You typically wouldn’t think of seashells being part of your Christmas and holiday decorating decor. However, there are millions of people around the world who decorate in a coastal & beach theme who love decorating with them during the holidays. That would include ME!!!

Over the past 5-6 years I’ve shared hundreds of different craft projects on the blog that use seashells and today…I’m going to show you a fun design that my 15 year old granddaughter made for me. It’s really easy-to-make! A great little project for the kids.

The design is painted on a large 5″ wide clam seashell that we collected from the beach. You’ll want to wash them in warm, soapy water (we like using Dawn dish soap), rinse and let them thoroughly air dry. All of the salt, fishy smells and sand needs to be removed before using them.

You can base coat the clam shell with whatever color that you would like. She used a dark pinky coral color. You’ll need 2-3 coats of paint, allowing 30 minutes of drying time between each coat.

For the Christmas tree she made a simple green triangle using 2 coats of paint. For the trunk she made a brown rectangle shape. Let your tree thoroughly dry. She used bottled acrylic paints and a paint brush.

To decorate the tree she used acrylic paint markers that I purchased from Amazon. She added simple polka dots to the tree to resemble the holiday lights. A yellow paint pen for the star shaped tree topper finished off the tree. You could definitely get more elaborate by adding ornaments and a garland.  To finish up the design on the seashell she used a teal green paint marker to make dots that run around the perimeter of the shell.

On the under-side of the seashell she signed it and dated it which was a nice tough, especially if you’re gifting them.

To protect the painted surface you want to take them outside and spray them with 2 coats of clear acrylic spray sealer. We used one that gives it a glossy finish. A really nice shine!!!

* 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!

Snails, Owls and Birds…oh my! These 3 cuties are easy-to-make with no pattern needed. Once you make them you can use them as paper weights on a desk, colorful yard art in your garden, as party favors or little home decor pieces around the house. Great to give as gifts too! Don’t have access to clam shells? The designs can be painted on smooth river stones and tiles too!

** Post contains affiliate links.

If you enjoy painting on seashells or crafting with seashells…you’ll find over 150+ seashell craft projects right here on the Two Classy Chics blog! We will be sharing more seashell craft projects in the future too!

I used 4″ to 5″ wide clam shells seashells collected from the beach. Wash them in warm water using Dawn Liquid Dish soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, dirt, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water. Air dry overnight.

Base coat the seashells in your desired background color using 2 coats of acrylic craft paint. Allow for 30-40 minutes of drying time between coats. I speed up the drying time by using a desk fan…blowing air across the shells as they’re drying. Cuts that drying time in half!

No pattern or template was used. I used a pencil to lightly sketch each design onto the painted clam shell. They’re simple shapes, nothing elaborate here! You can make the designs as fancy as you like but personally, I like them simple.

BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers – These markers contain acrylic paint (not kiddie paint) and have dual-tip ends. No priming, leaking, clogging or foul paint odors. I used the paint markers to color in the designs, write wordage and to do all outlining. These paint markers are my favorite…plus…they dry quick!!! Let all of the paint dry until it’s no longer tacky.

Protect the painted design by brushing on 1-2 light coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer. I like using one with a glossy finish, but it comes in a matte fishish too. I like brushing it on with a foam brush. You’ll want to brush it onto both sides of the clam shell. Use 2 coats if you’re going to be placing the shells outside. If you’re going to keep them inside then 1 coat of Mod Podge will be sufficient.

Tip: Use the Dawn Liquid Dish Soap to wash out all paint brushes. It does a great job at brush cleaning too!

* 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!