Love dogs or know someone who does? Looking for something handcrafted and unique to give to that dog lover in your life? These hand painted clam shells seashells make the perfect gift for anyone on your list! They can be used a decorative art accents in the home, as a paper weight on a desk or place them outside in your garden as yard art. All 4 designs are easy to make and require no artistic skills!

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You’ll need to collect 4 large clam shells from the beach. We used 4″ to 5″ wide clam seashells. Wash them with Dawn Liquid Dish Soap (let soak in the soapy water for 30 minutes) and then rinse clean. Let air dry. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing debris, sand and fishy odors.

Base coat the clam shells in the desired color. You can copy our designs or add your own unique twist. We used 2 coats of acrylic paint for the background allowing for 30 minutes of drying time between coats.

Now it’s time to decorate them! I recommend that use you Acrylic Paint Markers. My preferred inexpensive brand is BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers. They require no priming, no drippy messes and no foul odors! Plus, the acrylic paint dries quickly which is always an added bonus!!! Don’t use children’s markers which run and bleed!

Dog Sayings We Used:

My Windows Aren’t Dirty that is Nose Art
This Home is Full of Wags and Wiggles
Love has Four Paws
Live Love Bark

Use the acrylic paint markers to add the wordage first. Then add the decorations around the words. You can add hearts, paw prints, bones, etc. Decorate them however you like. My photos will give you some great guidance. Let all of the paint dry overnight.

To protect the painted surface you need to brush on 1-2 coats of clear Mod Podge Sealer. I used one that has a glossy finish which I really like the shine that it adds to the shells. This will help to protect the painted finish. You can display them inside or outside once you’ve sealed them (seal both sides of the seashell if displaying them outside). Let dry overnight.

Love painting clam shells or crafting with seashells? We have over 100 seashell arts and craft projects on the TCC blog. Check them all out while you’re here!

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The Monacrch butterfly is one of the most colorful butterflies in North America. Traditionally they’re known for their vivid orange color with black and white markings. Their average lifespan in the wild is 6-8 months, so they don’t live long. They’re known for migrating and traveling long distances.

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In honor of the beautiful Monarch Butterfly I decided to paint one onto 4″ and 5″ wide clam shells seashells to add to my garden yard art. They add a pretty pop of color in my flower garden. Surprisingly, the design was a lot easier to make than what I thought it would be!

First things first. You need to base coat your 4″ and 5″ wide clam shells with 2 coats of white acrylic craft paint. Allow for 30-45 minutes of drying time between coats.

Do an image search through Google to find a simple Monarch Butterfly shape that you like. I resized the one that I found and printed it out. Used scissors to cut out the shape from the printer paper and now I had a template! I used a pencil to trace around the shape onto the seashell.

Color in the image using an orange acrylic paint pen marker. I like using BETEM Acrylic Paint Pen Markers. They come with dual tips (a medium tip and a fine tip) and in beautiful colors. No priming is needed, no drippy messes and no foul paint odors. Plus, they dry quickly! After the orange color has dried…use the fine tip on the black acrylic paint marker to do the body, wings and all of the outlining. If you want to add wordage, do that now. After the black has dried you want to use the fine tip on the white paint pen marker to add the tiny white dots. Let dry for 2-3 hours.

To finish up you need to seal the paint. I like to use the Clear Glossy Mod Podge. I brush 2 coats on both sides of the seashell allowing for 45 minutes of drying time between coats. If you want to add a little extra-fine sparkly glitter (like I did) you want to sprinkle that onto the Mod Podge while it’s still very wet. Let dry for several hours.

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