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Love coffee or know someone that does? If so, check out these adorable coffee themed hand-painted seashells! They would make the cutest paper weights, garden decorations, trinket dishes or just use as a little decor piece on your desk. All of the designs are easy-to-make …
I’ve been painting on clam shells and various type’s of seashells for over 20 years. It’s a hobby that is inexpensive, allows me to be creative and helps to relax me. If you’ve never tried pianting or decorating on larger seashells…give it a try. You’ll …
While on summer vacation I walked them beach and collected a lot of seashells. I like to decorate my home in a beach & coastal theme and seashells are a must-have in my craft projects. I use all kinds…from itty bitty ones to large conch shell sizes! Over the years I’ve collected thousands of them with many in my personal shell collection.
Today’s arts and crafts project is an easy one…especially if you don’t have any artistic painting skills. You’ll need just a handful of supplies to make them.
4″ to 5″ wide clam shells (the base)
mini seashells (various types)
Acrylic Craft Paint
Paint Brush, Water Dish, Paper Towel
Gorilla Glue
Fine Gold Metallic Glitter
Clear Mod Podge Sealer with Glossy Finish
Note: The little shells that you add on top of the base can be painted beautiful colors or just leave them natural.
The large clam shell needs to be painted to look like the beach. A small section should be painted a light beige sand color, then the larger section in your choice of blue. Let those two colors dry. Once they’re dry you want to go back and add the white to represent the edge of the water. Let dry.
While the paint is drying arrange the smaller shells in a pattern that you like. I like using 1 larger shell then 3-5 mini shells (like what you see in the photograph). I like the shells clustered together but you can do whatever pattern or arrangement that you like.
You’ll want to use Gorilla Glue to attach them to the clam shell. Don’t use HOT GLUE or CRAFT GLUE as they won’t hold for the long-term! I highly recommend using Gorilla Glue. It will take 2-3 hours for the Gorilla Glue to firmly set up.
Dip a paint brush into the Clear Mod Podge Sealer. Brush a generous amount of Mod Podge across the “sandy” area of the beach. Sprinkle fine gold metallic glitter onto the wet Mod Podge. Then brush the rest of the clam shell with Mod Podge to seal in the paint. As the sealer dries…it will dry crystal clear. If you’re going to be displaying them outside…I recommend 2 coats from and back to protect the shell.
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Looking for an inexpensive arts and crafts project to do this weekend? If so, we got an easy one for you today! You’ll need to recycle a few glass jars to make this project. You can use all kinds of different glass condiment jars that …
My little nephew turned 3 years old last month and I was asked to whip up some party favors for his big birthday party! Almost all of the kids in attendance would be preschool-aged. After giving it some thought…I decided to paint large clam shells …
A friend of mine lost her beloved dog a few weeks ago after a long illness. Luna had been a part of her life for over a decade. To help her with the grieving process I painted two dog memorial clam shells for her to put out in the yard by Luna’s favorite tree in their backyard. These painted shells make the perfect memorial garden and yard art.
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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!
To get started…I used 4″ to 5″ wide large clam shells seashells that I collected from the beach. The seashells were soaked in warmy soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water and then air dry overnight.
Base coat the large clam shells with 2 coats of white acrylic paint allowing for 30 minutes of drying time between coats. Let the final coat dry for 2-3 hours before you move onto the decorating part.
Keep things simple and easy! I used a set of BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers to write the wordage and to add the design work. These acrylic paint markers have dual tips (fine and medium tips), requiring no priming, no drippy messes and no foul odors. Really easy to use plus they dry quickly!!!
You can use my photograph to help guide you in your own design. No template or pattern is needed. All of it was done free-hand and I think they turned out beautifully. Let all of the paint dry for a few hours or until it’s no longer tacky.
Seal the seashells by applying 2 coats of Glossy Mod Podge to each side of the clam shell. Allow for 40-50 minutes of drying time between coats. The Mod Podge will dry crystal clear. It provides a protective coating to the painted finish and allows you to display the painted seashells outside.
* 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!
Last month my daughter threw an ice cream party at her home. She had 6 different flavors of ice cream available, a dozen toppings, waffle cones, sugar cones, whipped cream and various fresh fruits. Guests could make their own ice cream cones, sundaes, milk shakes …
The beloved characters from Peanuts have been some of my favorites since I was a young child. I remember watching the Peanuts gang holiday specials on TV and every Sunday morning I looked forward to the Peanuts comic strip in the Sunday newspaper. I used …