Now that the Christmas decorations have been put away…it’s time to add a few winter themed decorations into your home decor. These hand painted large clam shells are super easy to make! You can make several of them in just one afternoon. They’re all in a WINTER SEASON theme using a combination of acrylic craft paint and adhesive stickers.
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We used large 4″ and 5″ wide clam shells that we collected a few months ago from the beach. Washed them in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Rinse and air dry. Dawn does a fabulous job at removing sand, gunk and fishy odors.
One seashell was painted a solid white. Two additional shells have just white painted at the bottom to represent snow. The fourth shell was painted yellow and then the white added to the bottom. I like them done all three ways! To decorate them I used a pack of clear-backed adhesive stickers in a winter theme. The stickers depict kids ice skating, snow boarding, skiing, bobsledding, having a snow ball fight, etc. Once the paint is dry apply the desired stickers. Make sure you smooth them out.
I recommend you let the shells sit for 12 hours or overnight to allow the stickers to really adhere well to the paint and to the shells. The next day you’ll want to cover them with a thin layer of Modge Podge Clear Sealer in a Glossy Finish using a foam brush. This protects the painted finish and further helps to preserve the clam shell. Let dry until no longer tacky.
Optional: I purchased a pack of snowflake hologram confetti (from the party supplies aisle) and glued a few onto each clam shell. This added some nice dimension and helped to fill in some of the larger spaces. You don’t want to add too much. Keep the design work simple!
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These are so cute and such a clever idea. I would love to do this craft project for an upcoming kid’s birthday party.