I love using painted seashells in my garden yard art decor. They’re a great way to add a pop of color into areas that need it. You can place these painted Lady Bug Seashells in your flower beds, around the swimming pool, in your garden areas, decorating the front porch or back deck, etc. They’re easy to make and only take a few basic supplies to make them.
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Wash all seashells in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Dawn does the best job at removing dirt, debris, sand and fishy odors. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes and then rinse with clean water. Let them air dry overnight.
Base coat the large clam shell in your desired paint color. I used metallic blue, seafoam green and white for my backgrounds. I used two coats of paint for the white and seafoam green to get the coverage that I needed. Let dry until the paint is no longer tacky.
Lady Bugs – I used small clam shells that fit nicely on top of the large clam shells. Base coat them with red acrylic craft paint. After the paint dries make the black head, separation of wings and the polka dots. Then add the white eyes and white antannae. Let dry.
Adhere the painted lady bug shells onto the large clam shell using Gorilla Glue. Don’t use hot glue as they won’t stay-on. Gorilla Glue will give you the strongest bond plus safe for you to display them outdoors in the weather. Let the glue set-up for 4-5 hours.
I used BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers to write the wordage onto the seashells. I also used them for my stick person catching hearts in her net design. These paint markers don’t require priming, no leaky messes, no clogged tips and no foul paint odors. PLUS, they dry quickly! I purchase them from Amazon for an affordable price. Let dry.
You need to seal all of your painted designs with Clear Mod Podge Sealer with a Glossy Finish. I like to apply two light coats on the front and back of the seashells, allowing for 40 minutes of drying time between coats. Let them sit indoors for 3-4 days to allow everything to cure before placing them outside.
If you enjoy painting on seashells or crafting with seashells…you’ll find over 200+ seashell craft projects right here on the Two Classy Chics blog! We will be sharing more seashell craft projects in the future too!
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