Create a Beautiful and Modern Shell Hanging Decoration

DIY a beautiful and modern shell wall hanging with your coastal and beach finds using this easy DIY seashell decor idea and dollar store supplies.

Hey there!  How are you today?  Welcome to a fun monthly series called The Global Styler hosted by Casa Watkins Living.

A few friends of mine and I share DIYs and decorating tips inspired by something global and this month we are using the theme “my world’s Favorite place”.   Scroll to the end to see their globally inspired posts!

DIY Modern Sea Wall Hanging

I decided this was the perfect opportunity to use some of my beach collections since the USMC always puts us at a station close to the ocean.  I know, tough life!  The kids and I love to gather shells, driftwood, and coral from our local spots and when we travel for souvenirs. 

Today I’m sharing a modern seashell and driftwood wall art made with shells and driftwood found in Okinawa, Japan.  But you can easily do this project with your beachy stash or check out the shopping list below! 

Here’s what you need to create a shell hanging decoration:

*This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.  You still pay the same price but I might earn a small commission.  

1. A piece of driftwood
2. Seashells  (around 13 or another odd number)
3. Hemp twine and rope
4. Faux succulents
5. Hot glue gun, scissors, and needle nose pliers (or chopstick)

Where to buy seashells and supplies:

I love the convenience of shopping online at Amazon and found that even the supplies I found at my local dollar store were the same price per item online. But you can also look at the Target dollar bins, dollar tree, and thrift stores for crafting supplies.

How to assemble your seashell wall decor:

Step one:  Hang the seashells on twine.  Follow the simple steps below for a no-drill solution to hanging shells if you have similar seashells to mine.   A small drill bit can create a hole in each one of your seashells that are flatter.

• Tie a knot at the end of a piece of hemp twine.
• Place the knot near the inside center of the shell.
• Use a pointy object like needle nose pliers, chopsticks, or whatever else is conveniently close by and push in the knot.
• Gently tug the twine upward while holding the shell so the knot gets caught at the top.

DIY tip: Secure any loose shells with a dot of hot glue.

Step two:   Tie a thicker piece of rope to each side of the driftwood for hanging.

DIY tip:  Next we are going to attach the seashells in a “V” shape pattern to the driftwood.  I used a pipe cleaner to hang my driftwood on the back of a kitchen chair so I could sit near the hot glue gun and take my time tying up the shells perfectly.

Step three:  Layout your seashells in a “v” shape pattern.   Starting with the biggest shell first, hang it on the driftwood.  Working your way out, add the remaining shells using large to small.   Each shell should come up about 1/2 an inch on both sides of the center.

Step four:   Once you have all of your shells hung evenly, triple tie the twine at the top making sure the loose end heads toward the back.

Step five:  Flip the shell wall hanging around and trim the excess twine to about one inch.  Hot glue the end up onto the driftwood.

Final step:  Add faux succulents by tucking in the stems into the rope knots or hot gluing them right onto the driftwood.   This gives them the cute effect of “sprouting” right off the wood!

Now, friend, this shell and driftwood wall art was too pretty to hang on our ugly-brown front door in Okinawa (although it would have been an improvement).  So I decided to hang it in our foyer to greet our guests when they come inside!

My husband saw the mirror I had replaced the hanging with on the floor and hung it right back up.  It’s kind of quirky.

I’m super pleased with the way it turned out.  I have yet to find a spot in our new Japanese house to hang it in but it could really go anywhere! Don’t you just love seashell home decorations? I many shell decor pieces but I love finding creative DIYs for them. Have you made anything with shells lately?

Check out these excellent posts from the lovely ladies of The Global Styler. Find all of The Global Styler posts in The Global Styler archive!

House Homemade

A Designer at Home

 Casa Watkins Living 

Make sure to check out my summer page full of DIYs, decorating tips, and printables for the season.