Hello my crafty friends! Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite little projects—turning oyster shells (or really any seashell) into fabulous, one-of-a-kind wine stoppers. These make wonderful gifts for holidays, housewarmings, or just to glam up your own bar cart. Plus, they’re a great way to use up leftover shells from other craft projects.
What You’ll Need
To get started, you’ll need just a few simple supplies (I’ll link my favorites below):
- UV Resin Starter Kit – includes resin, silicone mat, and curing light (Let’s Resin has a great one)
- Wine stoppers – available in chrome , gold or rose gold.
- UV light – comes with UV Resin Starter Kit above.
- Decorated oyster shells – painted, decoupaged, or left natural. I get my shells from a local Oyster Bar.
- Styrofoam blocks – TIP: perfect for holding your stoppers upright while curing. I save styrofoam from packaging to use for times like this.
- Silicone wands or tools – to spread resin into small spaces
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Alcohol (70%) – for easy cleanup, use on paper towel for cleaning off tools.
💡 Pro Tip: I love recycling! The styrofoam I use came from my Epson printer box. Save those packing pieces—they come in handy for crafts like this.
Step 1: Prep Your Shell
Here I prepped my Oyster using Wise Owl White stain eliminating primer. The image shows 3 stages Before - 1 coat - 2 coats.
Then, make sure your shell is finished and decorated the way you want. You can decoupage it with napkins, paint it with metallics, or leave it natural to highlight its beauty. On the Bee Oyster I left the dark spot and added metallic paint around it.
On the Oyster shell in this Youtube tutorial, I used a cork-themed napkin and added highlights with Let’s Resin chrome markers (they come in bronze, gold, and silver and are the brightest I’ve used!).
Step 2: Attach the Shell to the Stopper
- Place your wine stopper upright in the styrofoam block.
- Position your shell where you’d like it to sit.
- Add a tiny drop of UV resin where the shell touches the stopper.
- Hold the shell in place and cure under the UV light. I usually hit the button three times (about 150 seconds) for a strong initial hold.
Step 3: Secure the Back
Flip the stopper and add another thin layer of resin on the backside of the shell where it connects. Cure again under the light. This ensures your shell is extra sturdy and won’t pop off when someone pulls the stopper from a wine bottle.
Step 4: Strengthen & Finish
Add a final thin coat of resin to the front attachment point. Don’t worry—it dries clear, so it won’t look messy. Cure one more time, and your shell is secure and shiny.
Tools That Help
When working with scallop shells or detailed grooves, I use silicone wands with tiny tips. They’re great for spreading resin evenly and even come with dotting ends for painting or detail work. Super affordable and worth keeping in your craft kit!
Why UV Resin?
UV resin is different from epoxy resin—it cures quickly under a UV light and cleans up easily with 70% rubbing alcohol. No messy mixing or long wait times. If you’ve ever had gel nails at a salon, it’s a similiar curing process, just for crafts.
Gift Ideas
Each stopper becomes a personalized little treasure. For example, I made one with a gold back and added a tiny bee embellishment—perfect for a friend who loves bees! They make:
- Thoughtful hostess gifts
- Housewarming presents
- Holiday stocking stuffers
- Beautiful keepsakes for coastal décor lovers
Final Thoughts
And that’s it! In just a few minutes, you can turn a simple shell into a glamorous wine stopper that’s both functional and gift-worthy. I always recommend batching your shells—clean, prime, and decorate them in groups so you can make a whole set of stoppers at once.
✨ If you loved this tutorial, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAe86sAxDHcwUlulWX4Z9FReST2sf7_FN&si=jWtNjLc3JHiARbbf where I share tons of shell crafts and resin tips. I’ve made all the mistakes so you don’t have to—and I love passing along what I’ve learned to my crafty friends.