The kids are back in school and the Christmas holiday is quickly approaching. Do you need a little handmade gift for that school teacher on your gift-giving list? If so, we have a very easy art and craft project for you today. If you paint the designs onto larger sized seashells they can be used as paper weights on the teacher’s desk. If you paint the designs onto smaller shells…you can turn those into refrigerator magnets or holiday ornaments. Let’s get started.
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We used clam shells that we collected from the beach. You will want to wash the shells in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. It does the best job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water. Let the shells air dry overnight.
Base coat the shells with 1-2 coats of white acrylic craft paint. You can use a regular paint brush or a foam brush. Allow for 1 hour of drying time between coats. Use a pencil to lightly sketch on your desired design. We didn’t use any templates or patterns. If you want to use our designs…they’re easy to copy or vary them to your own liking.
We provided 3 different design ideas: Pencil, Notebook Paper and the Apple.
To keep the decorating simple…we used a pack of BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers. They have dual-ended tips (one medium and one fine). They don’t require any priming, no leaky messes, no clogged tips and no foul paint odors. Use the medium tip to color-in large areas, use the fine tip to outline and write wordage. Let all of the paint dry until it’s no longer tacky.
You need to protect all of that painted work by brushing on 1-2 light coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer. I like using one that gives the shells a nice glossy finish. If you want to sprinkle on a little bit of glitter (like the apple design) you need to sprinkle it on while the sealer is wet. It will hold the glitter in place once it has dried.
Additional Tips:
* Speed up drying time by using a desk fan or hair dryer set on the cool setting.
* Personalize them by adding a teacher’s name or the child’s name and date on the back.
* When gluing on magnets or hanging ribbon…use Gorilla Glue. Hot glue won’t give you a permanent hold.
* Extra-Fine glitter looks best on seashells. Avoid the chunky stuff!
* If kids are making this project they should wear an old t-shirt or craft apron. Paints can be messy!
* Don’t have seashells? Use smooth river rocks or ceramic tiles (think beverage coasters).
Enjoy crafting with seashells? Check out our blog for over 150 arts and craft projects that utilize seashells collected from the beach.