These painted seashell and puzzle pieces paper weights make a great gift for Mom and Dad. Think Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, a Birthday or even as a holiday gift. Each one will take about 2 days to make to allow for drying time with the paint. It’s a frugal kid’s craft project if you live near the beach and can collect 4″ and 5″ sized clam shells, plus you’re recycling an old cardboard puzzle.
An adult should handle the E6000 adhesive glue and spraying the shells with the clear sealer. Everything else can be done by a child, with adult supervision of course.
Painted Seashell and Puzzle Pieces Paper Weight
4″ to 5″ wide clam seashell
3 small cardboard puzzle pieces
acrylic craft paint
paint brush, water dish, paper towels
acrylic paint pens – medium tips
clear acrylic spray sealer, glossy finish
E6000 adhesive glue
Always thoroughly wash seashells with warm water and liquid dishwashing soap to remove sand, debris, and fishy odors. Let them thoroughly dry before beginning the project.
Base coat the large clam shell with 2-3 coats of acrylic craft paint, allowing 30 minutes of drying time between each coat. While the seashell is drying paint the back-side of 3 cardboard puzzle pieces along with all edges. We had to use 2 coats of acrylic paint to get the coverage that we needed. Set aside to dry.
Have an adult use the E6000 Adhesive Glue to adhere the puzzle pieces to the center area of the seashell. Press firmly into place. Let dry for 1-2 hours.
Next comes the decorating! We used acrylic paint pens with a medium-tip to add a polka dot border and to write the words “Love You to Pieces”. Let dry for 2-3 hours or until paint is no longer tacky.
Take seashells outside and spray them with 1-2 coats of Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer, allowing for 30-40 minutes of drying time between coats. Let dry for 2-3 hours or until the shells are no longer tacky. The sealer will protect the painted finish from chipping, fading, or cracking.
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I love how you supply us with great crafts to use up old puzzle pieces. My grandkids would enjoy doing this craft.
Another clever way to use old puzzle pieces. I just did the puzzle tree with my grandkids that you featured a few weeks ago. Lots of fun for all of us.