When I walk through a home decor store I see tons of products that are in a trendy bubble bee theme. I’ve see dishes, wall art, kitchen linens, wall clocks, figurines and all sorts of different things. Bees have an important part to play in our ecosystem. Even though I’m highly allergic to them, I respect them and the job that they do.

These hand-painted Bumble Bee Seashells are easy-to-make. The design was painted onto large 4″ and 5″ wide clam shells that were picked up from a local beach. Washed and dried. Because of their size…they make great garden and yard art. Don’t have a garden? They would look pretty used as a paper weight on a desk, sitting on a table-top or just displayed on a shelf.

Getting Started: Base coat your seashells with 2 coats of a light blue acrylic craft paint. Allow for 30 minutes of drying time between coats.

Adding the Design: To make the design you want to use a pencil and draw on a large…chubby peanut shape. Use yellow acrylic paint and fill in the entire peanut shape which is the bumble bee’s head and body. You may need 2 coats of paint. Let dry. Using black paint add the striping details as shown in the photograph along with the little legs and antannae. Once dry add the white wings and the little dots at the end of the antannae. To add interest to the background we added purple polka dots and pink flowers. Let everything fully dry.

If you don’t want to use traditional craft paint and a brush to do the design you can certainly use Acrylic Paint Markers that I like to purchase from Amazon. They’re inexpensive and make no mess! Plus, cuts the drying time down by 75%.

Finishing Up: Take seashells outside. Spray them with 1-2 coats of a clear acrylic spray sealer. You want to spray BOTH sides of the shell. This will protect the painted surface and help to preserve the shell from the weather. Let dry overnight.

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We love crafting with seashells. You can walk just about any beach on the east coast, west coast and along the Gulf and find them. Shell collecting is a hobby that I enjoy with over 300+ seashells in my collection. The ones that don’t make it into my collection are used for various arts and craft projects. Love to paint on shells? You’ll find 100+ painted seashell designs on the TwoClassyChics blog!

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Last weekend I sat down with a friend for craft time. We decided to paint some large clam shells. We used ones that measure 4″ to 5″ wide. You always want to start by washing your shells in warm, soapy water. I like to use Dawn Liquid Dish Soap to remove the sand, debris and fishy odors. Air dry out in the sunshine.

You’ll need just a few supplies: acrylic craft paints, paint brushes, clam shells and Modge Podge.

Base coat all shells in your desired color. We used 2 coats of acrylic craft paint with 30 minutes of drying time between coats. You can paint the design inside or on the outside of the shell. (or both).

Not artistic? You can cut out pictures from old calendars, use paper napkins, gift wrapping paper, photos from old books and magazines, travel brochures, paper maps, wall calendars, etc. Cut out the desired image with scissors. You can decoupage the image directly onto the shell using Modge Podge.

How to use Modge Podge: After the paint has dried cover the shell with Modge Podge. Place the image on top of the wet adhesive. Make sure it lays flat…smooth out any wrinkles or bubbles. Layer another coat of Modge Podge on top to seal down the image and the paint. Let dry until no longer tacky.

Using acrylic craft paint you can make any design that your heart desires. Keep it simple or if you’re artistic you can get really elaborate. Acrylic Paint Pens are awesome for the detail work, outlining and adding wordage onto your shells. After painting…you need to protect the painted surface with a layer of Modge Podge or Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer.

* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!