Tuesday, July 19, 2011

DIY Wednesday- Shell Wall Art


For this week's project I decided to work on the accent wall of our living room.
Some of you may have heard me mention before, but my Mom has always told me that I was born with saltwater in my veins.  I absolutely love the ocean.  I married my husband on the beach, and if there is anywhere I ever wish to be, it is sitting on a beach, listening to the waves roll up onto the sand.
Now, the accent wall of our living room is our "Wedding Wall" and since we were married on the beach in St. Lucia, it is subsequently beach themed.  However, it doesn't have that typical "beach cottage" feel.  We don't live near the water {insert major sad face}, so we didn't necessarily want to have it feel too "beachy"  So what I did for my accents was make them black and white silhouettes.
Here are some of the pictures we already had up,
as well as the painting my Mom had specially painted for us while we were there.  It was done by one of the St. Lucians.  Isn't it gorgeous?
 Now, here is what the finished wall looks like with the added pieces over the television.
Please excuse Mango's giant crate.  If you own a Great Dane you understand the plight that is "where do we put this giant crate?"

So basically, the individual pieces I worked on this week are:



Okay, for the scallop shells, I spray painted them with Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint.  I wanted a matte black, and that is all I had on-hand:
I added some foam behind the shells to make them pop a bit more.  I painted the foam white.
I mounted the shells onto white cardstock with some heavy duty craft glue, and then just adhered the cardstock to the back of the frame with some Mod Podge.  Then I simply inserted the back of the frame into the frame itself!  Viola! Easy Peazy.
For the Sand Dollar, all I needed to do was adhere it to the black cardstock, then glue the cardstock to the back of the frame, and then insert it into the frame:
For the starfish, I took a mat that I had gotten from Michaels on clearance.  I ran out of frames at the house, so the next best thing was the mat.  I decided to add some ribbon accents with this gorgeous black and white ribbon I had also gotten on clearance:
I seared the ends to avoid those pesky frays:

I cut the ribbon into two different sized strips, due to the mat being different sizes on the top and sides.
 I then started tying my knots.  I did a double knot to make it stay.
Now, I had planned on doing the ribbon knots the entire way around the mat, but after I did a few I thought it would look better with just a few on the side, and one on the top.

 Next I took my cutie pie star, and glued it to the white cardstock.
And here is the finished product:
And here is my finished wall. I love it!

Happy crafting!  And happy DIY Wednesday!
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Party party time!







27 COMMENTS:

That Girl Shelley said... Best Blogger Tips

Very pretty! Thanks for the awesome tutorial!

Jenna said... Best Blogger Tips

Very nice. Simplistic yet striking all at the same time!

hoopsandhooks said... Best Blogger Tips

Beautiful! I think I'm going to do this in my sunroom!

www.rustbeltgallery.blogspot.com

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Very nice! It looks great!

Paige @ Little Nostalgia said... Best Blogger Tips

I love the contrast! Such a fun and different way to make post-wedding art.

weird amiga said... Best Blogger Tips

I enjoy the cottage look, but it has been done so many times... Love your B&W take on the ocean theme!

Eyelah said... Best Blogger Tips

Thats a lovely setup. I'm looking to do something similar with my living room.

http://www.aalexandrajewelry.blogspot.com/

Janet said... Best Blogger Tips

I love the idea of painting the shells to give a stark contrast. great thinking!

My Inspired Reality said... Best Blogger Tips

You are so creative and talented...I absolutely love everything you have done and your wall looks fabulous:):)

Anonymous said... Best Blogger Tips

I love how you have the beach theme on your wall and how it ties in with your wedding. I really like how you tied ribbon on the matting also. Great job!

Adrianne Surian said... Best Blogger Tips

Gorgeous! I love the idea of going with black and white! I would never have thought of it. :P What a great way to incorporate nature themes while sticking with your colors! Now I have just the gift idea for my friend's ocean-theme nursery!!

Happy to be your newest follower ~ Adrianne
happyhourprojects.blogspot.com

Stela said... Best Blogger Tips

It all looks so good!

Maureen said... Best Blogger Tips

@Designed By Dee Thank you!

Maureen said... Best Blogger Tips

@Kala Aww! Thank you :) That made my day!

Maureen said... Best Blogger Tips

@Adrianne Ooh yes! Great gift idea!

Maureen said... Best Blogger Tips

@Jenna (SewSavoirFaire) Thank you! I am such a fan of the simple part of it :)

Heidi said... Best Blogger Tips

Just started following and I love this little project of yours! So pretty and simple! And, I totally understand the plight of the dog crate-- I felt better after seeing this post as we suffer from the same thing with our 80lb chocolate lab! :)

Maureen said... Best Blogger Tips

@Heidi Ugh, and we can't just not have it, because she loves it in there!

Kelli W said... Best Blogger Tips

The spraypainted shells are so fun! I love that it has a beachy feel without being too over the top. The black and white make it look very classic.

Jamie said... Best Blogger Tips

Love the seashells!

jamie @ theletter4.blogspot.com

gail@My Repurposed Life said... Best Blogger Tips

great job! funny that you used chalkboard paint! :)
looks fabulous!
gail

Maureen said... Best Blogger Tips

@Kelli @ RTSM Thank you! If we lived closer to the baech {sigh} I would have given it more of that beach cottage chic feel, but this fits our living room to a 't'! :)

Maureen said... Best Blogger Tips

@gail Teehee...it was a moment of pure laziness. I wanted to do the project, but didn't want to run to Home Depot! :)

Mimi said... Best Blogger Tips

You are one creative girl! I love the black and white and love seashells used anywhere. All of these are gorgeous but that sweet little starfish is my favorite! Beautiful wall :)

Maureen said... Best Blogger Tips

@Mimi Thank you so much! I am partial to my little starfish as well :D

Ginger@gingersnapcrafts.com said... Best Blogger Tips

Love the black & white! :)

Siamapieceofcake said... Best Blogger Tips

I should do this in my bathroom. I love it! tootsabellarose.blogspot.com

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