Tag: craft projects

Hand Painted Faux Patchwork Quilted Whelk Shells Conch Seashells

Hand Painted Faux Patchwork Quilted Whelk Shells Conch Seashells

Last month I decided to try something a little bit different when it comes to hand painting seashells. I decided to do a patchwork quilt design on the outside of a large knobby whelk shell. Some people incorrectly call them Conch seashells, but they’re really 

5 Hand Painted Kitty Cat Designs on Clam Shells Seashells

5 Hand Painted Kitty Cat Designs on Clam Shells Seashells

Love cats? Got a kitty fur baby in your family? Check out this collection of 5 hand painted kitty cat designs! All of them have been painted onto medium and large clam shells that were collected from the beach. All of them are great for 

Easter Bunny Painted Clam Shells Seashells

Easter Bunny Painted Clam Shells Seashells

These hand painted Easter bunny themed clam shells seashells are adorable! They would look cute sitting on your dinner table as pace settings (name cards), sprinkled in a tablescape or just used as little home decor accents. You can let each guest take one home after dinner which makes for a nice momento. You can paint several of them in just weekend, no artistic skills needed.

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Easter Bunny Painted Clam Shells Seashells

We painted the designs on 3″ to 4 1/2″ wide clam shells collected from the beach. Wash them in warm, soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Dawn is fabulous for removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water and air dry overnight. If they need a little extra scrubbing use a Mr Clean Eraser. Don’t use metal scouring pads which will scratch up the seashells.

To get started you need to base coat each shell with 2 coats of acrylic craft paint with 30 minutes of drying time between coats. Two of them have a white base coat and one has a magenta base coat. Let dry.

Use a pencil and sketch on the design. As you can see…simple shapes put together make the design. It doesn’t need to look perfect.

Keep things easy! We used BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers with dual ended tips. One end has a medium tip and the other end has a fine tip. The medium tip is great for coloring in the image while the fine tip is great for facial features, outlining and wordage. BETEM paint markers require no priming, don’t leak, no dripping and they dry fast! Acrylic Paint Markers are different than children’s markers…they contain acrylic paint but give you awesome control…no brush needed. Let dry.

Finishing up – You need to seal the paint which can be done one of two different ways:

1. Spray 1-2 light coats of a Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer on both sides of the shell. Allow for 45 minutes of drying time between coats.

2. Brush-on 1-2 coats of Glossy Clear Mod Podge Sealer on both sides of the shell. Allow for 45-60 minutes of drying time between coats. (we used Mod Podge).

Sealing the seashells protects the painted finish from easily chipping, peeling, cracking, the colors from fading, etc. They can be displayed indoors or outdoors. Highly recommend that you seal the paint using 1 of the 2 methods above.

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Shelly's Signature

Dog Lover Hand Painted Clam Shell Seashell Designs

Dog Lover Hand Painted Clam Shell Seashell Designs

Are you a dog lover or know someone who is? Work with a rescue group or need a little gift for a vet or vet tech in your life? If you answered YES to any of those questions…we’ve got the perfect art and crafts project 

Zentangle Designs Painted on Oyster Shells Seashells

Zentangle Designs Painted on Oyster Shells Seashells

Oyster shells are something that I often pick-up when I’m walking the beach. If you don’t live near a beach…you can often obtain oyster shells from local seafood restaurants and fish markets. When working with them…try to get ones that are a minimum of 3″ 

Sun and Moon Designs Hand Painted Clam Shells Seashells

Sun and Moon Designs Hand Painted Clam Shells Seashells

Celestial Moon and Stars Painted Clam Shell SeashellsLove celestial symbols? If so, you’ll love these hand-painted Sun and Moon designs clam shells seashells. These designs are easy to make and don’t require any templates or patterns. You’ll need 3″ to 5″ wide clam shells, acrylic craft paint, paint brush, Mod Podge Sealer and metallic star shaped confetti to make them. You can paint several of them in one weekend!

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These designs were made for an upcoming teenager’s birthday party as party favors and table-top decorations. 10 in total were painted onto 4-5″ wide clam shells. You can certainly use smaller ones if desired.

Moon Design – Base coat the clam shell with 2 coats of black acrylic craft paint. Allow for 40 minutes of drying time between coats. Next it’s time to add the bright yellow quarter moon shape along the pointy edge of the clam shell. Use the photograph for referance. I had to use 2 coats of yellow paint. Let dry.

Next…time to add the facial features. To make the indents around the nose and mouth you’ll want to use a fine liner paint brush and black acrylic craft paint. Let dry.

Brush-on a coat of Clear Glossy Mod Podge Sealer over the entire painted surface of the seashell. While the Mod Podge is still very wet…place metallic glitter stars into it. I used gold metallic star-shaped confetti. Let everything dry for 2-3 hours.

Hand Painted Night Day Sunshine Seashell Clam Shell Designs

Sun and Moon Design – Base coat the clam shell in your 2 desired colors. For the one shown in the photograph I used a country blue and a lavendar color. You may need to use 2 coats of paint to get the desired coverage with 30-40 minutes of drying time between coats.

Use a pencil to lightly draw a circle in the center of the seashell. Then the triangular-shaped sun rays. Sketch the middle facial area to separate the moon/sun faces. You can use similar paint colors that I used or come up with your own color combinations. Paint the moon and sun. Let dry. Once dry you want to use black to dot around the edges and for the facial features. For the dotting I used the end of a round wooden toothpick dipped into acrylic craft paint. Same for the border running around the edge of the clam shell. Let dry.

Brush-on a coat of Clear Glossy Mod Podge Sealer over the entire painted surface of the clam shell. If you want to display it outside…I recommend adding two coats of the sealer on the front and back of the seashell. Let dry.

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Shelly's Signature

9 Zentangle Hand Painted Large Seashells and Rock Designs

9 Zentangle Hand Painted Large Seashells and Rock Designs

Have you heard of the art form called Zentangle? Last year I heard about it for the first time and decided to give it a try. You can find all kinds of beginner’s information, lessons, resources, classes, etc. online by visiting this Zentangle website. Zentangle 

Hand Painted Elephant Clam Shell Seashell Party Favors

Hand Painted Elephant Clam Shell Seashell Party Favors

A friend of mine hosted a Zoo themed birthday party for her 8 year old son. She asked me to come up with some unique party favors and table decor to go along with her Zoo animal theme. Well, I got busy and this Elephant