Seashells-and-Ceramics

Seashells. People have collected shells from time immemorial. Shells hold a fascination for most people. They’ve been used to adorn the human body and decorate everything from boxes to lamps to bottles, bags, clothes, mirrors, bookends, and napkin rings. They whisper of exotic places, vacations, briny havens under the sea, the mystery of life and our possible origins. Summer is the perfect time to haul out your collection of shells and display them in new, beautiful ways. Hopefully, there are still beaches where shells may be freely collected. That is part of their great appeal. They are harder to find and consequently cost more to acquire bagged and even more glued on interesting bases!

Ceramics. My daughter gave me the gift of choosing ceramics for Mother’s Day at Moorpark College’s annual ceramics sale. It is such a wonderful treat to visit the school’s art studio and view their lovely creations. I’ve fallen in love with their green glazes. Lots of beautiful pieces are under $5. This year I chose one a bit more expensive, but still very reasonably priced. That is the extraordinary aqua-green shell-like beauty on the pedestal, functioning as a vase with the seed spray coming out. The obvious play on nature is so striking. I love combining my shells with my ceramics.

“Anthropologie.” The highly creative décor in the clothing and collectibles chain called Anthropologie is changed regularly. It’s an absolute inspiration to browse through their tables and wonder at their walls. Their buyers find an eclectic mix of books, ceramics, scents, fabrics, furniture, and natural artifacts to display from around the world. Creating that same kind of well-traveled look and feel at home is appealing. How can you achieve it? Put out seashells and a seashell guidebook or encyclopedia opened to shells. Collect and display or draw botanicals with pen and ink: fern leaves, palms, orchids, bananas on a stalk. Collect and display seeds, pods, driftwood, pine cones, fronds, and faux mushrooms. At garage sales and flea markets, watch for woven mats, ethnic prints, and carved wooden masks and animals. Check used book stores for large picture books.

Indoor Displays. Martha Stewart’s recent guest on her T.V. show demonstrated how to glue shells onto sconces. He first covered the sconce with white glue and sand. When it was dry, he mounted shells using a tube of glue (527?), rather than a hot glue gun. He mounded sand up against a glued shell to keep it in place while it dried. Mastic and tile grout work, too, showing white between shells. With a hot glue gun, my daughter arranged shells on the back of my terra cotta turtle. The result was beautiful, but difficult to achieve. I cannot bring myself to glue larger shells to a mirror or picture frame or string them together. I do not want to damage them in any way. I love the effect of arranging them on glass or silver trays (like petit fours) for friends to admire and identify.

Outdoor Displays. At a gardening store, I found pot hangers made of ropes of tiny seashells to hang large conch shells in. Lucky me, I snapped up a very large coral specimen (1’ x 1’) for $1 at a garage sale! Mounted on a twig stool by my fountain, birds like to perch on it. Create a fun scene your child, the scientist, would love to explore!