Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Halloween by the Sea: Cute DIY Oyster Shell Ghost Ornaments
If you are feeling spooky like us this fall season, make these oyster shell ghost ornaments with our easy DIY Halloween craft tutorial. Perfect for coastal Halloween décor, these spooky-cute seashell ghosts are a budget-friendly way to decorate your home. Use oyster shells, paint, and a little creativity to craft unique handmade Halloween decorations that blend coastal charm with festive fun.
The Inspiration
Following my easy decoupage oyster shell ornament tutorial, I decided to do more with the oyster shells I find along the Sanibel Island beaches. The oyster shell curved design fits with the design of a Halloween ghost, so these spooky ghost ornaments were born. I added neon edging to them to give them a fun pop of color, as most ghosts are portrayed as being only white. While white is a great color, why not add some neon colorful pizazz too?!
See my decoupaged oyster shell ornaments being made in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Do I have to add neon paint?
The neon paint is some I already had left over from my splatter painted jean tutorial. You can make these oyster shell ghost ornaments with plain white paint, or use any color to line their edges. I added google eyes, but you can simply paint them on if you’d like. The cool thing about art and crafting is you can adapt most projects to fit your own sense of style.
I changed out my driftwood tree to my spooky ghost ornaments
My Year-Round Ornament Tree
I made a driftwood year-round tree to hang various ornaments on. It’s the cutest coastal décor accent for my entryway table. I change out DIY ornaments as the seasons change.
Here’s the tutorial for the tree (it’s SUPER easy!) or see it below in my YouTube video or via my channel @carolynjbraden:
How to Make DIY Oyster Shell Ghost Ornaments
Now for the tutorial! These ornaments are easy but do require some special tools IF making the ornament version. They are worth it, but you could turn these into MAGNETS by adding no drilled hole and simply gluing a button magnet to the back.
Oyster shell ornaments are such a beautiful and coastal-inspired craft project and you can customize them to fit your own home décor aesthetic. I like a simpler approach to holiday decorating and this craft lends to that idea.
Here’s a step-by-step guide you can follow to make them. My buying links either link out to Amazon, Walmart or Temu, based on where I bought my supplies. If shopping Temu, use code afe5517 or my link for 30% off…for new app users.
My spooky cute ghost ornaments!
Materials You’ll Need
Clean oyster shell halves, any size will work, mine were each under 5 or 6 inches for this project (Amazon has some if you don’t live near a beach or Temu does too)
Rotary tool for making holes in shells (you DO NOT have to turn these into ornaments….a shell craft looks beautiful in a plant, on a desk or table or anywhere or turn it into a magnet as I wrote about above!)
Safety glasses and something to use the rotary tool on IF turning these into ornaments
Neon acrylic paints (or whatever colors you want)
Google Eyes (I have a huge kit of them from Amazon and used small eyes)
Resin (you DO NOT have to resin seal these…the resin just makes them look very professional and super shiny…you could also use Mod Podge to seal or this acrylic seal spray)
UV Light (if resin sealing or you can cure it IF you have access to direct sunlight)
Small craft brushes (for paint and resin)
Foam craft brush (for paint)
Sharp scissors
Ribbon or twine or nylon cord/string (for hanging)
Letter beads or any decorative beads with wide holes
See the 1-minute video tutorial for this project on my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden, or above!
The yellow ghost is my favorite as she has a natural dimple, like me!
Steps
Prepare the Oyster Shells
Wash shells thoroughly to remove any dirt or residue. Let them dry completely. If the inside is rough, you can lightly sand it for smoother adhesion.
Drill Holes
Place your safety glasses on, place a drill bit into the rotary tool and place the shell on a SAFE work surface or a piece of wood. I taped mine a bit using painters’ tape at the top to prevent splits and drilled a hole. I also drilled without the tape, and it worked too, but I do believe the tape helped my bit not slip.
I drilled a hole into each oyster shell, going slow and in short increments to not burn the tape or anything else. I broke one, but was successful in the rest. Dust off or rinse off any residue and remove any tape. Alternatively, some oyster shells have natural holes in them. If you have these, use them and then no drilling is needed!
Applying the pearl mixed paint
Choose Your Design
I used a brush to mix together white paint and pearlescent paint in a paint tray. I didn’t want to totally cover up the shell’s natural beauty, so this combination worked well for this. I painted on two layers of the mixture to the inside of the shell, allowing each layer to dry before continuing.
Adding the neon paint
Apply Paint Edging
Sponge on a layer of acrylic paint (in the colors of your choice) using a small craft brush along the inner edge and top of the shell. I had to do two coats on some colors. Allow to fully dry.
Adding the liquid resin
Seal
If not resin sealing, dab lightly with more Mod Podge over the top, working from the center outward to avoid wrinkles and allow to fully dry. Let the decoupage dry fully (about 1–2 hours). Add another coat of Mod Podge or acrylic clear sealer spray for protection.
I left the backs natural, but resin sealed them
If resin sealing, I placed wax paper onto a piece of cardboard to make a “tray”. I poured some resin onto some foil, used a brush to brush on one coat on the tissue paper side of the shell, and placed the shells on the “tray”. I cured them in the UV light for 12 minutes, then resin coated the back of the shell and cured that side for 12 minutes too.
Using my UV light to cure the resin
I allowed them to fully cool for about an hour and they were shiny and perfect. I worked in small batches at night, but if you are making them in the day time and have lots of sunshine, you can cure them in the sun on your “tray” for 10-12 minutes too. See how I did this here with some seashells and rocks!
Adding the google eyes
Add the Eyes and Mouth
Apply some Liquid Fusion glue to the inside of the shell where you want the eyes to be and add them onto the glue. Alternatively, draw the eyes on with a paint pen.
Drawing on the ghost mouth
Then use an acrylic paint pen to draw a small circle “mouth” under the eyes and fill it in with the paint pen. Allow to dry.
Adding the cord and the letter beads
Attach Ribbon for Hanging
Cut a small loop of ribbon or twine to about 14 inches. I strung it through the hole and knotted it against the shell.
I LOVE these ghost oyster shell ornaments!
I strung and placed a letter bead (I made 6 ornaments with the letters S-P-O-O-K-Y) over the knot to hide it, then I tied a knot in the end of the ribbon for hanging. Hang and enjoy!
If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: How to Make Halloween Jack-o-Lantern Ornaments
Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.