America will be celebrating it’s 250th anniversary this year. There will be all kinds of festivals, parties, fireworks displays, etc. going on to celebrate the occasion. We will be hosting a backyard bbq and a pool party for some family and friends. I decided to paint 2 dozen seashells in a patriotic design to celebrate the occasion. Let’s face it…the United States of America only celebrates it’s 250th anniversary one time!
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All 3 of these designs were hand painted onto medium sized clam shells seashells that I collected from the beach. Wash them in warm, soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dishwashing Soap. Dawn does the BEST job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Let them air dry overnight.
I base coated the clam shells with white acrylic craft paint and a paint brush. This base coat will help the colors that are applied on top to be more vivid! Let the base coat dry until it’s no longer tacky.
To keep the design work easy….I sketched onto the shells using a pencil the design that I wanted. SIMPLE designs. You don’t need patterns or templates! You can paint the design by using a paint brush and acrylic craft paints. I decided I wanted things to be quicker and easier. I’m no professional artist!
I used a pack of BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers with dual-ended tips that I purchased from Amazon. These paint markers don’t require priming, no leaky/dripping messes, no foul paint odors and they dry fairly quickly. I used the medium tip for the larger areas that needed colored-in and the fine tip to do the wordage and outlining. You can easily make my designs on your own seashells or use the designs to inspire your own creativity!
Once the shells are dry you need to finish them up by brushing-on 1-2 light coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer. It goes on white, ut dries crystal clear. I like using the one with a glossy finish. This will seal the paint to help protect it from cracking and chips. Plus, it gives the seashells a nice shine!
You can use the painted seashells as home decor, garden yard art, as table decor when hosting a party or barbecue, etc. I’ll be giving them to the guests who attend our barbecue pool party in July to celebrate America’s Anniversary. Table decor turned into a handmade souvenir of the occasion.
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