Every time we go down to the beach I spend hours, upon hours walking the beach and collecting seashells, driftwood, sea glass and other found treasures that wash up onto the shore. I have boxes upon boxes of treasures that I’ve collected over the years and many of them I use to decorate my home, use in various craft projects or give them away as gifts.

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Over the past 18 months I’ve shared many of my hand painted seashells and clam shell designs here on the TwoClassyChics blog. They are some of our most viewed posts and we got a LOT of re-pins over on Twitter too. Let’s just say…they’ve been popular! So, today I’m back again with 2 more quick and easy designs that are great for newbie crafters.

Design Template: Do a search through google for a Dolphin Template or Starfish Template. Tons of different designs will pop-up. Decide on the design that you want to use. Enlarge it or shrink it to fit onto your seashells and then print it out. Use scissors to cut out your paper template and you’re ready to go.

Craft Project: Painted Dolphin Seashell

Large Clam Shell
Metallic Turquoise Acrylic Paint
Metallic Silver Acrylic Paint
Medium-Tip Black Sharpie Marker
Paint Brush, Water Dish, Paper Towel
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer – Glossy Finish
Paper Template (see above) and pencil

Our clam shells measure 5″ to 7″ in width. You’ll want to wash and air dry all seashells at least 2 days before starting this project. Make sure they are thoroughly dry before painting them!

Base coat your clam shell with 2 coats of turquoise colored acrylic paint. Let each coat dry for about 20 minutes before adding the second coat. Place your paper template down onto the front of the seashell and trace around it lightly with a pencil. Using silver metallic acrylic paint, paint the design, staying within your penciled-in lines. We only used one coat of paint and left it dry for 1 hour.

Use a Sharpie Marker (we used black) to trace around the outline of your chosen design. In our case, it’s a dolphin. Use that same marker to make facial features too! Sharpie Markers are quick-drying, so let it dry for about 15-20 minutes.

Take your complete project outside and lay it on newspaper. Use the clear acrylic spray sealer to give it a light coat. This will protect the painted finish from scratches and peeling and will allow you to display them outside if desired.

Craft Project: Painted Starfish Seashell

Large Clam Shell
Metallic Turquoise Acrylic Paint
Metallic Gold Acrylic Paint
Medium-Tip Black Sharpie Marker
Paint Brush, Water Dish, Paper Towel
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer – Glossy Finish
Paper Template (see above) and pencil

Our clam shells measure 5″ to 7″ in width. You’ll want to wash and air dry all seashells at least 2 days before starting this project. Make sure they are thoroughly dry before painting them!

You’re going to follow the same process that is listed above for the dolphin design to make this adorable starfish design. You’re just using a different paper template and different colored paint. All of the steps are the same.

I love seeing these seashells displayed all around the home, on a front porch, back deck, around a swimming pool area or in your garden as yard art & garden decor. As long as you protect them with the clear acrylic spray sealer, they can be used inside and outside your home. A great way to use up some of those clam shells that you collected while on summer vacation. Don’t have seashells? You can do the same process on smooth river rocks too!

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A few weeks ago I was have a chat with my grandchildren about pet rocks and they had no idea what they were. When I was a child, even when my daughter was a child, making & having a pet rock was a popular thing. I thought it was a craft project that most children did or at the very least, knew about. Well, I was wrong.

After hearing that my grandchildren had no idea what they were, I decided to host a little painting party for my grandchildren, nieces and nephews. It was time to introduce a new generation to pet rocks and we expanded it to include pet seashells too!

If you enjoy painting on seashells or crafting with seashells…you’ll find over 70+ seashell craft projects right here on the Two Classy Chics blog! We will be sharing more seashell craft projects in the future too!

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In the essence to save time…I went out and collected river rocks and seashells for the children to paint on. I washed them to remove the debris & sand and left them dry for 3 days. You always want to make sure they’re thoroughly dry before painting them.

You’ll want to cover your work surface with a few sheets of newspaper and you’ll need to provide the following craft supplies:

Acrylic Craft Paints (various colors)
Wiggle Eyes
Quick-Drying Craft Glue
Mod Podge (glossy finish)
Paint Brush
Water Dish
Paper Towels
Disposable Plates (paint palette)

Let the kids choose if they want a pet rock or a pet seashell. I left them decide if they wanted to paint them all one color or with multiple colors. It’s important to let them be creative.  For the most part, they had to use 2 coats of paint. Acrylic paint typically dries fast, so you’ll only need about 30 minutes of drying time.

Once they’re dry, they will need to coat them with a thin coat of Mod Podge sealer to seal in the paint. This will preserve the paint from chipping, cracking or fading in color. This will require another 30-40 minutes of drying time.

Finally, have the kids glue on the wiggle eyes. Some of the kids chose to ONLY add one eye and make their “pet” a little more “monster” like. I liked them better with two eyes, but that’s me. It will take several minutes for the glue to dry. That’s it, they’re done.

I think it’s really fun to introduce the next generation of kids to some of the old, vintage-style craft projects that we used to do as kids. All of the kids who made the pet rocks or pet seashells have them sitting in their rooms and really enjoyed making them.

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