 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Seashellsandwood.com Seashells for Arts & Crafts |
| Trochus - Pearlized 3/16" to 5/16" #T014 |
| Umbonium - Pearled Small #U012 |
| Scallop - Mexican Flat 2 3/4" #S044 |
| Mussel - Hooked 1 3/8" to 2 1/2" #M001A |
| Pecten - Royal Cloak 1 1/2" to 2 1/4" #P005 |
| Urchin - Spines Purple - Bulk Mix 3/8" to 2+" #U010-Bulk |
Antique picture frame measures 18" x 17" and area covered by shells is fairly flat and
about 4" wide. Since this is an irregular size a mirror had to be cut to fit the opening. If
you purchase a framed mirror for your project make sure the area that will be covered
with shells is flat and wide enough for your design. The number of shells needed
depends on the size of the frame and how the shells are placed, but this photo will give
you an idea of what is needed. You can purchase the shells like I used for this project
below.
about 4" wide. Since this is an irregular size a mirror had to be cut to fit the opening. If
you purchase a framed mirror for your project make sure the area that will be covered
with shells is flat and wide enough for your design. The number of shells needed
depends on the size of the frame and how the shells are placed, but this photo will give
you an idea of what is needed. You can purchase the shells like I used for this project
below.
| Shell Mirror in shades of purple, mauve, pink and pearled. |
Prepare the frame. Make sure the construction is
sturdy enough to hold the weight of the shells. If
not, you should screw a piece of board to the back
and attach the hooks for hanging before you start
the project. The photo to the right shows the back
of my mirror. After Jim attached the plywood I
applied a diluted brown craft paint with a soft cloth
to stain the new wood to match the old. The
triangle hooks can have picture wire added for
easy hanging.
I always use Tacky Glue for all of my shell
projects. It does take longer to dry, but there are
no strings and no odor.
Select the shells and lay them out to form the
design. I always select all of the shells for the
entire project before I start to glue anything. It is
very important to make sure you have enough
shells of each kind to complete the project.
Because we are working with natural materials
colors may vary from one shipment to the next. So
even if you were short and figured you would order
more later, they may not match the first batch.
I started this mirror project with the Pearled
Umboniums on the trim around the perimeter and
next to the mirror edge. I laid out every shell, then
glued them in place one by one. Remember to use
enough glue, but not too much. The end result will
not be as nice if the glue is visible.
The next step is to select the Royal Cloak that will
be the partner with the Mexican Flat. Color, size
and shape will all be factors in this partnership. The
Royal Cloak is glued to the bottom side of the Flat.
The top side of the Flat is dull and the bottom side
is shiny and more of a pink, mauve, brownish color
which goes well with the Royal Cloak. Since there
is not much of the shell that will touch the Flat, I
first glued a cotton ball to the inside of the Royal
Cloak and let that dry. When the shell is glued to
the Flat, there is more area to glue which will hold
the shell in place. Remember not to use so much
glue that it starts to run out onto the Flat where you
can see it. Let these dry for at least 8 hours.
Step 3 is to place the Mexican Flat/Royal Cloak on
the frame, evenly spaced and so that the colors
are somewhat matched with the shell that is on the
opposite side. For example if the shell that is in the
middle at the top has more pink, try to put a shell
that is the same shade in the middle at the bottom
and so forth. This will balance out the various
colors and make your finished mirror more
attractive. Once you have the Flats where you want
them, use a white sewing pencil if your frame is
dark or another colored pencil to mark the frame
around each of the Flats. This will give you the lines
to follow to know where to glue the Dark Purple
Urchin Spines. It is not necessary to completely
cover the back ground with the spines since a large
area will be covered up by the other shells.
Step 4 is to layout the Dark Purple Urchin Spines
just inside the perimeter of Pearled Umbonium. See
the closeup photo to the right and you can tell how
the spines were placed next to the Umboniums. I
also have spines in a single row next to the inside
Umbonium trim. You can barely see the lighter
colored end of the spines next to the Pink Trivia
(these spines must be added later after the Flats
have been glued in place). Once I had all of the
spines for the perimeter laid out, I glued them in
place and let the glue dry. Then the next day I
added more spines over the first row to cover open
areas between the glued spines and to cover up
any shiny spots where the glue was showing. The
spines are tricky to glue. You must put enough glue
to secure them, but too much glue will surely show.
I tried to put most of the glue on the inside end of
the spines because that end will be covered up with
the Flats and the flowers made of Pearled Trochus.
Step 5 is to glue the Mexican Flat/Royal Cloak
shells into place. Since the Flats are not totally flat
and I wanted to have another point where glue
would hold the shells securely in place, I added a
"filler" shell under each Flat. This "filler" shell also
helps to hold the rounded edge up off the frame so
that a row of Pearled Trochus can be added as
shown in the edge view closeup photo to the right.
