During the holiday and Christmas season I decorate our home in a coastal cottage beach-style. Every year I look forward to putting up our Christmas tree and hanging 300+ coastal style ornaments on it. Our front and back doors have beach themed wreaths and all kinds of other holiday decor is in the coastal cottage style too…including my holiday table linens!
** This post may contain affiliate links.
Last month I sat down and painted these 3 snowman clam shells seashells in a winter and/or holiday theme. They don’t scream Christmas…because I want to leave them out throughout the winter season. All are easy-to-make with no patterns or templates needed. You don’t have to have any artistic skills…simple designs that anyone can do.
Wash the clam shells in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Dawn does a great job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water. Let them air dry overnight.
Base coat all seashells with 1 coat of white acrylic craft paint. Why base coat? When you apply colors on top…the colors will be more vivid! Let the base coat of paint dry for 1-2 hours or until it’s no longer tacky.
Refer to the photographs to add a second base coat in your desired color. I used red on one, blue on another and added a second coat of white to the third. Let the paint thoroughly dry.
Use a pencil to lightly sketch-on your desired design. As you can see, I kept things super simple. You can do more elaborate designs if you have artistic talent. I don’t, so my designs are great for beginners.
To keep all of the design work simple I used a pack of BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers that I purchased from Amazon. They have dual-ended tips (one medium and one fine). Use the medium tip to color-in the larger areas. Use the fine tip to do outlining, wordage and facial features. These paint markers are fantastic! They don’t require any priming, no clogged tips, no drippy messes and no foul paint odors. Plus, they dry fast!!! Let them thoroughly dry.
You need to seal the painted design by brushing-on 1-2 light coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer. I like to use the one that gives everything a glossy finish. If you want to add some sparkles…sprinkle on fine-grade glitter while the sealer is still wet. It goes on white but will dry crystal clear. Let them dry overnight. That’s it…you’re done!
Do you enjoy painting on seashells? Enjoy crafting with seashells, sea glass, driftwood and other beachy finds? Check out our blog for 300+ coastal and beach crafts designs!