DIY seashell poppies for ANZAC Day

10 Apr 2026

ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in New Zealand and Australia that commemorates those who served and died in war, lest we forget. Try out this DIY project to honour this day and as a thoughtful tribute to the soldiers and their families.

You will need:

• Seashells
• Plyers
• Resene Quick Dry
• Paintbrush
• 1m length of 6.3mm diameter galvanised steel rod
• Sandpaper
• Resene Sureseal
• Milk bottle lid
• Electric drill
• Black industrial adhesive sealant
• Resene paint testpots in your chosen shades. Fleur used Resene Poppy, Bush and Black

Note: If you don’t have old shells at home, only take what you need from the beach for your project to ensure the preservation of our natural resources and beautiful beaches.

Step 1: Make sure that your shells are clean and free of any shellfish, sand and salt.Wash and leave them to dry. Use some plyers to break off the square corners where the shell hinges.Do this to half the shells.This will make it easier for the shells to fit more snuggly together when you glue them in place later.

Step 2: Prime both sides of the shells with one coat of Resene Quick Dry.Once this is dry, paint the shells with two coats of Resene Poppy, allowing for the first coat to dry before applying the second coat.

Step 3: While the shells are drying, work on the stands.Sand a one meter length of 6.3mm diameter galvanised steel rod and then prime this with one coat of Resene Sureseal.Once the sealer has dried, paint the rod with two coats of Resene Bush.Drill a 6mm diameter hole through the centre of a milk bottle lid.A slightly smaller hole than the rod will give it a nice tight fit.Sand the lid, prime it with one coat of Sureseal, and then paint it with two coats of Bush.Once dry, push the lid on to the top of the rod, leaving about 4cm of the rod sticking up.The milk lid will provide an extra point of support to glue the shells to.  

Step 4: To attach the shells to the rod, use a black industrial adhesive sealant that is suitable for use outside.Start with a pair of shells that have had the corner hinge removed and glue these opposite each other with a generous amount of adhesive where the shells meet the rod and the milk lid.You might need an extra pair of hands to help with this, or an extra amount of patience to wait for the sealant to hold.Painters tape can be helpful in holding the shells in position while the sealant dries.

Add the next pair of shells – two shells that haven’t had the corner hinge removed.Glue these to the rod and to the first pair of shells.  

Step 5: Once the sealant has dried, touch up any areas that you want to be red (Poppy) or green underneath (Bush) by priming the sealant with more Resene Quick Dry and then painting with more Poppy and Bush. Finish by painting the centre of the poppy with Black.  

project and images Fleur Thorpe

Published: 10 Apr 2026