Beach shell frames- Summer DIY

You can find a few summer activities here, but this one is really a summer activity.

The idea is to make some frames for our pictures using materials we find on a summer walk along the beach. I don’t know about you but every time I come home from the beach we bring tons of stones and shells...

This tutorial will help all restless to use their stone/shells collection to do something that will remind them, when the winter comes, the hot and nice days of summer.

What we need:

• a photograph,
• tape,
• white glue,
• shells,
• exact-O knife or scissors,
• Pencil or pen,
• ruler,
• cardboard can be a piece of a cardboard box,
• Thick cardboard,
• Acrylic paint, optional,
• Sand from the beach, optional,
• Varnish, optional.

How to:

1. First of all chose the photo you want to frame;
2. Make 2 little rolls with the tape and fix it to the cardboard;
3. Outline the picture with the pencil;
4. With the ruler and the pencil draw the frame format, if you can't make it symmetric draw it clearly asymmetric, otherwise will look weird;
5. Take the photo off;
6. Again, with the ruler and pencils help, draw a second outline 1/2in around the original photo outline, like the photo is 1/2 smaller;
7. With the exact-O knife cut the frame;
8. Place the frame on the tick cardboard;
9. Draw the frame exterior outline on the cardboard;
10. With the exact-O knife cut the second cardboard, remember to cut "inside" the pencil stroke, otherwise the back cardboard will be bigger then the front frame;
11. Spread white glue on the frame, not too much or the shells will drown in glue;
12. Place the shells like your imagination/creativity tells you to, you don’t need to fill up all empty spaces;
13. If you want to use sand, now its the time, cover all the frame with it;
14. Wait for 24h;
15. If you wish to use acrylic painting:
1. First option is to dye the glue, before apply the glue mix paint on it as you wish;
2. Second option is to paint shells after the glue, wait 24h before apply the paint.
16. Remove the excess of sand;
17. Glue the photo in the frame back;
18. Let it dry for 2h;
19. Glue the cardboard in the back, to protect the photo;
20. Varnish it if you want.

Et Voilá!
Summer in a shot!

Enjoy!