DIY Mermaid Shell Tops

DIY Mermaid Shell Tops

Let’s dive into the easy, cheap, and fast way to make a DIY Mermaid Shell Top. First stop, the Dollar Store. The Dollar Store, seasonally sells “Bikini Tops” that are plastic shells with white strings. (If you don’t have a Dollar Store in your area you can also purchase them online) You can find them in the “Luau Party” Section. These are perfect for the DIY Mermaid Shell Top. Be sure to stock up during the summer as you can’t find them in the winter and the possibilities are limitless. You might want to keep a few pairs of these on hand.

Step 1

Supplies:

You will need: scissors, plastic paint, glitter or studs, glue, clear bra strap material, paint brush, clear protective spray. Other options: bikini top, ribbon, string, other sea accessories for adorning your shells etc. You can find all of these materials at Walmart or your local craft store.

Step 2

Remove the white strings from the shells. You can toss them aside or throw them out, as we won’t be using them in this project.

Step 3

You will want to paint the shells with plastic safe paint. There are many options on the market. You can be as creative as you want with this step. You can use several colors and blend them to match your tail. You can customize them as much or as little as you wish. For simplicity I have chosen a solid color of gold metallic, (as seen in photo 1). Let dry completely.

Step 4

You can accessorize your shells with glitter or by gluing on little sea creatures or other shells. However, I chose to embellish my shells with green rhinestones. Attach them to the shells using a glue gun (as seen in photo 2).

Step 5

Next, I spray the finished product with a clear protective spray, and let dry completely.

Step 6

You can then use the holes already drilled into your shells to add your straps. I have used clear bra strap material in photo 3.

However, you have many options: You can use string, ribbon, you can use a triangle bikini top and run the string of the bikini top through the holes. I have done this with several of my tops and it provides a great deal of comfort and extra support and you can purchase a top for less than five dollars. Another option is to adhere your shells to a bra or bathing suit top and add fish net, seaweed and other accessories.

Look through my photo galleries on my facebook page where you can see many of these designs. https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaThePirate

And now you are ready to hit the water with your tail and new DIY Mermaid Shell Top. It’s easy and quick and very inexpensive. With more time and resources you can take this basic tutorial and elaborate on the design and really create some amazing shells. Remember to have fun, be creative and be original.

Thanks for reading.