These hand-painted red crab clam shells would make a great decoration during a backyard barbecue, pool party or if you live near the beach…paint them up and add them to your garden for a pop of color. Each one was made using a 4″ to 5″ wide clam shell and then a smaller clam shell for the red crab. You can make several of them in just one weekend!

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3″ to 4″ wide Clam Shells
1″ wide Clam Shells
Red, Blue, White and Black Acrylic Craft Paint
Paint Brushes, Water Dish, Paper Towels
Mod Podge Clear Sealer with Glossy Finish
Gorilla Glue
Pencil

Base coat each clam shell with 2 coats of blue acrylic craft paint allowing for 40-50 minutes of drying time between coats. While they’re drying…pain the smaller clam shells with 2 coats of red acrylic craft paint.

The best glue for attaching seashells to one another is Gorilla Glue. You don’t want to use regular craft glue or hot glue! Squirt Gorilla Glue around the outer edges of each red clam shell to attach it to the large blue shell. You should only have to hold it in place for about a minute. Set them aside for 1 hour to let them firmly set-up.

Use a pencil to lightly sketch-on the 6 legs (3 on each side), 2 claws (1 on each side) and his eyes. Use red acrylic craft paint and a detailer brush to paint the legs, claws and eyes on. Let dry for about 35 minutes. Dip the end of the paint brush into white craft paint. Dot on each of the eyes. Let dry for 15 minutes. Dip the end of a wooden toothpick into black paint and dot on the pupils to his eyes.

If you want to add a border…you can keep it simple by dotting on white polka dots. You can write any message that you want onto the shell. I wrote I’m Crabby” to keep things easy. Let dry for 1-2 hours.

You need to protect the paint by brushing on 1-2 light coats of Mod Podge Clear Sealer with a Glossy Finish. It comes in Matte Finish if you prefer that. As it dries…it will dry clear.

A few years ago I jumped onto the Diamond Art Painting crafting craze as soon as those kits hit the retail marketplace. When they first came out you found gorgeous designs that you needed to frame to hang onto your wall. They were available in a wide variety of sizes and designs from Country Farm to relaxing Beach Scenes. Fast forward a few years…to now.

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These days you can find all kinds of different Diamond Art Painting Craft Kits to make gorgeous wall art, key chains, refrigerator magnets, suncatchers, plant picks, party favors, serving trays, beverage coasters, greeting cards and so much more! If you really want to find a large selection of different craft kits that are available…check out Amazon.

During the months of October and November I worked on these adorable Christmas and holiday greeting cards that I mailed out to family and friends. All were made by using the supplies that came in a Diamond Art Painting Greeting Card Kit. You can find holiday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Birthday and all occassion cardmaking kits! Again, check out this link on Amazon to see what’s available.

This crafting craze is really easy to do! Plus, once you purchase a kit…you really don’t need to buy anything else. You can make simple projects or get really elaborate by doing a large wall art piece. I’ve done about a dozen projects over the past year and just love them. This hobby is fun and relaxing, a great way to de-stress after a long day.

This snowman greeting card turned out beautifully. It took me just one evening to make (while watching TV). Inside the card has a meaningful holiday saying. Those who received the cards from me raved and raved about them. They’re keeping them to put out as holiday decor next year. Yay! In other words, they were a hit! I’ll be making more throughout the year.

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