United States of America is celebrating a big birthday anniversary on July 4th. From 1776 to 2026 as a nation we’re celebrating our 250th anniversary. The entire country has been buzzing with excitement with thousands of events and festivities planned across the nation. From small town America to the urban big cities…there’s going to be festivities for citizens to go out and enjoy.
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Last week I made several America 250 Patriotic design seashells to place around our pool area. We’ll be hosting a backyard barbecue and pool party July 4th weekend. I’m using them as party decor and guests are welcome to take one home with them as a souvenir. They were really easy-to-make and don’t require a lot of arts and crafts supplies. If you don’t have access to clam shells, you can certainly paint the designs on smooth river rocks.
First things first. Wash the seashells in warm soapy water. I like to use Dawn Powerwash Liquid Dish Spray. It does a great job at removing dirt, sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water. Lay them out to air dry overnight.
Base coat the clam shells with 1-2 coats of acrylic craft paint in your desired colors. I painted most of them with a white background and a few with a silver metallic background. Let the paint dry until it’s no longer tacky.
Use a pencil to lightly sketch your design onto the clam shell. You can just write wordage or get fancy by adding stars, stripes, flags and other designs. I kept things simple and clean looking with my designs.
To do all of the design work I used a pack of BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers that I purchased from Amazon. They’re dual-ended paint markers (medium tip and a fine tip), don’t requiring priming, no clogged-up tips and no drippy paint messes. PLUS…no foul paint odors!!! Use the medium tip to color-in larger areas and the fine tip to outline and add intricate details. Let them dry until the paint is no longer tacky.
Finishing up. You need to brush-on 1-2 light coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer. I like using the one with a glossy finish. It goes on white but will dry crystal clear. It will protect the painted surface allowing you to display them outside in weather conditions. I always seal my painted rocks and shells no matter where I’m displaying them. It’s the best way to keep them looking nice for years to come.
Do you enjoy painting kindness rocks and seashells? We have over 350 designs published right here on the TCC blog that you can look at while you’re here!
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