Halloween is almost here! Two weeks ago I sat down and painted a dozen seashells all in a Halloween theme. My granddaughter’s GS troop is hosting a little Halloween party and these seashells will be used as party favors. They will be placed on the table and the girls can take them home after the party. You can find the other designs right HERE on the TCC blog.
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You will need small clam shells collected from the beach. Wash then in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. I recommend using Dawn because it does the best job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water. Air dry overnight. If you have really stubborn gunk on the shells you can use a Mr. Clean Eraser to get it off.
Base coat each clam shell in green, white and light purple. I had to apply two coats of paint to get the desired coverage that I needed. Allow for 30-40 minutes of drying time between coats. I used regular acrylic craft paint with a paint brush. Let dry until the paint is no longer tacky.
For all of the facial features and design work I used a pack of BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers that I purchased from Amazon. They feature dual ended tips (one medium and one fine). These acrylic paint markers don’t require priming, no clogged tips, no drippy messes and no foul paint odors. Bonus – They’re affordable and the paint dries quickly!
After the paint has dried you need to seal-in the design by brushing on 1-2 light coats of Mod Podge Clear Sealer with a glossy finish. I like to apply it using a foam brush…but you can use a regular paint brush. Make sure you wash out your brushes thoroughly with soap and water after you’re done. The Mod Podge goes on white but dries crystal clear. That’s it, you’re done.
Optional: You can take a black SHARPIE marker and write messages or dates on the back side of the clam shells seashells if desired.