These Trochus are pushed up under the Flat, so
you must leave room to do this. I used White Arks
as the "filler" shells, but you can use any little shell
that is the right height so it touches the Flat and will
help keep it attached to the frame. Once I selected
the Arks that were the right size for each Flat, I
first glued the Arks onto the frame in the exact
position. I let it set for an hour or so, then put glue
on top of the shell. I placed the Flat in the correct
position over the Ark and when I lifted it I could tell
where I needed to add more glue to the under side
of the Flat. I also put glue on the Flat in all of the
other places where the shell will touch the frame.
Repeat this for all of the Flats. Let this dry
overnight.
Step 6 is to layout all of the Pearled Trochus that
forms a pearly edge on the rounded part of the
Flats. You will see in the photos that I used larger
Trochus in the middle and graduated to smaller
shells as they went around the shell on either side.
These pearled shells are just sticking out from
under the Flats, so you hardly see them from the
front view, but they are very visible from the side
view as you see in the photo.
Next is making the flowers using the Pearled
Trochus. You will need 16 about the size of a
quarter and 4 the size of a nickel. I use a piece of
heavy card board inside a large freezer bag or
other heavy plastic bag. Make a puddle of glue on
the plastic and place the shells on the perimeter of
the circle with the opening of the shell showing and
the point facing the center. It will take about 9
shells to form the circle for the large flower. Add
about 3 shells to the center of the circle, putting the
point of the shell down into the glue. I used the
medium size shells for the large flowers and the
tiny shells for the small flowers. Let these dry on
the plastic for a day. Gently peel the flowers away
from the plastic and turn them over. The bottom will
still be wet. Let dry up side down on the plastic.
Now that the Flats are glued in place you can glue
one row of Dark Purple Urchin Spines next to the
Pearled Umboniums near the mirror. I glued these
all facing the same direction and end to end. The
spines are parallel to the row of Umboniums.
The tiny Pink Trivia or other pink shells are laid out
in the space available between the Flats and the
parallel spines. This space is triangular in shape.
See the photo at the top of the page and find the
Pink Trivia shells. Only 3 of these tiny shells would
fit in each section. The hinge part of the Mexican
Flat comes all the way to the purple spines, so you
cannot make a continuous row of pink shells. There
are three shells, then hinge of Flat and three more
shells. Complete each set of three and let this dry.
If you use another small pink shell it may take 4
shells depending on the size.
You are ready to glue the LargeTrochus flowers in
place. A large flower goes between each Flat, far
enough out toward the edge of the mirror to cover
the ends of the spines or any excess glue. Make
sure the flowers are lined up straight on each side
of the mirror. If one flower is out of line, it will be
very obvious once you hang the mirror on the wall.
Lay out the Hooked Mussels. See photo for
location. I placed these so that each end and one
side would touch other shells to help hold them in
place. You will notice that my shells are arranged
to that each side is a match to the other. There are
16 Hooked Mussel shells, 8 are right handed and 8
are left handed. The curved edge is facing toward
the mirror on every shell. Be careful to have the
correct shell in each position. If two shells are
switched, the error will be obvious.
The last step is to glue the small flowers in each
corner. I put them on the hinge area of the Royal
Cloak shells.
If you decide to make this mirror project, please
email me so that I can make sure the shells you
order will go together to create a nice shell mirror.
My email address is
jimandrose@seashellsandwood.com
sturdy enough to hold the weight of the shells. If
not, you should screw a piece of board to the back
and attach the hooks for hanging before you start
the project. The photo to the right shows the back
of my mirror. After Jim attached the plywood I
applied a diluted brown craft paint with a soft cloth
to stain the new wood to match the old. The
triangle hooks can have picture wire added for
easy hanging.
I always use Tacky Glue for all of my shell
projects. It does take longer to dry, but there are
no strings and no odor.
Select the shells and lay them out to form the
design. I always select all of the shells for the
entire project before I start to glue anything. It is
very important to make sure you have enough
shells of each kind to complete the project.
Because we are working with natural materials
colors may vary from one shipment to the next. So
even if you were short and figured you would order
more later, they may not match the first batch.
I started this mirror project with the Pearled
Umboniums on the trim around the perimeter and
next to the mirror edge. I laid out every shell, then
glued them in place one by one. Remember to use
enough glue, but not too much. The end result will
not be as nice if the glue is visible.
The next step is to select the Royal Cloak that will
be the partner with the Mexican Flat. Color, size
and shape will all be factors in this partnership. The
Royal Cloak is glued to the bottom side of the Flat.
The top side of the Flat is dull and the bottom side
is shiny and more of a pink, mauve, brownish color
which goes well with the Royal Cloak. Since there
is not much of the shell that will touch the Flat, I
first glued a cotton ball to the inside of the Royal
Cloak and let that dry. When the shell is glued to
the Flat, there is more area to glue which will hold
the shell in place. Remember not to use so much
glue that it starts to run out onto the Flat where you
can see it. Let these dry for at least 8 hours.
