Hand-Painted Seashells with Pearls Christmas Tree Ornaments

During the holiday season I like to set up a 5 foot artificial Christmas tree and decorate it with coastal and beach-style ornaments. About 75% of the ornaments are purchased with the other 25% being handmade by me. I love decking out my tree with beautifully painted seashells and today I’m going to show you how to take found seashells and turn them into beautiful Christmas Tree ornaments.

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You will need a few basic craft supplies, acrylic paint and some seashells. The ones that I used were collected while on vacation a few months ago. I like to use seashells for this project that are no larger than 4″ in size. Wash and thoroughly dry all shells before beginning this project.

Hand-Painted Seashells with Pearls Christmas Tree Ornaments

Small Clam Shells
Small Scallop Seashells
Small Oyster Seashells
Acrylic Metallic Paints
Paint Brush, Water Dish, Paper Towels
Faux Round Pearls
E6000 Adhesive Glue
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer
Clear Fishing Line
Scissors
Newspaper

Lay newspaper down onto your work surface. Paint the inside and outside of each shell with 2 coats of acrylic metallic craft paint in your desired color. I like an icy blue color which works well with my decorating theme. Let them thoroughly dry, about an hour.

Take them outside and lightly spray them with one coat of clear acrylic sealer. Let dry until no longer tacky. This will take 20 minutes (on a hot day) or up to an hour (on cooler day).

Using the clear fishing line cut a 5″ long piece. Knot the ends and turn it into a hanging loop. Using the E6000 add a tiny dot of glue onto the shell and then press your faux pearl on top. Do all of your shells at the same time. Wait about an hour and flip them over. Add another tiny dab of glue and add your hanging loop onto the back side. Let them dry for 2-3 hours or until glue has firmly set. That’s it, you’re done!!!

This is a great way to use up some of your smaller seashells that you collected during summer vacation while walking the beach. You can paint them in any color that you would like and even paint different patterns/names onto each shell if you desire. Don’t visit or live near a beach? You can buy bagfuls of shells at yard sales, flea markets and at your local craft store to use in your arts & craft projects.

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