Seashell FROG Figure Craft Project

Seashells are so fun to craft with! You can make all kinds of different home decor items, holiday ornaments, refrigerator magnets, garden yard art, windchimes, garden markers, etc. by just using seashells that you collect from the beach.

When collecting shells to use in your craft projects you ONLY want to collect vacant shells. Please don’t harm any animals! If they’re still inhabited, put them back…there are plenty of vacant shells lying around. After collecting them you always want to clean them right away to remove the saltwater, sand, debris, and the fishy smells.

I like to soak them in warm water with liquid dishwashing soap…like Dawn or Palmolive. Let thems oak for 15-30 minutes. If necessary use an old toothbrush and sponge to losen up debris. Rinse them thoroughly under cool running water. Lay them outside to dry in the sunlight for 1-2 days. They need to be clean and completely dry before using them.

Seashell FROG Figure Craft Project

2 medium clam shells (body)
2 small clam shells (head)
4 smaller clam shells (hands and eyes)
2 slipper shells (feet)
1 medium cockle shell (base)
1 small to medium mussel shell (neck)
acrylic paint – green, white, and bronze
1 black acrylic paint pen, medium tip
E6000 adhesive glue
scotch tape
water dish, paint brush, paper towels
clear acrylic spray sealer, glossy finish

This project took me 3 days to make due to paint and adhesive drying time. I don’t recommend using hot glue as it didn’t hold together the shells tightly. I found that using E6000 Adhesive Glue worked perfectly and gave me a strong bond. I can’t give you precise sizes on the shells that I used. I just went through my box and kept playing around with what I had to get the proper dimensions that seemed to work.

You’ll want to paint all of the shells before constructing your frog. I painted the tops and sides of each one but left the underside un-painted.

Glue the 2 clams together to form the body and the 2 clams together to form the head. Set aside and let them dry. I went around the edges of the shells with the adhesive glue and then sandwiched the shells together. I left them sit for about 90 minutes to get a good bond.

The body gets glued to the base first and at a slight angle as shown in the photograph. I propped a glass behind it to help hold it upright until the glue took hold. Be generous with the amount of glue that you’re using. On top of that add the one mussel shell to serve as the neck. It also helps the head to lay flat on the body. Once the neck is attached add the head. Let all of that dry for a few hours or until you have a strong bond.

The slipper shells are glued to the base to serve as the feet. Two smaller clams to the top of the body, covering most of the neck to serve as hands. I had to use scotch tape to hold the eyes up on top of the head until the glue took hold. Once I had a decent bond…I went back and added a generous amount of glue behind the eyes attaching them firmly to the top of the head. Let sit for a few hours. You can use a paint pen or black acrylic paint to add the black dots for the eyes.

To protect the painted finish take it outside and spray it with 2-3 coats of clear acrylic spray sealer, allowing for 30-45 minutes between coats. Let it thoroughly dry.

I think Wade the Frog turned out super cute! I’m going to try to make a few more animals in the coming weeks. I have him sitting on a shelf in my sunroom guarding over my houseplants. Since he’s sprayed with sealer, he could go outside onto my porch, deck or into one of my garden areas too!

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