Turn a thrift store find into a coastal decor piece using shells and beads. This shadow box wasn’t my style at all, but that didn’t stop me from bringing it home and giving it a makeover.

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I love finding thrift store items that need simple makeovers to work my coastal decor. Using beads, shells, and paint, the shadow box is a great fit for our mantel now.
Coastal Shadow Box with Shells and Beads

Supplies Used for Coastal Shadow Box with Shells and Beads
- Thrift Store Find Shadow Box
- Laminated Burlap
- Spray Adhesive
- E6000 Glue
- Assorted Sea Shels
- Chalk Paint
- Medium Grit Sand Paper
The shadow box was looking pretty worn and dated. When I bought it, I wasn’t sure what material the flowers were made of. I thought it would be easy to remove it and replace it with some coastal decor pieces.

I was wrong! It was made of ceramic and it was glued very securely to the backing. I used a flat head screw driver to pry it away from the backing. As you can see, that didn’t go so smoothly. I chipped away at the ceramic until I had large chunks of it out. Then, I continued to work the screw driver around the edges of the backing until it began to lift away.

Once I had the inside of the box cleared out, I applied a light coat of spray adhesive to a cut to size laminated burlap sheet.

I recently bought a couple of packages of beads that were on clearance at JoAnn’s. They were marked at $3.47, but when I checked out, they were only $1.50 each. I love when that happens!

The amber colored beads match well with the burlap backing and they make a great background for the sea shells that I planned on adding to the shadow box. I used E6000 glue to adhere the beads to the burlap. I worked in small areas of the box to set the beads. I left it to dry overnight.

I tried out a few different placements for the shells before gluing them in place.

The top portion of the frame of the shadow box got a quick chalk paint using Waverly Agave paint. I left the back section of the box unpainted.

I rearranged the shells until I was happy with the placement of them. More E600 glue keeps them in place. I let the shells dry overnight before adding the top frame back onto the shadow box.

I decided that I wanted to sand down the edges of the frame. I used medium grit sandpaper to lightly distress it.

Using beads and shells to change the look of the thrift store find was an easy way to give a new look to the old piece. This is a great way to display shells you’ve collected from beaches or if you don’t have a beach nearby, you can purchase a bag of shells for crafts.
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Coastal Shadow Box with Shells and Beads

You might also enjoy this coastal tray makeover from a thrift store find.

What’s your latest thrift store flip?
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Beverly shares easy, inexpensive craft tutorials, diy projects for the home, coastal decor projects, & thrift store find makeover projects all designed to help you create a beautiful home on a budget.
Dee | Grammy's Grid says
Very nice, I love it!!
Gail says
Love the transformation and Beads! JoAnn has the best bead selection! What a fun way to display precious tokens, keepsakes, and mementos!
Linda says
What a pretty makeover. Love the color, theme and look of this project. It would look beautiful in my new pool cabana. I hope you continue to share your lovely crafts every Sunday at the new link party, Love your Creativity. I am stepping up remake the former Dishing It and Digging It.
Sylvia|Grace for a Gypsy says
Really cute shadow box!
Marilyn Lesniak says
Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared.
Ann says
That’s a big improvement, but it sure did fight back! Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJ’s!
Habiba says
Oh Beverly, I love so many things about this DIY: That you were able to give a second life to an unloved item from the thrift store. That you didn’t give up even though taking it apart was hard, the unexpected price reduction of those darling beads, the beautiful colour you chose and the fact that your home has a new decor element you’ve created with care & a Lot of love!!!