What Paint do you use to paint seashells?

When I booked my first event as a Professional Mermaid, I was so excited to begin planning out how I was going to accessorize and what I was going to bring with me to help make the experience as fun and memorable as possible for those who attended. Remember this video here? I couldn't decide whether I wanted to hand out pieces of "gems" and "gold" or if I wanted to pass out glittery seashells to the children at the event. Eventually, I settled for mixing some treasures in with my seashells (thanks Element Dolphin for the recommendation!) and everyone at the book fair loved the variety. Since the sparkly seashells were especially popular, I figured I'd take a moment to teach you how to make them so that you can hand them out at your next mermaiding gig if you would like. Or... you could just keep them for yourself too, since they are great for crafting up neat mermaid-y creations and for decorating your mer-cave!

How to Paint Seashells... a very quick & easy video tutorial

How to Paint on Seashells - Easy DIY Painted Shells - Need some Mermaid Party Ideas & Summer Beach Crafts inspiration? Here's a quick and easy tutorial that will show you how to transform your shells into magical looking sea treasures.

Mix it up!

While the "Sugar Cube" glitter paint is my favorite of the Martha Stewart Craft Paints, the other colors are all really pretty too! Here are some other color combinations that I found to be especially beautiful and quite mermaid-esque. However, don't feel limited to just these colors... try playing around with all sorts of other paints to come up with a look that you find appealing. Or, try finding something that matches the color scheme of your party or the color of your tail for some more ideas. Most importantly... have fun with this project!! :D

Sugar Cube

Purple Sapphire

Blueberry Slush + Purple Sapphire

For this shell, I applied a few layers of "Blueberry Slush" glitter paint as a base coat and then created an ombre effect using "Purple Sapphire" glitter paint. It took a bit more time to create (and a few layers of each paint) but I think the resul… — For this shell, I applied a few layers of "*Blueberry Slush*" glitter paint as a base coat and then created an ombre effect using "*Purple Sapphire*" glitter paint. It took a bit more time to create (and a few layers of each paint) but I think the results were worth it!

Aquarium + Blueberry Slush + Sugar Cube

To create the neat gradient look of this shell, I lightly brushed the bottom portion of the shell with a Multi-surface Pearl acrylic crafting paint called "Aquarium" by Martha Stewart Crafts. I concentrated the color near the bottom of the seashell … — To create the neat gradient look of this shell, I lightly brushed the bottom portion of the shell with a Multi-surface Pearl acrylic crafting paint called "*Aquarium*" by Martha Stewart Crafts. I concentrated the color near the bottom of the seashell and then left the outer tip of it relatively bare. After that, I put some "*Blueberry Slush*" on the bottom of the shell and blended it out near the tip. The very tip of the seashell then got brushed with some "*Sugar Cube*" glitter paint. The result was a very magical looking treasure from under-the-sea.

Aquarium + Sugar Cube

The "Aquarium" colored paint makes a lovely base for the shimmery "Sugar Cube" to sit on top of. I really like this combination! — The "*Aquarium*" colored paint makes a lovely base for the shimmery "*Sugar Cube*" to sit on top of. I really like this combination!

Aquarium + Purple Sapphire

For this seashell, the "Aquarium" colored paint was used as a base yet again. However, in this instance it was paired with "Purple Sapphire" to create a stunning purple-blue ombre effect. — For this seashell, the "*Aquarium*" colored paint was used as a base yet again. However, in this instance it was paired with "*Purple Sapphire*" to create a stunning purple-blue ombre effect.

Beetle Black + Sugar Cube

For something a little spookier looking, try this Gothic combo! "Beetle Black," a Multi-surface Satin acrylic paint by Martha Stewart Crafts creates a nice base-coat for the sparkly "Sugar Cube" paint to stick to. — For something a little spookier looking, try this Gothic combo! "*Beetle Black,*" a Multi-surface Satin acrylic paint by Martha Stewart Crafts creates a nice base-coat for the sparkly "*Sugar Cube*" paint to stick to.

Beetle Black + Blueberry Slush

Doesn't this remind you of Ursula from Disney's The Little Mermaid? The combination of these two paints is quite creepy looking, but very very pretty too! — Doesn't this remind you of Ursula from Disney's *The Little Mermaid*? The combination of these two paints is quite creepy looking, but very very pretty too!

Beetle Black + Blueberry Slush + Purple Sapphire

With a "Beetle Black" as a base, and a gradient of "Purple Sapphire" fading out into "Blueberry Slush," this shell is a beautiful mix of Goth and Glitter! It takes a bit more effort to create than some of the other color combinations, but I think it… — With a "*Beetle Black*" as a base, and a gradient of "*Purple Sapphire*" fading out into "*Blueberry Slush,*" this shell is a beautiful mix of Goth and Glitter! It takes a bit more effort to create than some of the other color combinations, but I think it's worth the time!

I hope you found this tutorial to be helpful! Remember, if you don't know where to find seashells (or where to buy the correct paint) you can find links in the description box of the "How to Paint Seashells" video. Additionally, if you now have a whole mer-cave full of colorful seashells and now you don't know what to do with them, I suggest you give this video a look. (More shell crafts are coming soon, so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel if you want to get notifications about that.)

Thank you so much for spending your evening with me! Have a very magical day full of mermaid-y things and lots of glittery seashells!! ♥♥♥

XOXO- Mermaid Phantom