The July 4th holiday is just around the corner. This year we’re hosting a little backyard barbecue and pool party for several family and friends. I needed to set the atmosphere for the party so I got busy painting a dozen of these adorable Patriotic themed seashells. The designs were all painted onto clam shells that I collected from the beach. The smaller seashells will be used as table-top decorations with the larger seashells placed around the swimming pool area.

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Wash and dry all clam shells using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Soak them in the soapy water for 30 minutes and then rinse with clean water. If needed, use a Mr Clean Eraser to remove any icky debris. Lay them out on a clean cotton towel to air dry overnight.

Base coat each clam shell with 2 coats of acrylic craft paint in your desired color. You can refer to our photograph for some design ideas. NONE of these ideas required a template or pattern. Let the base coat fully dry before decorating.

Keep things simple! We used BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers which have dual ended tips. There’s a medium tip for coloring in the larger areas and a fine tip for writing words or for outlining. These paint markers are fantastic! Require no priming, no drippy leaks, no foul paint odors and the paint dries quickly. Do all of your design work using paint pen markers or if you’re really talented you can certainly use a brush and paint. Let everything dry until the paint is no longer tacky.

Take the painted seashells outside. Spray them with 1-2 light coats of a Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer allowing for 1 hour of drying time between the 2 coats. If you don’t want to mess with that….you can simply brush-on 2 coats of Clear Glossy Mod Podge Sealer allowing for 30 minutes of drying time between coats. It dries clear and gives a nice shiny finish to the seashells. Let dry.

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Looking for a beautiful door stop for your coastal beach style home? If so, my craft project today is perfect for you! You can complete this project in one afternoon. You can leave the Whelk shell naturally or paint and decorate it to your heart’s content. I have 3 of them throughout my coastal home and have given several others as gifts.

When using them…just stick the narrow end (or the tail shaped end) underneath the door to hold it open. The seashell is weighty enough to keep it in place. These shells look 100% prettier than a block of wood, rock or other unattractive thing!

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You’ll need several Whelk Shells collected from the beach. Please…ONLY take vacant seashells! Don’t kill animals to just obtain the shells. If it’s inhabited please put it back. I like to use Whelk Shells measuring at least 5″ in lenth. Wash the shell with warm soapy water. I like to use Dawn Liquid Dishwashing Soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Soak the shell in the soapy water for 30-60 minutes and then rinse clean. Air dry.

The Natural Look – If you want to keep the natural look of the shell just take it outside and spray it with 2 coats of a Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer. This will help to protect the shell and give it a nice shine. It also helps to bring out the natural colors.

Painted & Decorated Look – You can paint them any color that you would like. I painted the one shown in the photograph with a light metallic blue color. Metallic paints take a little longer to dry compared to an acrylic paint. The shell was given 2 coats of paint with 1 hour of drying time between coats.

Take the painted shell outside and spray with 2 coats of a Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer. Let dry until it’s no longer tacky. Takes about an hour or less if it’s a hot sunny day.

When adding decorations like buttons, rhinestones, beads, charms, mini seashells, faux pearls, etc. I don’t recommend that you use hot glue. They tend to fall off rather quickly. Instead….I recommend that you use Gorilla Glue with a fine tip nozzle. You only need a “tad” of glue and you’ll get a very strong bond. Let it dry overnight. I used half faux pearls on the one in the photograph and attached them with Gorilla Glue.

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