Make holiday decorations the easy way! These seashell ornaments are simple . . just use glitter and Mod Podge to make pretty Christmas decor.
Skills Required: Beginner. You’ll need to use a drill, paint, and add glitter to the shells with Mod Podge. I recommend just a little bit of prior crafting experience to try this project.
For me, the holiday season calls for sparkle. Always. (Are you surprised?)
Christmas is fast approaching and I am getting some handmade gifts and ornaments made this month to (hopefully!) make next month a little smoother.
I decided that my tree will need a little more twinkle and shine, so I grabbed some glitter and got busy on my seashell ornaments.
My husband and I love vacationing at the beach when we can . . . and I’m always on the lookout for pretty shells when we are there. (Hello?! Seashells are free craft supplies!)
I have a bit of a shell collection and I thought it would be nice to incorporate them onto our tree as a keepsake with a little sparkle. These Mod Podge ornaments are perfect for any age; kids will love using their summer treasure to make these (they might need help with the drilling).
Not only that, but if you have a lot of beach decor in your home, you could keep these out all year in different displays, Want to see how to make these seashell Christmas ornaments? The process is pretty simple.
Glitter Seashell Ornaments
Gather These Supplies
- Seashells of various sizes
- White craft paint
- Glitter, various shades
- Mod Podge Satin or Mod Podge Gloss
- Paintbrushes
- Gold wire, 24 gauge
- Large, clear beads
Tools
- Drill with a small bit
- Eye protection
- Wire cutters and pliers
Steps to make shell ornaments:
First, very slowly and carefully drill a small hole into each shell. Eye protection is advised just in case a shell splinters or breaks. (Yes, I’m speaking from experience!) Martha Stewart has a great article on how to drill holes in shells here.
Paint the fronts and back of each shell with white paint. Allow the paint to dry.
Brush a liberal coat of decoupage over the front of the shell. Sprinkle with glitter, shake off the excess and allow to dry. You can certainly cover both sides with glitter. I chose to only coat one.
Tip: I recommend shaking your glitter over a shallow pan or container to minimize the mess and save any excess glitter.
Apply two more coats of Mod Podge over top of the glitter to seal it down so it does not shed.
Loop a piece of wire through the hole you drilled. Leave one end longer than the other. Slip three large beads over both ends of the wire.
Twist the shorter wire tightly above the top bead and pinch the bundle of wire together with pliers. Bend the longer wire into a hook that you can use to hang on your tree.
Your handmade seashell ornaments are complete, and now you have cute and glittery bling for your tree. Wouldn’t it be fun to have an entire seaside theme? Hmmm . . .
These seashell Christmas ornaments would make great handmade gifts or package toppers, too. For our home, I love that my shell ornaments are a pretty (and sparkly!) way to save a vacation memory!
Seashell Ornaments
Equipment
- Eye protection
- Wire cutters and pliers
Materials
- Seashells of various sizes
- Craft paint white
- Glitter various shades
- Mod Podge
- Gold wire 24 gauge
- Beads Large, clear
Instructions
- Very slowly and carefully drill a small hole into each shell.
- Paint the fronts and back of each shell with white paint. Allow the paint to dry.
- Brush a coat of Mod Podge over the front of the shell. Sprinkle with glitter, shake off the excess and allow to dry. Repeat on the back (optional).
- Apply two more coats of Mod Podge over top of the glitter to seal it down so it does not shed.
- Loop a piece of wire through the hole you drilled. Leave one end longer than the other. Slip three large beads over both ends of the wire.
- Twist the shorter wire tightly above the top bead and pinch the bundle of wire together with pliers. Bend the longer wire into a hook.
- Let dry completely before hanging on your Christmas tree.
Video
Love these seashell ornaments for Christmas? Here are some other options you’ll love!
Brie
Sunday 4th of December 2022
This worked sooooo well!! I did find that i liked the shell without the layer of mod podge over the glitter better. The glitter was more sparkly in my opinion that way then with the layer. But both turned out great