free. Do not combine stones of different types and textures.

For decor, the ideal choice would be: smaller than average pebbles, glass in the form of a drop, crystal elements, artificial or natural stones, rhinestones and other materials. Use special transparent glue as an attachment.

We decorate the wall with mirrors according to the rules

In order not to spoil the wall with future creations, and to make the decor of the mirrors on the wall successfully, you must follow certain simple rules:

give preference to mirrors of the same dimension, it is better to use products no larger than average;
products of non-standard shapes, as a rule, are not placed in frames;
round or square mirrors should be decorated with a beautiful frame;
a composition of the same type of mirror frames will look solid, regardless of the size of the mirrors;
use no more than 5 mirrors in the composition with a spectacular and stylish frame, otherwise break the harmony;
a win-win option would be to use mirror frames, which are ideally combined with the entire style of the interior design of the room.

Photo of mirror decor

A mirror is not only an object that helps to evaluate your appearance, it complements the interior, adds style and performs aesthetic functions. With the help of an originally designed mirror, you can significantly change the image of your home and give the house a complete look and original style.

You will need:

Various seashells;
Pearls of different sizes;
Sea pebbles;
Moment glue;
Colorless varnish;
Sand, beads, sequins, etc.
Self-adhesive paper;
Ammonia;
Water;
Mirror.

Instructions:

First of all, it is necessary to degrease the surface of the mirror, shells, stones and pearls using water and ammonia. Using self-adhesive paper, frame the mirror with the desired shape and size.
When you make the frame, you can start the most exciting process - decorating. First, it is recommended to stick the large shells symmetrically. They can be fixed to the sides or corners of the mirror. If you use starfish when decorating, be careful, they are quite fragile.
Fill the space between the large shells with small shells, pearls and pebbles. You can also add sea sand, salt, beads, or sequins. Do everything carefully and carefully, carefully considering where you stick the elements.
At the end of the work, shake off excess sand, remove the remaining glue and cover the frame with colorless varnish (if the mirror will hang in the bathroom, cover it with 2 layers of varnish). This will give reliability and prevent the elements from crumbling, while maintaining their appearance.
When the mirror is completely ready, you can hang it in the place provided for it.

You will need:

Mirror;
Transparent color silicone sealant;
Beads;
Masking tape;
Alcohol.

Instructions:

First you need to prepare the surface of the mirror: to do this, treat it with alcohol. Use scotch tape to separate the part of the mirror from the one you will be decorating. The border should not be made too wide, otherwise the decor will look clumsy and heavy. The line of the tape can be uneven and arbitrary, the main thing is to observe symmetry.
Apply a thin layer of sealant to the area limited by tape. Gently scatter the beads onto the surface with the sealant, leveling it out. The beads should lie in an even layer with no visible gaps.
Instead of beads, you can take transparent stones of different sizes. Thus, decorate the entire detached surface of the mirror.
When you make the bead frame, carefully peel off the tape and let the sealant dry.

DIY mirror: decor options

The easiest way to decorate the mirror is with regular paint. You need to choose the right paint not only in color, but also in the nature of the frame material. The mirror frame can be painted in a neutral solid color or bright, with contrasting patterns. The only thing worth considering is the harmony of the interior colors.

The mirror can be decorated with artificial flowers. You can take flowers in different sizes and stick them in any order. The gaps between them can be filled with beads, sequins, sequins or beads. A mirror decorated in this way will look beautiful in a bedroom.

A good option for decorating a mirror is ribbons. You can make many colorful bows in different sizes and attach them to the frame. In addition to bows, you can cut small squares from multi-colored ribbons and place them on the frame, creating a patchwork canvas. This mirror will look great in the hallway.

For bathroom mirrors, use ceramic tiles or CDs. You can decorate the mirror using the mosaic technique. For showiness, use bright or mirrored tiles. This option is quite laborious and time-consuming, but the result is worth it.

Children's room mirror can be decorated with a puzzle. Buy a jigsaw puzzle for kids and glue its elements to the frame, creating a picture. This method is original and bright, your child will be delighted!

