{DIY} Shell Bouquet

I have to admit, I'm a lover of alternative bouquets!  I do adore floral bouquets, they are so beautiful and wonderful, don't get me wrong.  However, I love getting creative with items like brooches and buttons, and creating alternative bouquets with them.  Previously on the bog I shared tutorials for a brooch bouquet, a button bouquet and a bouquet of rolled paper flowers.  Today, I am sharing how to create a shell bouquet!  I've been wanting to do this one for a while, and I've finally had the time to make one!

It's fairly easy to put together.  Here are the material you need:

Various Sizes of Seashells

18 Gauge Floral Wire-Natural

Glue Gun

Scrap Burlap

Jute Twine

I live in AZ, so seashells have to be imported!  I found a great bag of mixed shells last summer, which I had left over from some other shell projects, so I had plenty of shells to use for my bouquet. 

I chose the natural floral wire that I did because it is sturdy, and it is natural which is a better fit for shells, rather than metallic wire-IMO.  Seashells are usually pretty heavy, at least the ones have, so I needed something to make sure the stems would hold up to the weight of the shells.  If you have smaller shells, a thinner gauged wire might suit better, it's up to you.  For this bouquet, I decided to make 24 stems, you can make more or less, it is up to you.    

Get the glue gun heated up, and simply get to work putting dots of glue onto the back of shells, and in the interior canals of others.  At times I also put glue over the stems to help adhere better to the shells.  After the glue was in place and the floral stems set tight to the shells, I let them sit for about 1/2 hour, just to make sure all was solid and firm.

I then gathered the stems into a nice arrangement, wrapped the stems with some leftover scrap burlap I had, then tied some jute twine to secure everything and make it a pretty little package.  I love how natural the bouquet came together, and that everything holds up wonderfully.  

Will you give a go at making a shell bouquet, or another alternative bouquet?  Please share if so, we'd love to see your creations!  

I hope this helped inspire you to be creative with unique twists to have for your wedding day!  After the wedding, you can place the bouquet in a vase at home and make it a centerpiece that will remind you of your beautiful day.

Happy planning!