DIY Seashell Crafts Ideas

Seashell crafts sometimes get a bad reputation for looking kitschy or like something you’d find in a souvenir shop. But done right, they can be genuinely stylish and unique additions to your home decor. My favorite thing to do is collecting seashells on long beach walks, and I’ve been making seashell crafts for years. I’m always looking for ways to turn my shell collection into something beautiful and unexpected.

In this post, I’m sharing all of my own DIY seashell crafts ideas, each with a full tutorial so you can recreate them yourself. Whether you’re a beachcomber with jars full of shells or just picked some up on your last vacation, these projects will give you plenty of inspiration. If you don’t have the luxury of living near a beach, don’t worry, because you can easily find affordable bags of seashells online or at craft stores to start your project.

(And if crafting isn’t your thing, I also included shops where you can buy similar seashell crafts. But of course, making them yourself is much more rewarding and budget friendly!

Seashell tassels

One of my favorite ways to display seashells are these boho seashell tassels, inspired by similar Bali-style objects I saw a couple of years ago. I used my collected black bay scallop shells, snail shells, and clam shells from the Jersey Shore, but any seashells work beautifully. All you need is jute yarn, a Dremel to drill holes, your seashells, and some patience. Hang them on door knobs, curtain rods, or furniture hardware for an instant coastal touch.

I made 4 different shell tassels so far, as you can see below. The fifth seashell tassel on the right is actually one of the seashell tassels that Pottery Barn is selling now.

Seashell flowers (mussel shell)

This is one of my most unique seashell crafts ideas. By layering mussel shells onto a wooden skewer, you can create a flower that looks just like a protea bloom. This tutorial of mine shows a great way to use mussel shells, which people often overlook in crafting. Display them in a vase or stick them in the sand for a beachy floral arrangement.

DIY seashell candles

These seashell candles are one of the easiest seashell crafts you can make. All you do is repurpose cheap tea lights by reusing the tea light wick and melting the tea light wax. The result is a variety of beautiful small candles that you can place around a table setting or wherever else you’d like in your home or for events.

Snail shell bracelet

Who says seashell crafts are only for the home? I have a large collection of Jersey Shore snail shells and wanted to use them as well. This unique DIY snail shell bracelet uses my small snail shells and becomes a beautiful piece of jewelry that keeps a little piece of the beach with me.

Best of all, you can also use land snail shells, which are just as pretty. It’s a surprisingly simple project that makes a great gift, too.

DIY seashell zipper pull/bikini charm

A bikini charm I saw on the Free People website inspired this unique seashell craft. This DIY zipper pull charm uses seashells to add a boho touch to jackets, bags, or bikinis. It’s a quick and easy project that makes a big style impact and works year-round, not just at the beach.

DIY seashell chandelier with solar fairy lights

I don’t have a tutorial for this quick project since it is pretty straightforward. The chandelier starts with a seashell wind chime that you can make yourself or buy premade, as I did. You also need a pack of solar fairy lights, which you simply wrap around the top of the wind chime, as well as letting some light parts dangle freely around the hanging strands of seashells.

I threaded the small solar panel through the umbrella top and placed it on top of the open umbrella canopy, where it gets maximum sun exposure.

DIY starfish ornaments

You can find starfish on beach walks just like seashells, which is why I couldn’t leave them out of this roundup. These DIY starfish ornaments need just three supplies and are one of the easiest coastal crafts you can make. They are perfect for a beach-themed Christmas tree.

You might also like my macrame starfish, which is a beachy craft project but doesn’t involve seashells.

Tschüß,