DIY Decoupage Seashell Wreath

By Lauren Rose Correa, May 2, 2025

This simple DIY decoupage seashell wreath has a sentimental story behind it. On a recent weekend trip to Cape May, my daughter collected an entire bucket full of seashells. It was a big bucket, and she stuffed it so full that she could hardly carry it. Still, she insisted on lugging the bucket back to our hotel room without any help.

I had planned to put most of the shells back on the beach when she wasn’t looking, but instead I brought them all home with me. I figured this would be a great opportunity to create some shell-themed DIY projects that would carry the added sentiment that these were the first shells my daughter ever collected.

DIY Decoupage Seashell Wreath: Supplies You’ll Need

I’ve always wanted to try decoupage shells – they are a popular DIY project that I’ve seen done plenty of times. But I decided I’d add my own twist by creating a wreath from the shells. For this project, you’ll need a small assortment of shells – I used seven shells to create my wreath. You’ll also need pretty paper napkins, mod podge, and gold paint.

For the base of the wreath, I ordered a wooden wreath form on Amazon. You’ll also need a thick, sturdy ribbon to use as a hanger. I used a 2 inch blue velvet ribbon from Hobby Lobby. Finally, you need a Gorilla hot glue gun and sticks and some E6000 super glue.

Supplies

7-10 medium seashells (or as many as you need to fill your wreath)
Wooden wreath form (I used an 8” round form, but you can pick a different size)
Gold paint (I used Liquid Leaf paint from Hobby Lobby in Classic Gold)
White acrylic craft paint (only if your shells aren’t solid white, I used this one)
Gorilla hot glue gun and sticks
E6000 glue
Sturdy ribbon
Paintbrush
Foam brush
Craft scissors

Directions

Take out your wreath form and your seashells and figure out how you want to arrange your shells on the wreath. Once you determine which shells you are using, it’s time to get started!

The gold paint dries faster than the decoupage, so I recommend starting by painting the backs of the shells gold, as well as the front and sides of the wreath form. I laid out paper on my work surface before I started painting and I used a small paintbrush.

Once the gold is dry, flip your shells over. Take a look at the insides of your shells. If they are yellowed, dark, or discolored in any way and you are using a transparent color (like white) for your napkin, I recommend painting the insides of your shells white first. I didn’t do this for my first few shells, and I ended up with some discolored ones. The paint will ensure a neutral base so that your seashells stay bright!

Once your white paint is dry, it’s time to decoupage! The first step is to peel the layers of your napkin apart. You want only the thinnest top layer that has the pattern on it. If your napkin is thick, this project won’t work very well.

Lay your shell on top of the napkin and cut out a square about ½-1 inch larger than the shell on all sides.

Using the sponge brush, spread a thin layer of mod podge on the inside of your shell. Carefully press the napkin into the mod podge, working carefully to ensure that the entire shell is covered and minimizing wrinkles.

Once your napkin is pressed flat, trim the excess napkin from around the shell with scissors. Then, using the sponge brush, add another layer of mod podge over the napkin to seal it.

Allow your shell to dry completely. Then, grab the small paintbrush and gold paint. Paint a gold rim around the inside of your shell. I made mine about ¼ inch thick. Be careful not to put too much paint on your brush, or you will get drips.

While waiting for your shells to dry, you can add your ribbon to the wreath. My ribbon was about 2” thick, but yours can be thinner, as long as it’s sturdy. Lay your ribbon in the position shown in the photo on the back of the wreath and cut the ends at angles. The angles ensure that the ribbon doesn’t show from the front of the wreath.

After cutting your ribbon, use a combination of E6000 glue and hot glue to hold it in place. I did one line of each. The hot glue dries fast and holds the ribbon in place while the superglue is drying.

Once the shells are dry, you can attach them to the front of your wreath. First, arrange your shells as you want them to lay. Then use E6000 to glue them one by one to the wreath, pressing them in place. Let your wreath sit for about 24 hours to set the glue.

Note: You could try using a combination of E6000 and hot glue on the shells for the same reason I used them on the ribbon – the hot glue dries fast and holds everything in place while the super glue dries. However, I didn’t end up doing this. I found there wasn’t enough surface area on the shells for two types of glue. I just used E6000 and let everything dry completely before moving the wreath.