Using real shells and sand lent effortless, authentic elegance to my nautical wedding inspiration photo shoot.

I particularly loved how easily my shell-encrusted table numbers turned out.  

Materials for Nautical Shell Table Number Craft

• Foam Core
• Paint
• Sand (Optional)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Bamboo Skewer
• Tiny, real seashells

Start by printing out the table number in the size you want the finished table number to be.  Carefully cut it out of the sheet of printer paper, then use that as a template to trace the shape on a piece of foam core board.  Cut the shape out using an exacto knife or other sharp blade.

Paint the back-side of the table number and insert the bamboo skewer in the bottom of the foam number.  It's best to avoid using spray paint for this craft, since there's a chemical in the spray paint that makes Styrofoam dissolve.  It's fine on the paper surfaces, but if you get any spray paint on foam sides of your number, it'll start to dissolve away alarmingly quickly.  So I stick to either regular paint, or glue sand on.

Once the paint or glue and sand have dried, it's time to use a hot glue gun to attach the shells to the front side of the table number.  I bought a small bag of teeny tiny shells from Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts for $3ish dollars, and used a ton, and still have a bunch left over.  

It's just like a puzzle.  Fill in the gaps with the right size of shell and voila, in a few short minutes you have a gorgeous table number!

I used this same technique to make the M monogram out of shells.  

And wouldn't it make a fun cake topper for a kid's birthday?