Handpainted Clam Shell Santa Claus Christmas Ornaments

For the first time in many years I am putting up a beach and coastal theme Christmas tree. Matter of fact, it is almost done! It is a 5 foot pre-lit artificial tree which is the perfect size for a theme tree and its currently sitting in my dining room in front of our large bay window.

A friend of mine who is an artist made me some of these adorable clam shell Christmas tree ornaments and she handpainted Santa Claus onto them. I love that each one is different and unique thanks to the shape & size of each clam shell. 

She did a great job with painting them and she really added some texture and depth to them by trimming out Santa's hat with some of that white textured snow paint that you can find at craft stores across the country. 

Each one took her less than 45 minutes to paint and then 2 to 3 hours of drying time. Once dry, she sprayed each one with some clear acrylic sealer to help preserve the paint from getting scratches or from chipping off. She said she used 2 coats and on some she did it with a matte finish and on others she did a shiny finish. Totally up to you on what you like. 

She then used a glue gun and glued a satin ribbon hanger on the back so I could hang them up on my tree. I think they turned out great and she used the clam shells that I collected down at the beach (Wildwood NJ) and brought back home. Cost...just the paint, sealer and the ribbon. A great affordable coastal beach craft for all of you!