The July 4th holiday is just around the corner. This year we’re hosting a little backyard barbecue and pool party for several family and friends. I needed to set the atmosphere for the party so I got busy painting a dozen of these adorable Patriotic themed seashells. The designs were all painted onto clam shells that I collected from the beach. The smaller seashells will be used as table-top decorations with the larger seashells placed around the swimming pool area.
** Post contains affiliate links.
Wash and dry all clam shells using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Soak them in the soapy water for 30 minutes and then rinse with clean water. If needed, use a Mr Clean Eraser to remove any icky debris. Lay them out on a clean cotton towel to air dry overnight.
Base coat each clam shell with 2 coats of acrylic craft paint in your desired color. You can refer to our photograph for some design ideas. NONE of these ideas required a template or pattern. Let the base coat fully dry before decorating.
Keep things simple! We used BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers which have dual ended tips. There’s a medium tip for coloring in the larger areas and a fine tip for writing words or for outlining. These paint markers are fantastic! Require no priming, no drippy leaks, no foul paint odors and the paint dries quickly. Do all of your design work using paint pen markers or if you’re really talented you can certainly use a brush and paint. Let everything dry until the paint is no longer tacky.
Take the painted seashells outside. Spray them with 1-2 light coats of a Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer allowing for 1 hour of drying time between the 2 coats. If you don’t want to mess with that….you can simply brush-on 2 coats of Clear Glossy Mod Podge Sealer allowing for 30 minutes of drying time between coats. It dries clear and gives a nice shiny finish to the seashells. Let dry.
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
