Behind the Scenes: Creating My Blue Ocean Tray
Behind the Scenes: Creating My Blue Ocean Tray with Shells 🌊🐚✨
There’s something so soothing about making ocean-inspired resin art. For me, it’s like bottling up the waves, the movement, and the calming blues of the sea—all in a piece that you can use every day. Today, I want to take you behind the scenes of how I created my latest blue ocean tray with shells from scratch.
Step 1: Starting with the Tray Mould
Instead of using a ready-made base, I began with a tray mould. This means the whole piece is cast in resin, giving it a beautiful, glass-like finish from edge to edge. I mixed my resin and poured it carefully into the mould, making sure it spread evenly and reached every corner. Once poured, I let it cure overnight so it was strong and ready for the ocean design.
Step 2: Mixing the Resin
Once my mould was fully cleaned with isopropanol 99% alchohol, I got to work on the design layer. I mixed up fresh resin with hardener, stirring slowly to keep bubbles at bay. This part always feels like a little science experiment—you have to be precise with measurements, but also patient and gentle with the mixing.
Step 3: Adding Colour
For the ocean look, I chose deep blue, turquoise, and white pigments. The blues flow together to create the feeling of water, while the white is essential for the foamy, crashing waves. I love this part—it’s like painting, but with liquid glass.
Step 4: Pouring the Ocean
I poured the blues in sweeping sections, letting them blend naturally before blending them manually. The deeper blue formed the “ocean depths,” while the turquoise gave the illusion of shallower waters. Then came the clear resin mixed with white pigment, ready to become the rolling surf along the “shoreline.” My aim was to create a Mediterranean feel to this tray.
Step 5: Creating the Waves and Adding Shells
With my heat gun, I gently moved the white resin across the surface. This is the magic moment—watching the waves take shape right before my eyes. Once the movement felt right, I carefully placed a few real shells into the design, nestling them near the “shore.” The shells give the tray a natural, beachy feel and make each piece one-of-a-kind.
Step 6: The Reveal
After curing, the tray popped out of the mould smooth, glossy, and strong. The waves had settled into soft foam-like ripples, the blues shimmered like sunlight on water, and the shells sat perfectly in place like treasures washed up on the sand. Every time I peel back a mould, it feels like opening a present—you never quite know how it’s going to look, and that’s what I love most.
Why Ocean Art with Shells Feels So Special
No two ocean trays are ever alike. The resin flows how it wants to, just like the sea itself. By adding shells, each piece also carries a little token of the seaside—something real, something found, something natural. It makes the tray not just a piece of art, but a memory of the coast you can hold in your hands.
Creating this tray was such a calming process, and I love knowing it’ll bring a touch of the sea into someone’s home. Whether it’s holding drinks, candles, or just displayed as a statement piece, it’s a little reminder of ocean magic every day.
Watch the Tutorial
Want to see how I made it step by step? Watch the full YouTube tutorial here 👉 https://youtu.be/PXIxte_f9hU
Shop the Collection
✨ Love the look but don’t want to make one yourself? You can order your own handmade resin ocean tray with shells here 👉 https://www.kallisae.com/shop
❤️ Wendy x
