How many of you do the Elf on the Shelf every year when the holidays roll around? Well, if you’re a coastal beach lover like me…How about an Elf on a Shell? That’s what we’ll be doing this holiday season. This hand painted Elf on a Shell is easy-to-make!
You’ll need a large 4″ to 5″ wide clam seashell. I collect them from the beach. Wash in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Let them soak for 15-20 minutes and then rinse clean. Air dry.
Base coat the seashell with 2 coats of white acrylic craft paint allowing for 30 minutes of drying time between coats.
While the paint is drying do a Google Image Search for a FREE Elf Template. Hundreds will come up. Find one that you like. You may need to resize the image to fit onto your seashell. Print it out. Use scissors to cut around the image to make your own template. Use a pencil and trace around the template onto the seashell.
To paint the design I elected to use Acrylic Paint Pen Markers. The ones that I like to use are by Betem. They have dual tips (a fine tip and a medium tip) and they don’t require any priming! No drips, no mess, no clogs! Plus, they dry super fast!
Once you have the design painted let it sit for 8 hours to let the paint fully cure. The next day you can either brush 2 coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer over the top or take the seashell outside and spray with 2 light coats of a Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer. I like using ones with a glossy finish. Let dry.
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This is a cute idea and great variation on Elf on a shelf. I did not realize that there were free Elf templates.