DIY shell topiary: master class with photos and videos

A shell topiary will always remind you of the best moments of your life spent at sea
For the first time, the technique of creating topiria from shells with your own hands appeared in Ancient Egypt during the creation of the Hanging Gardens. In that era, “topiary” meant exclusively shaped cutting of shrubs and trees. As it spread to other countries, craftsmen turned their attention to pebbles, beads and shells. There are many technologies that allow you to create compositions of different sizes.

Stylish topiary made of shells: master class

Marine themes prevail in souvenirs brought from vacation. If the vacation is still far away, then it’s easy to make a decorative composition with your own hands. First you need to choose a shape, size and color scheme. Photos of finished works will help guide your imagination in the right direction. At the next stage, you should collect the required amount of material for creativity. If you didn’t manage to bring back seashells from your vacation, then you need to visit a crafts store.

When choosing a material, you need to remember the place where the finished composition will be located. For the office, discreet red or burgundy is selected, and for the bedroom, sky blue. It is recommended to use shell compositions in the living room or bedroom, where it will be more appropriate.

To work you will need:

Multi-colored beads.
Shells in dark and light shades.
Small pot.
Several skewers.
Styrofoam balls.
Blue sisal.
Satin ribbons of different colors.
Acrylic paints.
Scissors.
Tassels.
Construction gypsum.
Putty.
Glue gun.

Find out how to make topiary with your own hands and tips for beginners here:

Before starting work, you need to put before your eyes a visual embodiment of what you plan to implement. This is done to eliminate possible errors. By correlating your own actions with the picture, you can always see how successfully the work is progressing. If you have no experience in creating compositions from shells, it is better to print out the step-by-step instructions. It would be a good idea for beginners to attend specialized master classes.

Topiary in a marine style

Topiary made in a marine style looks beautiful. The materials used to create topiary include shells, pebbles, wine corks, colorful sand, stars, sea knots and much more. Before making marine-style topiary from shells, you should prepare the following materials and tools:

a bottle of sand;
stick;
foam ball;
glue gun;
shells;
beads;
pebbles;
coins and other decorations.

Before you start making topiary, you need to dry the sand well in the oven, fill a bottle with it and insert a stick into it. You need to attach a foam ball to the stick using hot glue. Using ribbons, you can make the trunk of the future topiary beautiful and textured so that it looks like a real tree.

Once the base for the topiary is prepared, you can begin decorating the product. You need to take shells of interesting and bizarre shapes and glue them with hot glue to a foam ball. If the shells do not adhere well to the foam, then the ball can be initially covered with paper. When everything is attached, between the elements you can insert sea pebbles, coins, beads that will act as pearls, and many other decorations, it all depends on your own imagination.

To add a touch of romanticism and special lightness to the product, you can use a pin to secure flowers made of lace. You can add some blue glass pebbles to your sea topiary, as this will add a hint of sea green. When decorating a topiary, it is important to observe moderation and not to overdo it with details, otherwise the craft will not look very neat.

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This craft can decorate and diversify the interior of your home and will make a good gift.

We create a topiary from shells with our own hands

First you need a large table, protected with oilcloth. There should be no carpet underneath that will get dirty. A trash can is placed nearby, where excess parts will immediately go. The preparatory stage is completed by checking the integrity of all containers and the strength of the skewers. If any tool breaks during work, you will have to start all over again.

The practical stage begins with mixing building gypsum or putty with water. The guideline will be a thick consistency. After making sure that the resulting mixture has become thick, it should be carefully poured into the prepared pot. Immediately after this, skewers are stuck in. Using a glue gun, foam balls are attached to the tops of the skewers.

Then you need to do the following:

At the base of the ball, the end of a satin ribbon is attached to the skewer.
The free end needs to be wrapped around the entire length of the skewer.
Secure the tape with glue and cut off the excess.
The ball is decorated with shells coated with glue.
It is recommended to stick 2-4 shells onto each ball.
The pot is decorated with white acrylic paint.
Let the pot dry for 10-12 minutes.
Blue paint is applied over the white paint with light strokes.
Glue is applied to the putty or construction plaster located inside the pot.
Sisal is attached over the glue.

Beautiful topiary made of shells MK

It happens that the crafts sold in stores are not pleasing to the eye, so many people want to master decorative techniques on their own. Making topiary is not very difficult, the main thing is that the hand is strong and the eye is precise. For the rest, you should rely entirely on your imagination, but you should not overload the composition. Otherwise, it will seem tacky.

You can learn what topiary is from the following material:

As additional means to diversify the composition of shells, it is recommended to use the following:

Pearls that will become the visual center of the composition.
Beads for forming visual accents.
Multi-colored bows made from satin ribbon.
Randomly placed rhinestones will add lightness.

You should not focus on shells solely as the main material for the composition. They can be used freely, for example, as a decorative element for mirrors or pots. The only recommendation would be to choose the right color. It should not be identical, but too much visual difference will be redundant.

The process of creating topiary

Regardless of how you imagine the final result, topiary is almost always done the same way. The only difference is in the final steps, when we start decorating.

We make the base for the crown (ball): you need to take fabric, paper, foil, polystyrene foam, floral sponge or anything else and form a ball. For example, you can fill the fabric with cotton wool and sew a round bag. Or make papier-mâché in the shape of a ball out of paper. You can also use a round object (a Christmas tree toy or a small ball).
We make a topiary rod: we take either a ready-made thick rod (for example, a branch), or we make it ourselves from scrap materials. These can be simple pencils wrapped in foil, paper or fabric.
We make the base (the place where the rod and crown are inserted): the best option would be to use polystyrene foam, floral sponge or polyurethane foam.
Pot: you can take a ready-made flower pot of the desired size or make a special container, decorating it the way you want.
Topiary decoration. This step transforms your topiary into a unique decorative piece. Here you can use all available materials.

How to make topiary from shells?

As written above, you can use any available materials to decorate the topiary. For example, shells. After all, almost everyone brought a bag from vacation with these seafood, which probably then lie in the far corner of the pantry. If you want to make your own shell topiary, then it's time to get out your supplies.

Shell topiary can be used as decoration in any corner of the house: in the living room, bedroom, kitchen, and the ideal place would be the bathroom. This decor has an airy look and will always remind you of warm days on the seaside!

Topiary made of shells in the interior

Minimalism is the basis of compositions made from shells. Designers advise approaching the creation of a new topiary with restraint. It is necessary to take a closer look at the object that you plan to use. What strengths and weaknesses does it have? How can they be used? The correct answers to the questions asked will help you choose the appropriate option.

See how to create beautiful topiaries from coffee beans here:

If this doesn’t help, you can attend a master class, where an experienced designer will teach you the secrets of craftsmanship. If you wish, you can take with you several objects that you plan to decorate. An on-site specialist will give practical advice.

Among the frequently used solutions, designers highlight the following:

Decorate storage containers or flower pots with shells.
Topiary balls are decorated with beads.
It’s easy to lay out any geometric shapes with shells, which is in demand in a modern interior.
You can use shells and pebbles, which will require sea stones, strong twine and burlap.
It's easy to create a bonsai out of shells by taking a few shells, 2 skewers and glue.

Shell topiary is an easy to create composition that will easily fit into the interior of a living room, office or living room. The main thing is to choose the right color for all elements. In the bedroom, the emphasis is on ease of perception and calm tones, and in the office or store - on warm colors.