Gifts from the Sea

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.
 - Jacques Cousteau

 My favorite souvenirs are shells and rocks, gifts from the sea and from nature.  They remind me of the beauty that is all around and of the grace of imperfection that can be found in a cracked shell that has been gently worn as it tumbled through the salty surf year after year.  I have bowls, vases and shelves with rocks, sea glass and shells in every room of our house.  In my spring cleaning and reduction of our possessions I thought that perhaps I could cut down on having them in every room and combine some of the smaller collections all together into one display. 

Some of my photos did not turn out as well as I intended because I did not realize that the setting was set for portraits requiring a tripod (oops). 


To create a Shadow Box Collection of Shells you need:

·        8" x 8" shadow box from a craft store that has a secured back (some of the shadow boxes now have a magnetized door).

·        Your favorite sea shells, sea glass, rocks, found treasure etc.

·        Black fabric or other black filler material

Ø  First remove all of the packaging from the shadow box, remove the backing from the shadow box frame and clean it inside and out very good to remove all dust and fingerprints.

Ø  Next lay the frame face down and arrange your favorite shells face down on the glass.

Ø  Continue filling in with others shells and rocks until you cannot see the clear glass any longer.

Ø  Then fill the remainder of the empty unseen space of the box with black fabric. I did not have any black fabric handy but I save every scrap of ribbon and year’s worth of Victoria Secrets ribbons filled the case.

Ø  Throughout the process you can place the backing to the frame back in place and hold it securely with both hands to see how much the shells shift and add more shells as necessary.  I did this about 4-5 times until I felt it was full.

Ø  Lastly secure the shadow box backing back onto the frame and it is ready to hang.  

The frame also looks lovely displayed on a flat surface such as a coffee table or book shelf as well.  I plan to hang mine in my bedroom as part of another project that I am working on.