How to Create a Decorative Seashell

Next time you are on the beach or just run to your nearest craft store and grab some seashells to create some pretty awesome home decor pieces. I am creating a beach vibe seashell that can be used as a pretty display in a bathroom or in a vignette.

Materials Needed:

  1. Seashells (preferably the large size)
  2. Rice paper, napkin of your choice
  3. Decoupage medium of your choice (I used Decorators Varnishhttps://decoupagenapkins.com?sca_ref=1556491.UFlqFmuXsV
  4. White paint of your choice and other paints you might need (if you are using a rice paper or napkin you will definitely need to paint the shell white before applying your paper)
  5. Liquid Gold Leaf
  6. Resin (I used Art Resin you can find in my Amazon shop) https://www.amazon.com/shop/circleheartcreations
  7. Bling of your choice (Totally Dazzled bling) https://bit.ly/2Mxd0zy
  8. Fine glitter (optional)

How-To

Take a plain seashell you may already have from your beach trips, but you can also buy them at your favorite craft store. Since I am using rice paper, I am an affiliate with Thirteen Designs and you can check out this cute paper here: https://thirteendesignart.com?sca_ref=8223111.FV6yvMgb3f I will first need to paint the inside of my shell white. Any white paint will work. I used Waverly chalk paint in the color Plaster.

I then place my rice paper in the center of the shell and begin applying my decoupage medium by lifting one end of the paper and applying the medium underneath until I have it completely glued down.

I used Decorators Varnish as my decoupage medium.

Now we grab some paint that compliments the paper. Then I begin the paint blending. This part is truly trial and error.  I start with a base color and in this case it was the sand color. I used Linen by Folk Art. I also used a Paint Pixie chalk paint in the color Blue Java Banana.

You just keep applying paint and blending until you are satisfied with the outcome. Dry the paint completely.

After all the paint is finished you can seal the whole thing, but before the sealer dries, i decide to add some sparkle at the bottom by sprinkling some Champagne fine glitter I bought from Hobby Lobby.

Now for the resin! 

I like the look of resin. You can totally skip this step and be finished with the project. But, I felt like resin would be a great look for this shell. I used Art Resin that I get from Amazon.

It is a 1 to 1 ration when mixing this resin. And after 3 minutes you can simply pour it right on top of the rice paper! Then just leave the project and wait til the next day to handle it. 

Finishing Touches

My final touch was the Totally Dazzled beach themed bling which I chose a few pieces to add to the bottom. It turned out so precious and it’s ready to be displayed! 

I hope you will follow me for more inspiration! (maybe expand on this ending, and we should talk about a signature design that you can end each blog post with. See one of Summer’s blog posts for what I mean)