Making flower craft with shells is a fun nature craft that makes a great homemade DIY gift idea for Mother’s Day or a fourth wedding anniversary!
Here’s a flower craft made with shells that is a fun nature craft idea for kids and adults to make at home or in the classroom. Use the shells collected on your daily beach nature hunt adventures (or beach vacations) to make a beautiful keepsake to treasure.
Flower crafts made with pebbles and shells are a wonderful gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, or any other special occasion. For example, if you traveled to Hawaii on your honeymoon and collected some shells or shell leis there, use them to make flower crafts and gifts with the step-by-step how-to instructions below. You might also enjoy this list of homemade gifts kids can make.
How to Make Flower Crafts with Shells and Pebbles
Before starting, you must go on a nature hunt to collect some of the things you need for this shell craft project unless you already have them in your nature craft supplies. But we don’t recommend buying twigs, stones, and shells unless you can’t find them where you live and want to make flower crafts for someone special.
I made the DIY shell flowers in the photographs for my husband as a fourth wedding anniversary gift because the fourth wedding anniversary is traditionally flowers. But unlike fresh flowers, these flower crafts are made to last. So they make a great keepsake gift for an anniversary or Mother’s Day. You might also enjoy making felt flowers with twig stems because they are another flower craft that stands the test of time.
So while I made the shell flower craft with two flowers growing together (just like us) for our anniversary, my daughter made this shell sunflower craft for her grandma for Mother’s Day. Click on the link to see the beautiful sunflower craft she made!
DIY Shell Flower Craft Materials
We have included Amazon affiliate links to most of the necessary flower craft supplies. If you click to purchase, Rhythms of Play will earn a small commission at no additional cost.
- Wood plaque, wood blank, or wood canvas
- Sandpaper or a sanding sponge
- Walnut acrylic gel stain and a foam brush or liquid watercolor paints and flat wash watercolor paintbrush (optional)
- Cowrie shells
- Twigs
- Small pebbles or stones
- Craft glue, white PVA glue, or a glue gun with glue sticks
- Mod Podge or watered-down white PVA glue and a foam brush (optional)
Shell, Pebble, and Twig Flower Craft tutorial
Read through the step-by-step flower craft instructions below before getting started so you know the steps involved and what to expect.
1. Prepare the wood.
- Lightly sand the wood plaque, blank, or canvas.
2. Apply wood stain or paint with liquid watercolors (optional).
- Use a foam brush to apply an acrylic gel stain or a flat wash watercolor paintbrush to the wood plaque, blank, or canvas, or leave it natural and move on to the next step.
- Please do not use a wood sealer before starting. You want the stain or watercolor paint to seep into the wood to color it.
- Allow the wood stain or watercolor paint to dry before moving on to the next step.
3. Seal and protect the wood (optional).
- Apply a Mod Podge or a watered-down white PVA glue with a foam brush to seal and protect the wood with or without the stain or watercolor paint.
- Allow it to dry before moving on to the next step.
4. Glue shells and natural craft supplies to make flower crafts.
- Arrange twigs, stones, and shells onto a wood plaque, canvas, or blank to make flowers, as shown in the flower craft photo tutorial below.
- We recommend playing with the shells, stones or pebbles, and sticks or twigs on the wood to create the flower crafts the way you want them to look before gluing them down.
- Once you are happy with how your DIY shell flowers look, use white PVA glue, craft glue, or a glue gun with glue sticks to glue them down.
- We prefer craft glue for this project because you can move things around as you work. Only use a glue gun if you want the pieces locked in before you place them onto the wood.
6. Seal and protect flower craft (Optional)
- Use a foam brush to apply a coat of Mod Podge or watered-down white PVA glue on top of DIY Shell flowers to seal and protect the craft.
Shell, Twig, and Pebble Flower Crafts for Kids and Adults
Flower crafts made with shells are simple nature crafts for kids and adults. And making these flower crafts is a great fine motor activity for all ages–especially young children and the elderly.
Natural flower crafts like these make lovely home decor and are a great gift for Mother’s Day, Christmas, birthdays, and anniversaries! You might also enjoy making shell sunflower crafts and shell daisy crafts.
And because it is traditional to give flowers to your husband or wife on the fourth wedding anniversary, shell flower crafts are a perfect DIY gift for the fourth wedding anniversary. More flower arts and crafts that make great gift ideas are listed below.
Flower Crafts and Gift Ideas Kids or Adults Can Make
- Fingerprint Flower Magnet Crafts
- No Sew Felt Flowers
- Felt Flower Lei Necklaces
- Flower Art Projects and Painting Ideas
- Rose Watercolor Painting
- Fingerprint Flower Necklaces and Keychain Charms
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