Today, I am sharing a diy on painting oyster shells to use as place cards.

Growing up in Connecticut, crafts using materials from the beach started at an early age. Making necklaces out of small golden shells was more common than the macaroni variety and, constructing items from rocks or driftwood… or any items found on the sand…occurred regularly.

Fishing trips with my dad when I was really young were more often about creating adventures and finding ‘treasures’ than actually fishing. Remember back when playing with the worms was more fun that catching the fish?!

My crafts got more involved as I got older. In my high school crafts class, I once made clay tiles that were imprinted from found shells. Painting the smooth rocks found on the shore was always a fun activity. As I got older, creating wreaths or mirrors from shells seemed more in order…my favorites always made from oyster or mussel shells. I even created the paint palette for my home using the delicate colors from the inside of an oyster shell.

So, for me, painting shells is nothing new. But, sometimes details are perfected over time. I feel this way about oyster shells. I love using them as place cards and today, I am sharing a feminine way to paint an oyster shell to use as a place card…perfect for a bridal shower or luncheon.

Everyone has their own cleaning system for shells. My method is to boil found shells in a pot on the stove first and then soak them in white vinegar. After rinsing them in cold water, I let them air dry.

There are so many ways to paint oyster shells and you can experiment to fit the occasion…I think the inside of an oyster shell is so beautiful and I often just paint the outside of the shell, leaving the inside natural…try Krylon blue ocean breeze as an outside color!

For this project, I spray painted (insides only) of the shells with two coats of an off white (using Rust-oleum gloss navajo white). Then, I used a little gold leaf around the edges in an irregular fashion to add a little sparkle and to create a more formal look. (If you don’t have any gold leaf, you can purchase a small gold leaf kit online or in a craft store that includes the gold leaf sheets, an adhesive, and a protective coat.)

As a place card, just use a small piece of decorative paper to hand write or stamp a name or table number and lay inside the shell…easy! Add a ‘pearl’ or pretty piece of sea glass. So pretty and so coastal!

Because this shell can be used as a ring holder, it makes a wonderful gift for a newly engaged friend. It also makes a great soap dish or salt cellar. For a bridal shower, a handmade beaded bracelet could be a pretty favor to include in the shell. Or, add a small square soap or sea glass shaped soap pieces. :)

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. You may also enjoy monogrammed shell gift tie-on, beachy bridal shower, nautical gift wrap, shell candles, or beachy shower gift.

Sharing with Finding Silver Pennies, Craftberry Bush, Coastal Charm, and Sand & Sisal.