How to Make Seashell People
In the 19th century, sailors hand-crafted seashell art for their girlfriends during their long periods away at sea, and in prehistoric times, seashells were used to make jewelry. Today, shells are still admired for their delicate beauty, and you can use them to make a variety of objects. If you collected seashells on the beach, use them to make seashell art of your own; crafting seashell people is a project that kids will enjoy as well as adults.
Things You'll Need
- Seashells of different shapes and sizes
- Hot-glue gun
- Googly eyes
- Glitter pens
- Craft paint
- Small paintbrushes
Instructions
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1
Clean and dry the shells before you begin, removing all sand and debris. Use warm water and cleanse them gently; dry them carefully to avoid breaking and chipping.
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2
Lay out the shells and choose shells to use for body parts. For example, a large, scallop-shape shell makes a good head, and use smaller, curly shells for arms and legs. Let kids put together shell people parts to make creative shell people.
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3
Hot-glue the shells together to form the people.
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4
Glue on googly eyes to the face shell.
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5
Draw on facial features and hair with glitter pens or paintbrushes and craft paint. Use a fine, small paintbrush to draw on lips and noses, or paint lines for hair on the top of the shell. Kids can use a glitter glue pen to draw on the shells.
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6
Allow the shell people to dry overnight.
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Tips & Warnings
Make ornaments by using a small drill to make a hole in the shell that forms the head. Thread some fishing monofilament through the hole to use for hanging.
References
- Photo Credit seashells image by Emerkaza from Fotolia.com
