Every year, Hubby’s family on his mother’s side hosts a Christmas get-together for the eight siblings and their offspring. This year, our branch of the family is in charge, and we’re gathering at the Aquarium restaurant in Kemah, Texas, for a buffet and fellowship.
In the spirit of the occasion, I decided to create a little take-home gift for the attendees using oyster shells.
I purchased 50 bleached oyster shells from Etsy that had been drilled to accommodate a twine loop.
While I waited for the shells to come through our snail mail, I found a picture of Pawpaw and Grandma Luna’s iconic house in the Houston Heights on Zillow.com and drew a picture. It’s been remodeled since they passed away and the house was sold, so the roofline is not accurate. However, Hubby assured me that the pink color and the details on the porch make it the Luna house.
I added a pair of cardinals to the nearby tree as well, though they are hardly visible!
After creating the watercolor, I scanned it, shrunk it, and inserted it 9 times into a Word document.
Then, I glued tissue paper to cardstock and printed off enough to make 42 ornaments.
When the shells arrived, I painted each one first with Modge Podge Matte Finish, gently pressed the tissue paper picture into the shell, applied another coat of Modge Podge, and painted the edges in gold metallic paint.
Oyster shells are either “flat” or “cupped.” The flat ones are, of course, easier to work with, but the cupped are so much prettier, I think. I noticed that after they’d dried that the pictures in the cupped shells were a little blurry. I suppose that the Modge Podge may have accumulated in the cup as it dried although I had I applied only a thin layer.
It was my first time to attempt an oyster shell ornament, but I think they turned out ok. My hope is that the trinket brings fond memories of a close-knit family, whose world for decades centered around a loving couple who raised a family of 8 children in a pink house on Arlington St. in the historic Houston Heights!
