She Uses Old Abalone Shells To Brighten Her Backyard Fence With An Impressive DIY

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

With their exquisite mother-of-pearl interior and graceful shape, abalone shells count among the loveliest items you'll find on the beach. Their natural beauty is such that many an artisan has been known to make decorative objects, like jewelry or sculptures for the home, out of them. Creative TikTokers Manú and Matt (@modernbymanu) even figured out how to use abalone shells to create lighting for their backyard fence. Despite the simplicity of the design and the materials for this DIY project — you just need some abalone shells and a few solar-powered candles — the finished lamps were enough to illuminate an outdoor space without the hassle of hardwiring lights.

Manú and Matt had more than a dozen abalone shells to work with. These beachy treasures can be as large as your hand in some cases, so as you're looking for shells for this project, keep their size in mind. It'll determine how many shells you need to cover your fence or shed wall. If you don't have any old shells that you've collected from your beach trips, you can purchase them. Something like this well-reviewed 6-inch-long Alternative Imagination Abalone Shell should be large enough to fit the 1- to 2-inch-wide solar candles you'll need for this project. Lastly, the tools you'll need to put this DIY outdoor lighting full of rustic charm together include screws, bolt cutters, a drill, and a black marker.

If you're following the lead of Manú and Matt (@modernbymanu) on this one, start by drilling holes into the center of the abalone shells. Then they trimmed the screws with a bolt cutter to fit the depth of the wooden planks that make up their backyard fence. If you're going to do this, use a black marker to mark where you'll make the cut if you're concerned about getting the length wrong. Then attach the abalone shells to the fence with the screws. When you do this, make sure the thick end of the shell is on the bottom. This gives you a deep enough grotto to rest the solar candles upon. One thing to note: The TikTokers didn't secure the solar candles to the inside of the abalone shells. They were merely set inside the hollow in the shell.

If you'd like to hang these lights on a gate or if your neighbor has an overzealous dog that jumps on your fence, you may want to secure the candles in place with zip ties. To do this, drill two additional holes in the back of the shell, then thread the tie around the body of the candle and through to the back of the shell. Trim off the tie's tail. If you're unsure how this would work, here's an analogy for clarification: think about the ties that keep a doll or figurine attached to the inside of its box. The setup for this creative zip ties hack works similarly, and it should be enough to keep the candles sitting securely in the shells. The bonus is that it gives you the option to cut the ties off, making replacing the solar candles easy.