DIY Gold Seashell Ornaments for Christmas

If you've ever painted seashells before, you know how a simple coat or two of paint (especially gold spray paint!) can turn a normal shell into a gorgeous showstopper.

But what happens when you add some hot glue and a piece of string?

You get a fast, easy DIY seashell ornament that is ready for your Christmas tree. (And you'll want to make a dozen more!)

Here's how to make seashell ornament crafts from all those shells you've saved from vacations but haven't done anything with yet. You're going to love it!

How to Make DIY Gold Seashell Ornaments for Christmas

Step 1: Gather Supplies

Supplies Needed:

• Painted Seashells
• String, twine
• Hot glue gun and glue
• Seashell Ornament Checklist (it’s free in the resource library!)

Step 2: Paint the seashells.

Using the method outlined in this post on how to paint seashells, choose your desired color(s) and paint the shells. (I'm a sucker for gold spray paint!)

Let them dry completely before moving on.

Step 3. Cut string or twine into 12" sections.

Cut sections of string or twine into 12" pieces.

These will be the hanging loops of your Christmas tree ornaments.

It's best to err on the side of cutting them long at first, because you can trim them to be shorter later. I've found 12" is a good starting point, and then can be shortened if needed.

Step 4. Fold string in half and tie two loose ends into a knot.

Step 5. Hot glue string to shell.

Put a dab of hot glue on the back of the shell.

Carefully put one end of your string into the hot glue and let dry.

Step 6. Repeat for the rest of the shells.

Step 7. Knot and trim other end of string, assess and hang!

I decided to also knot the string at the other end, and trim off any excess. This way, the ornaments have a visible knot at the top of the hanging string.

(If you want to leave them as is, with just a hanging loop and no knot on top, that's ok too.) 

Once the glue is dry and the string secured, see how they will look when they're hanging.

At first, the bulky conch shell ornament didn't hang correctly because of where I glued the string. So, I peeled the glue and string off and re-glued it right up on the backside of the tip of the shell.

This helped it hang upright on the tree.

They're ready for your Christmas tree!

Seashells are one of those things that make their way home from the beach with you but if you're not careful, they'll still be sitting on the shelf in a bag in 10 years. (At least that's what they did in my house.)

By first painting and turning them into DIY seashell ornaments, the shells are now completely transformed and ready to make a statement on the Christmas tree!

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Save this idea for later by pinning the photo below to Pinterest!

P.S. If you don't have seashells at home but want to make your own shell Christmas ornaments, you can buy seashells that are clean and ready for paint!