Kid’s Craft Project – Painted Elf Seashell Christmas Tree Ornament

Looking for a fun Christmas craft project to make with the kids? These painted elf seashell Christmas tree ornaments only cost pennies to make! You don’t have to be an expert artist to make them. We made them with a group of children 7-13 years of age. The one shown in the photo was made by a 12 year old.

You’ll need spiral shaped seashells, acrylic craft paints, paint brushes, paper towels, water dishes, clear fishing line, clear paint with micro-fine glitter, clear fishing line, glue, and scissors. Oh yeah, I recommend laying down a few sheets of aluminum foil to use as a non-stick surface while the ornaments are drying.

Paint all of the spirals with 2 coats of red acrylic craft paint. The larger spiral at the bottom of the shell gets painted with 2 coats of white paint. Let them dry on the sheet of aluminum foil for about an hour.

We found a bottle of clear acrylic paint at the craft store that contains micro-fine silver glitter. Once the red paint was dry we went back over with the clear glitter paint to add a little pizzazz to the elf’s hat. The facial features were kept simple since we were working with kids. You can use paint pens or acrylic craft paint to add the facial features (see photograph for placement). Let dry.

Once they’re all dry they need to be taken outside and sprayed with 1-2 coats of clear acrylic spray sealer, allowing for 30 minutes of drying time between coats. This will protect the painted finish from chipping, cracking, or the color from fading. Let dry until no longer tacky.

To finish up you need to cut a 6″ long piece of clear fishing line. Knot the two ends together to form a hanging loop. Glue to the top of the hat and let dry. That’s it, they’re done!

Use the Painted Elf Seashell Ornaments to hang on a Christmas Tree, as Package Toppers, tied onto holiday gift pags, hanging off a peg shelf, etc. The kids really enjoyed making them!

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