Decorate the mirror for the new year you can use rain, tinsel, garlands, paper snowflakes and angels. Alternatively, you can buy artificial snow from a specialty store and spray it on the surface.

Read also:

You can make a cardboard frame, glue curly pasta and paint it with acrylic paint. This mirror will look perfect in the kitchen. Instead of pasta, you can take beautiful buttons and stick them in random order.

A mirror is an irreplaceable piece of furniture that is in every home. The problem is that not in every home you can see an interesting mirror, as a rule, they are standard. With the help of materials at hand, you can create a real work of art, diversifying the interior with a stylish accessory in any room.

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Everyone who at least once in his life had a rest at the sea, probably tried in every possible way to preserve the memory of these happy days - he took pictures on the beach, collected shells in various boxes and bags, which then, neatly and not very much, folded in hard-to-reach places of his city apartment, creating chaotic seashell decor.

Unfortunately, after returning home and visiting our favorite work, we most often forget about the warm sea, the invariable attribute of which is beautiful sea shells. Residents of seaside cities also treat shells casually: if they cannot be sold to vacationers, why are they needed? Well, perhaps, greeting cards were made of them in the long-gone Soviet times.

decor from shells for christmas tree

So, gentlemen - shells are back in fashion! Do not be lazy and get the treasures of Mother Nature hidden in the dark corners - now they will symbolize the beauty of the seascape right in your home, because talented designers urge you to make your home unique and comfortable with the help of these beautiful shells like Eternity itself. Have you ever wondered how many years a shell that you step on has been growing in the sea? It turns out to be a lot, and this is a number with many zeros! Let's follow the recommendations of modern designers - collect all our shells and start creating a new style in your home interior using shell decor - marine, Mediterranean, or, as it is also called, ecological!

Marine theme in the interior

Some practical tips

Photo gallery - shell decor:

Yes, today they are not as popular as pebbles, and cannot be used to cover a home floor, however, shells look just great in the decor of walls, columns and arches! They can be combined with pebbles, gluing both on the walls with the help of special types of glue and plaster.

flower pot decorated with shells

A transparent vase filled with shells will decorate any setting, add to this well-placed mirrors, as well as frames for pictures and photographs made in a nautical style - you will not go wrong! Once you learn how to make seashell wreaths, you can decorate doors or hanging flower pots.

In general, when visiting stores, you should often pay attention to a variety of interesting decorative elements in which seashells are used, because they can become both a successful addition to the already formed unique style of your home, and the first step towards further improvement. Do not forget about comfortable accessories made of artificial materials, the shape of which follows the silhouette of sea shells.

a vase decorated with multi-colored shells will bring originality to the interior

Decor from seashells in the bathroom

"A pebble rug with shell decor will not only decorate the bathroom, but will also provide a useful and pleasant foot massage, and while on the heated floor will create the effect of being on the beach."

Whatever the general style of decoration of your home, in the bathroom shells and pebbles are always in place, because there is water here.

The easiest way is to put a simple but expressive element on the mirror shelf - a vase filled with shells. Do not be too lazy to inlay the mirror set or the outer surface of the bathtub with shells - you will achieve a simply stunning effect. The most hardworking of us can even lay out pebbles and shells on the walls, creating a decor worthy of Neptune himself.

A pebble rug in a shell decor will not only decorate the bathroom, but will also provide a useful and pleasant foot massage, and while on the heated floor will create the effect of being on the beach.

white table decorated with seashells

Shells in the interior of the kitchen

In the kitchen, it is worth decorating any vases and flowerpots, pots and jugs with shells, combining these elements with paintings and photos on the marine theme, as well as various souvenirs and dishes in the same style.

Living room in a nautical style

Interesting souvenirs brought from the sea are used as independent decorative elements from shells, as well as as decoration for a variety of items.

The shells do not burn, which means they can be used to decorate sconces and lamps in any room.

a picture of seashells in the living room will always remind you of warm sunny days

Massive shells from distant exotic seas can be filled with shining candy wrappers, or epiphytes - unique miniature decorative flowers - can be planted in them.

