Fair Isle Sea Shells
This easy craft project is to help you get in touch with your own creative whimsy. You'll be surprised how quickly your muses will be circling curiously around your head once you begin, so don't be afraid of your own inspired ideas.
Supplies:
Broken or cracked seashells (you collect)
Acrylic paints (your choice of colors)
Crystal Clear Glaze
Tacky glue
An assortment of dazzles (beads, pearls, and rhinestones)
Very fine sparkle
Paint brushes (No. 6 round and no. 2 sharp should do it)
Fine needle and tweezers (for picking and gluing tiny beads)
A 4x8 rectangle of soft fabric for bag (your choice)
Or 6" to 8" round of iridescent paper or clothe for bag
1/4" wide ribbon (bag tie)
1.5"x3" card folded over for gift tag
Gold thread to attach tag
After you've collected, washed, and dried your shells, apply two to three coats of paint. You might try painting the outside one color and the inside in a lighter color, but this is completely up to you. Tip: Paint one side at a time, let it dry, and paint the other side. After the paint is dry, apply two coats of glaze, letting each coat dry first. The second and last coat, sprinkle on just a trace of fine sparkle. When the glaze is dry, begin gluing on the dazzles. You can glue these over the cracked area, around it (like a wound of honor) or however it pleases you.
Skills:
Meandering * Gathering * Dreaming * Playing * Giving
Inspiring Words:
Glisten, shimmer, pearl, gleam, twinkle, wink, slick.
How To
The bag can either be sewn, if you are expert at it, or made from a simple round of paper or material gathered up around the shells and tied with a bow. You can sprinkle something glittery in with the shells, add tiny dried rose petals and buds, or very tiny seed shells. What ever inspires your whimsy. The giving of such a gift, if you wish to give it, should be to someone whose heart is open to wonder, whether that's a child or an adult. If you like, try your hand at a little fairy tale to go along with it.
For more detailed instructions about this project, e-mail Phee McFaddell
Send a note to Phee McFaddell