Looking for a beautiful door stop for your coastal beach style home? If so, my craft project today is perfect for you! You can complete this project in one afternoon. You can leave the Whelk shell naturally or paint and decorate it to your heart’s content. I have 3 of them throughout my coastal home and have given several others as gifts.
When using them…just stick the narrow end (or the tail shaped end) underneath the door to hold it open. The seashell is weighty enough to keep it in place. These shells look 100% prettier than a block of wood, rock or other unattractive thing!
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You’ll need several Whelk Shells collected from the beach. Please…ONLY take vacant seashells! Don’t kill animals to just obtain the shells. If it’s inhabited please put it back. I like to use Whelk Shells measuring at least 5″ in lenth. Wash the shell with warm soapy water. I like to use Dawn Liquid Dishwashing Soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Soak the shell in the soapy water for 30-60 minutes and then rinse clean. Air dry.
The Natural Look – If you want to keep the natural look of the shell just take it outside and spray it with 2 coats of a Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer. This will help to protect the shell and give it a nice shine. It also helps to bring out the natural colors.
Painted & Decorated Look – You can paint them any color that you would like. I painted the one shown in the photograph with a light metallic blue color. Metallic paints take a little longer to dry compared to an acrylic paint. The shell was given 2 coats of paint with 1 hour of drying time between coats.
Take the painted shell outside and spray with 2 coats of a Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer. Let dry until it’s no longer tacky. Takes about an hour or less if it’s a hot sunny day.
When adding decorations like buttons, rhinestones, beads, charms, mini seashells, faux pearls, etc. I don’t recommend that you use hot glue. They tend to fall off rather quickly. Instead….I recommend that you use Gorilla Glue with a fine tip nozzle. You only need a “tad” of glue and you’ll get a very strong bond. Let it dry overnight. I used half faux pearls on the one in the photograph and attached them with Gorilla Glue.
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