Love the beach and coastal way of life? Hosting a party in a fun tropical theme? If so, you’ll love these easy-to-make painted tropical palm tree clam shells. They can be used as table-top decorations, as party favors, place settings or display them outside when hositing a fun party. They add a nice “pop” of color and all designs were painted onto clam shells collected from the beach.
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We used 2″ wide to 4″ wide clam shells. Wash them in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water and air dry overnight.
All of these designs were made with BETEM Acrylic Paint Pen Markers which feature dual ended tips. One side has a medium tip and the other side a fine tip. No priming, leakage or foul odors with these paint markers and they dry quickly!
You want to start with the background colors first and using the medium tip in your desired colors. You can use our photograph for reference. Once you have the background done it’s time to decorate the seashells. I used a pencil to lightly sketch on the design free-handed. No template was used nor is needed. Use the medium tip to color-in the design. Use the fine tip to outline the design. Make them basic or as fancy as you would like. Let dry.
Seal the painted surface by brushing on 1-2 coats of Clear Glossy Mod Podge using a foam brush. You’ll need to allow 30-45 minutes of drying time between coats. This will give the shells a nice glossy shine plus protect the painted surface. Once dry…they can be displayed inside or outside of your home.
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