She sells sea shells

Now that walls are going up I should be racing along and puting up more BUT as usual I am procrastinating. I have a big next step in the construction and just wanted to start and finish Something quick and pretty. Talking with our friend Tony from Miniature Treasures gave me the idea, at least provoked the idea of a shell mirror as we talked of shells. I always wanted to make a shell mirror and perhaps a console table and have been collecting sea shells to scale for some time. 

One day I would LOVE to build a shell grotto! Will need a lot more shells though.

I didn't photograph my first effort in preparing the mirror base, some things are best left unseen.

I cut out two layers of fine basswood ( ? ) recessing the back to take the mirror piece.

 I then, after choosing only the tiniest shells, glued with Tacky Glue the shells all around. I filled in small spaces with tiny perle beads from an Edwardian sewing box bought years ago.

A quick word about Tacky Glue here ,, I had NO idea that it was so good ! Coming from a world of sewing I thought that it was a temporary glue as in couture we talk of 'tacking' fabric together temporarily before machine sewing. I only recently realised that it was like wood glue but stickier so keeps tricky things in place more easily. Silly me, NOW I know better. Just saying.

 I used mirror spray on a scrap of acrylic and as it's been badly done just for the photo, I am presently redoing it before glueing it in place and finishing the sides and back with paint and some nice old paper backing.

This gives you an idea of scale. It measures 7 x 4.5 cms.

That would make it 84 x 54 in real life. 

I made it as symetrical as I could, trying to find pairs of similar shells. I was initially going to paint it white and patinate it but for now it stays 'au naturelle' . 

You can see the crack in the 'glass', soon to be changed.

Below are but some of my tiny shells. I would love to say that I spent many happy hours on a beach in the sun as the dogs played around me, collecting them all BUT I Simply ordered them online. 

No wet dogs and sunburnt back.

Below are two mirrors I sort of used as inspiration.