A Gift to Recognize Mom's Value

A Mother’s Day Ornament to Let Her Know What She's Worth

Mar 25, 2008 Melissa Howard

Let Mom know that she is of value to you; make a decoration that reminds her every day that she is a pearl in your life.

Make your mother a symbolic ornament for Mother’s Day to let her know that you value her for all she is. This ornament uses a few simple objects to convey a world of meaning.

Supplies

• clamshell
• drill
• pearl beads of various sizes
• seed beads or E beads
• adhesive
• thread
• needle
• paper
• decoupage medium
• clear embossing ink
• iridescent clear embossing powder
• triple thick acrylic spray finish

Instructions for Starting Both Shells

1. If the clamshell is from the beach, soak it in vinegar and scrub with a brush to clean it thoroughly.
2. Type a motto about pearls and the word Mother, center the motto and make sure the size is suitable for the clamshell that it will be glued into.
3. Print the motto and tear it out. If you want it to look aged, soak it in tea for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove it and let it dry.
4. Drill a hole through the top of the clamshell (the hinged side). A small drill bit used with a steady pressure should work well.
5. Use decoupage medium to glue the motto into the shell. Seal the motto with more decoupage medium.

Instructions for the Wet Shell (See Figure 1)

1. Glue small seed pearls along the edge of the shell (the grooves are nice for laying the pearl into).
2. Thread a seed bead and a large pearl together. Then run the thread through the inside/front of the clamshell and out the top.
3. Thread seed beads until you have a long enough length for a hanger then tie it off.
4. Hang the ornament somewhere where you can spray it from all sides and spray it with the triple-thick acrylic finish.

Instructions for the Iridescent Shell (See Figure 2)

1. Cover the entire surface of the shell with clear embossing ink and then dust the entire surface with the embossing powder.
2. Use the embossing heat gun to melt the embossing powder.
3. Thread a seed bead and a large pearl together. Then run the thread through the inside/front of the clamshell and out the top.
4. Thread seed beads or E beads until you have a long enough length for a hanger, then tie it off.

About Sample Project

The motto used was “A pearl of great value – Mother.”

More Pearl Quotes

Wisdom is a pearl. – William Cowper

Found one pearl of great price. – The Bible

...he who would search for pearls must dive below. – John Dryden

Pearls lie not on the seashore / If thou desirest one thou must dive for it. – Chinese Proverb

Ideas and Suggestions

If you wish to keep it simple, you could simple print the word Mother on a clamshell and glue a pearl inside the shell.

The copyright of the article A Gift to Recognize Mom's Value in Crafts is owned by Melissa Howard. Permission to republish A Gift to Recognize Mom's Value in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Figure 1: Wet Shell Ornament

Figure 2: Iridescent Shell Ornament

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