DIY Marbled Seashell Craft

Do you enjoy collecting seashells at the beach? My boys and I do! While seashells have a natural beauty, this fun DIY seashell craft offers a unique way to display them and match your home’s decor. Read on for the easy steps to make these marbled seashells.

DIY Marbled Seashell Crafts

We’ve collected seashells from all of our travels throughout the years and I have them displayed in a tall jar in our living room. Recently we decided to paint some of the seashells and they turned out so cool! This is a great craft the entire family can enjoy.

Materials Needed:

Medium bowl of lukewarm water
Seashells in all shapes and sizes
Tweezers (I used a large plastic pair from the dollar store, but any will do)
6-8 cotton swab sticks
4-6 toothpicks
Paper towels
Scrap piece of foam board, or plate covered in wax paper
Nail polish in varying colors

Don’t have any seashells to paint? Buy them here!

Directions:

Make sure you are working in a well ventilated area. Nail polish has a very strong scent, so it’s best to do this project outside, or with the windows open.
Start by filling a medium bowl with lukewarm water. (If the water is too cold, the nail polish won’t spread easily)
Open the lid to each nail polish. The polish dries on the surface of the water very quickly, so it’s important to work as fast as possible, and having the nail polish open helps speed up the process.
Starting with your first bottle of nail polish, hold the brush as close to the water as possible, and shake gently until the nail polish drips on the surface. If you drop the polish from too far above, it will sink to the bottom. Add additional colors to the water, and then using a toothpick, lightly swirl the colors together.
Remember the nail polish will dry rather quickly, so as soon as you finish swirling hold the seashell with tweezers, dip into the water, then remove and place on the foam board to dry.
I was able to dip 1-2 seashells at a time before the nail polish dried on the surface of the water. Once you have dipped the seashells, use a toothpick or cotton swab stick to swirl the remaining nail polish off the surface, and discard it on a paper towel.
Repeat the process of dripping nail polish on the surface of the water, and dipping each seashell. Don’t forget to repeat the process of cleaning the excess off the surface with a toothpick or cotton swab after a few dips.
Once all seashells have been dipped in the nail polish, leave them on the foam board until they are completely dry. Once dry, they are ready to be enjoyed as decoration.