To answer your question, yes, I have A LOT of seashells. Most of my shells were inherited from my husband’s grandfather who spent 30 years collecting them on Bowman’s Beach on Sanibel Island. So I am always trying to think of different ways to use this vast collection. My latest idea was inspired by an advertisement I saw in a magazine somewhere that was selling silver-coated large seashells for around $100. I thought to myself, self, you can get similar results for the cost of a can of spray paint.

I purchased a can each of gold and silver metallic spray paint to see how I would like them. As many of you know, spray paint comes in every color and finish imaginable so let the decor of the room dictate which color you paint your shells. I put my shells in a deep-sided box to spray them so that I could do it in my basement without worry of overspray. I did two coats on each side of the shells. The cans I bought have different wait/drying times so just follow the instructions on the can you buy.

I ended up liking both the gold and silver finishes. For my purposes, I decided to paint a lot of gold ones to use in an my apothecary jar on my dining room table. Since they are gold, the look doesn’t hit you in the face as beachy. The shells provide a lot of texture in the jar and the gold matches the table cloth I am currently using. So, you don’t have to have a beach-themed room to make this look work.

If you like the look but don’t have any seashells or aren’t planning a beach vacation soon, send me an email and I will be happy to mail you a beach in a box!

Related post: A lasting way to display seashells