Step 3 is to place the Mexican Flat/Royal Cloak on
the frame, evenly spaced and so that the colors
are somewhat matched with the shell that is on the
opposite side. For example if the shell that is in the
middle at the top has more pink, try to put a shell
that is the same shade in the middle at the bottom
and so forth. This will balance out the various
colors and make your finished mirror more
attractive. Once you have the Flats where you want
them, use a white sewing pencil if your frame is
dark or another colored pencil to mark the frame
around each of the Flats. This will give you the lines
to follow to know where to glue the Dark Purple
Urchin Spines. It is not necessary to completely
cover the back ground with the spines since a large
area will be covered up by the other shells.
Step 4 is to layout the Dark Purple Urchin Spines
just inside the perimeter of Pearled Umbonium. See
the closeup photo to the right and you can tell how
the spines were placed next to the Umboniums. I
also have spines in a single row next to the inside
Umbonium trim. You can barely see the lighter
colored end of the spines next to the Pink Trivia
(these spines must be added later after the Flats
have been glued in place). Once I had all of the
spines for the perimeter laid out, I glued them in
place and let the glue dry. Then the next day I
added more spines over the first row to cover open
areas between the glued spines and to cover up
any shiny spots where the glue was showing. The
spines are tricky to glue. You must put enough glue
to secure them, but too much glue will surely show.
I tried to put most of the glue on the inside end of
the spines because that end will be covered up with
the Flats and the flowers made of Pearled Trochus.
Step 5 is to glue the Mexican Flat/Royal Cloak
shells into place. Since the Flats are not totally flat
and I wanted to have another point where glue
would hold the shells securely in place, I added a
"filler" shell under each Flat. This "filler" shell also
helps to hold the rounded edge up off the frame so
that a row of Pearled Trochus can be added as
shown in the edge view closeup photo to the right.
These Trochus are pushed up under the Flat, so
you must leave room to do this. I used White Arks
as the "filler" shells, but you can use any little shell
that is the right height so it touches the Flat and will
help keep it attached to the frame. Once I selected
the Arks that were the right size for each Flat, I
first glued the Arks onto the frame in the exact
position. I let it set for an hour or so, then put glue
on top of the shell. I placed the Flat in the correct
position over the Ark and when I lifted it I could tell
where I needed to add more glue to the under side
of the Flat. I also put glue on the Flat in all of the
other places where the shell will touch the frame.
Repeat this for all of the Flats. Let this dry
overnight.
Step 6 is to layout all of the Pearled Trochus that
forms a pearly edge on the rounded part of the
Flats. You will see in the photos that I used larger
Trochus in the middle and graduated to smaller
shells as they went around the shell on either side.
These pearled shells are just sticking out from
under the Flats, so you hardly see them from the
front view, but they are very visible from the side
view as you see in the photo.
Next is making the flowers using the Pearled
Trochus. You will need 16 about the size of a
quarter and 4 the size of a nickel. I use a piece of
heavy card board inside a large freezer bag or
other heavy plastic bag. Make a puddle of glue on
the plastic and place the shells on the perimeter of
the circle with the opening of the shell showing and
the point facing the center. It will take about 9
shells to form the circle for the large flower. Add
about 3 shells to the center of the circle, putting the
point of the shell down into the glue. I used the
medium size shells for the large flowers and the
tiny shells for the small flowers. Let these dry on
the plastic for a day. Gently peel the flowers away
from the plastic and turn them over. The bottom will
still be wet. Let dry up side down on the plastic.
Now that the Flats are glued in place you can glue
one row of Dark Purple Urchin Spines next to the
Pearled Umboniums near the mirror. I glued these
all facing the same direction and end to end. The
spines are parallel to the row of Umboniums.
The tiny Pink Trivia or other pink shells are laid out
in the space available between the Flats and the
parallel spines. This space is triangular in shape.
See the photo at the top of the page and find the
Pink Trivia shells. Only 3 of these tiny shells would
fit in each section. The hinge part of the Mexican
Flat comes all the way to the purple spines, so you
cannot make a continuous row of pink shells. There
are three shells, then hinge of Flat and three more
shells. Complete each set of three and let this dry.
If you use another small pink shell it may take 4
shells depending on the size.
You are ready to glue the LargeTrochus flowers in
place. A large flower goes between each Flat, far
enough out toward the edge of the mirror to cover
the ends of the spines or any excess glue. Make
sure the flowers are lined up straight on each side
of the mirror. If one flower is out of line, it will be
very obvious once you hang the mirror on the wall.
Lay out the Hooked Mussels. See photo for
location. I placed these so that each end and one
side would touch other shells to help hold them in
place. You will notice that my shells are arranged
to that each side is a match to the other. There are
16 Hooked Mussel shells, 8 are right handed and 8
are left handed. The curved edge is facing toward
the mirror on every shell. Be careful to have the
correct shell in each position. If two shells are
switched, the error will be obvious.
The last step is to glue the small flowers in each
corner. I put them on the hinge area of the Royal
Cloak shells.
If you decide to make this mirror project, please
email me so that I can make sure the shells you
order will go together to create a nice shell mirror.
My email address is
jimandrose@seashellsandwood.com
| Instructions |
| The Pink Trivia are out of stock, but you can use any small pink shells such as Pink Umbonium. |