Classy and Opinionated Lifestyle Mom Blog
This year I’m going to be adding a handmade Christmas ornament to all of the gifts that I give out. They’ll be attached to the outside of the gift bag or gift box. For my family and friends who love the beach and coastal life, …
These adorable Thanksgiving Turkeys were hand-painted onto Scallop Shells aka Seashells using Acrylic Paint Markers! The design can be painted on the inside or the outside of the shell (we’ve shown it both ways). A great arts and craft project for older kids, adults and …
These hand painted dragonfly, caterpillar and butterfly clam shells are easy-to-make! You don’t have to be a professional artist to make them. All of the designs shown in my photograph were hand drawn, no pattern or template needed. However, if you feel you need a template do a Google image search for a dragonfly and butterfly. Find one that you like, resize it, print it out and there ya go…a ready-made template.
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You’ll need 3″ to 5″ wide clam shells collected from the beach. Wash them in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Rinse with clean water, air dry overnight.
Base coat the clam seashells in your desired color. I used 2 coats of paint with 30-40 minutes of drying time between coats. Use a pencil to lightly sketch the design onto the seashell. They don’t need to look perfect!!! Imperfection is beautiful too!
I used BETEM Acrylic Paint Pen Markers to color in the designs. They contain acrylic paint and have dual-ended tips. A medium and fine tip. There’s no priming, leaks, drips or foul paint odors, plus they dry quickly! The medium tip is great for coloring in areas while the fine tip is great for outlining and writing wordage. They’re easy-to-use and affordable. I buy them from Amazon.
Always start coloring in the larger areas first. Then the smaller areas. Add the details like dots, lines, etc. on the top. Then outline the image in black using the fine tip. If you want to add wordage, use the fine tip for a nice crisp design. I also recommend using contrasting colors that POP off the background color of the seashell. Let all of the paint dry until it’s no longer tacky.
Seal the painted surface using 1-2 light coats of Clear Glossy Mod Podge Sealer. I allow 30-45 minutes of drying time between coats. This will help to protect the painted finish. Plus, you can display them inside or outside of the home. They’re great designs to be displayed in your garden and add a nice pop of color!
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For the past 7 years I’ve been sharing hundreds of easy-to-make arts and craft projects on the Two Classy Chics blog. All of the projects that we share are easy and affordable. We believe that crafting shouldn’t cost a fortune! Today, I’m sharing 8 decoupage …
These handcrafted strawberry ornaments are made out of felt. They can be used as package tie-ons, hung on the Christmas tree, or hung from a peg knob in your home. If you decorate in a country or primitive style you could make several of them …
We do a lot of traveling and tend to buy new luggage every 4-5 years. If you’ve ever shopped for luggage, you know it’s not cheap! You can buy $100 to $1,000 for just one piece depending on the brand that you buy. Yes, that’s for one piece! Add-on the additional pieces that you need to form a set and you can be spending an entire paycheck or more for it.
When is the best time to buy? Well…I’ve personally found that “off peak” travel season is the best time. Around here…that would be October through February. However, you can find deals on it year-round if you spend the time looking!
Don’t buy just on the brand or appearance. Just because something is a NAME BRAND or pretty to look at doesn’t mean it’s better! Take the time to look up reviews on line and see what others are saying about a particular brand or model that you’re interested in. Price doesn’t always mean quality either! I once paid $750 for a 3-piece set of luggage that only lasted us 2 years…and that was pushing it!
To save money I like to look for the previous year’s models and discontinued luggage sets. If though they’re discontinued…the majority of them still come with a warranty. The set we just purchased has a 5-year warranty and was discontinued from the previous year. Keep all receipts, tags and paperwork that comes with it just in case you need to use that warranty that came along with it.
Bigger doesn’t always mean better! We avoid the larger 30″ pieces which tend to be heavy and can cost more when checking baggage for a flight. On top of that…they swallow up most of the available space in your trunk if you’re taking a road trip. In my honest opinion…go for medium-sized luggage pieces.
You can mix-n-match single pieces if you prefer a specific size. We purchased our newest luggage in single pieces instead of a set. Why? Because we didn’t want the large 30″ piece and we found that by buying 2 individual pieces in the size that we did want was cheaper than purchasing a matching 2-piece or 3-piece set. Our 2 pieces coordinate nicely together, so they don’t look mis-matched.
Take a look at single piece floor models if available. The 2-pieces you see in my photograph were floor models. Nothing wrong with them at all. Each one had a retail price of $159.99. We purchased each one for $45.99 because they were single pieces, discontinued design and floor models. We got 2 pieces that coordinate together for less than the price of 1 large piece!!!
If you’re getting married, graduating, celebrating an anniversary, birthday or a Christmas holiday…don’t be afraid to ask for new luggage as a gift or to give it as a gift! It’s always a gift that is well received and appreciated.
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This year I’m hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my home. I’m expecting 10 adults and 3 children for our holiday dinner. I’m making painted clam shells seashells table decorations, place card settings and party favors. I’m making enough for each guest to take 2 home with …
While on vacation we took the time to visit the new North Wildwood Shell Garden in New Jersey. You’ll find it located right on the beach off of 20th street. Once you’re at the boardwalk…look for the big flagpole on the beach. You’ll find the …