Disney Seashell Sign

When designing our Disney ocean themed nursery, we knew we were going to incorporate seashells. First, seashells are absolutely fitting for any ocean or beach themed room. And second, we have a lot of them sitting around.

Like “a lot” a lot.

Most of these are left over from our Coastal Christmas and were just begging for a second life. So here it is!

As is the goal with most of my craft projects, this one is incredibly easy, fast, and inexpensive. Keep reading for the step-by-step guide.

Select a sign and paint color. Our premade sign came from Hobby Lobby (gotta love those 40%-off coupons) and I used leftover paint from refinishing our adirondack chairs (color: Behr Premium Plus Hacienda Blue.)

As always, prep the wood using sandpaper. Remember, the higher the sandpaper grit number, the finer the sanding. For prepping basic wood pieces, sandpaper between 80-120 grit is ideal.

I mixed the Behr paint with a bit of white to give the color a little more dimension. Instead of doing a full blend, I like to leave the paint with a slightly marbled effect so the paint isn’t uniform across the board. I didn’t want the sign to be weathered (that’s an entirely different technique) but I didn’t want it to be perfect either.

Painting Tip: Paint the sides first and then the top so you don’t accidentally ruin the front of your sign with paint run-off. Also, multiple thin coats are better than gobbing the paint on the board.

Allow the board to fully dry (about 5 minutes in the Arizona summer, haha). Carefully, use a hot glue gun attach your shells. Due to the uneven nature of shells, I used a bit more glue than normal to make sure multiple points were touching the board.

I feel like I always say this, but please be careful with the glue gun. Crafters always joke that they have no fingerprints but honestly, these burns can get pretty serious. This concludes your PSA for the day.