Seashells filled with wax make spectacular candles.

A painting made of shells, pebbles, and, if available, even corals and pearls will give a special charm to the living room interior. You will not see such a picture hanging on the wall of your neighbors - it exists only in one copy and is a manifestation of your individuality. Even unpretentious dogs and ships made of shells, unobtrusively recalling the sea, add quiet romantic notes to the atmosphere of the room.

mirror decorated with large seashells in the interior of the living room

Seashells in the bedroom decor

Sea pebbles always keep the warmth of the summer sun, and ornate scrolls of shells - the sound of the surf; all of them will help to create in your bedroom a unique and sophisticated aura of magical memories, because only you alone know where and when the sea waves presented these expensive gifts.

Try to decorate mirrors and photo frames with shells, decorate a chest of drawers and an elegant dressing table with them - the marine style will take you into the world of fantasy, far from the problems and difficulties of everyday life.

Marine theme in decorating mirrors

Mirrors decorated with seashells and pebbles look unusually impressive, using additional materials such as decorative beads, ropes or pieces of rope. The elements of the composition can be painted with acrylic paints and covered with shiny varnish, and they are fixed with glue (you can use PVA or Moment).

a mirror decorated with white shells goes well with the pale blue tint of the walls

A long lost among children's toys, a small fish and a keychain in the shape of a sea anchor will successfully fit into the original decor of shells, invented by you for decorating a mirror frame. The decorative rope will symbolize the ship's rope on your favorite photo frame, in the corner of which is a small starfish. Familiar things will come to life if their owners give free rein to their imaginations.

Decor options in a nautical style

"You can decorate flowerpots with shells inside, but it is even better to stick them on the outside in a chaotic manner, or taking an interesting ornament as a basis."

The number of options for using seafood in the decoration of premises is limited only by the frames of the decorator's imagination; they are essentially limitless, but there are a few time-tested good ideas worth knowing about.

dressing table and mirror decorated with different-sized shells will become key elements of the marine theme in the bedroom

So, select your favorite and beautiful shells, arrange them in shape and size, if you wish, change the color with the help of paints - and scatter them along with colored beads over your favorite photo frame. Photos decorated in this way can be arranged on shelves or hung on the walls of the living room, bedroom and children's room. If you are endowed with artistic talent, do not hide it, but use the inspiration that appears to create a beautiful picture that people around you will be delighted to contemplate.

Bedside tables, coffee tables and shelves will take on a whole new look when you put on them transparent vases filled with sea sand, pebbles, shells, starfish, corals and pearls. Such compositions are also well suited for decorating banquets and richly served tables.

You can decorate flowerpots inside with shells, but it is even better to stick them on the outside in a chaotic manner, or taking an interesting ornament as a basis.

this craft from shells can be made by yourself and placed on the shelf

In the suburban area, shells and pebbles look great too! Scattered here and there: among garden trees and flowers, around a fountain or an artificial reservoir, they will emphasize the beauty of the natural landscape and remind you of sunny days spent on the seaside.

The interior decoration of the house can also become an object of decoration. Soap dishes in the bathroom and pepper shades in the kitchen, original candle sinks, garlands, flowerpots and even lampshades for lamps in a marine style - this is just a small list of original ideas and possibilities for using natural materials brought from the seashore.

floor vase decorated with seashells

Since the shells are taken from natural conditions, which means that mollusks previously lived in them, they cannot be used to decorate the premises without preliminary processing - the shells have an unpleasant odor. In addition, often large specimens, recently raised from the bottom of the sea, are covered with a rather thick layer of algae adherent to them, which can only be removed mechanically after soaking in water.
Externally clean shells can simply be poured with boiling water for five minutes, then drain the cooled water and repeat the procedure for another three minutes.
Do not forget that you can paint the shells if you wish.
The process of processing sea shells is completed with a one-time coating with acrylic varnish, this will provide the shell decor with an attractive natural look for many years.