Painted Owl, Snail and Bird Clam Shell Seashell Designs

Snails, Owls and Birds…oh my! These 3 cuties are easy-to-make with no pattern needed. Once you make them you can use them as paper weights on a desk, colorful yard art in your garden, as party favors or little home decor pieces around the house. Great to give as gifts too! Don’t have access to clam shells? The designs can be painted on smooth river stones and tiles too!

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If you enjoy painting on seashells or crafting with seashells…you’ll find over 150+ seashell craft projects right here on the Two Classy Chics blog! We will be sharing more seashell craft projects in the future too!

I used 4″ to 5″ wide clam shells seashells collected from the beach. Wash them in warm water using Dawn Liquid Dish soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, dirt, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water. Air dry overnight.

Base coat the seashells in your desired background color using 2 coats of acrylic craft paint. Allow for 30-40 minutes of drying time between coats. I speed up the drying time by using a desk fan…blowing air across the shells as they’re drying. Cuts that drying time in half!

No pattern or template was used. I used a pencil to lightly sketch each design onto the painted clam shell. They’re simple shapes, nothing elaborate here! You can make the designs as fancy as you like but personally, I like them simple.

BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers – These markers contain acrylic paint (not kiddie paint) and have dual-tip ends. No priming, leaking, clogging or foul paint odors. I used the paint markers to color in the designs, write wordage and to do all outlining. These paint markers are my favorite…plus…they dry quick!!! Let all of the paint dry until it’s no longer tacky.

Protect the painted design by brushing on 1-2 light coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer. I like using one with a glossy finish, but it comes in a matte fishish too. I like brushing it on with a foam brush. You’ll want to brush it onto both sides of the clam shell. Use 2 coats if you’re going to be placing the shells outside. If you’re going to keep them inside then 1 coat of Mod Podge will be sufficient.

Tip: Use the Dawn Liquid Dish Soap to wash out all paint brushes. It does a great job at brush cleaning too!

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