Making a Crab from a Scallop Shell

Category Decorations

After serving a delicious appetizer of scallops or upon your return from beachcombing, make this cute scallop shell crab to add to your decor. This is a page about making a crab from a scallop shell.

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Making a Crab from a Scallop Shell

By attosa [1,116 Posts, 5,083 Comments]

April 5, 2019

I like to buy scallop appetizers at the seafood shop. They come in these beautiful shells, so I clean them and keep them for crafts. I've made a little red crab with one of them here. It's pretty easy to do and looks so cute. You can add a magnet to the back and put it on your fridge, if you like!

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 1 crab

Supplies:

1 scallop shell
red acrylic paint
paintbrush
3 long red pipe cleaners
hot glue gun with glue
2 small confetti rounds or googly eyes

Steps:

Paint the shell red and allow to fully dry.

Making a Crab from a Scallop Shell - paint the shell red and allow to dry

Cut 2 of the pipe cleaners into quarters, and 1 of them in half.

Making a Crab from a Scallop Shell - cut pipe cleaners

To make its walking legs, hot glue the shorter pieces of pipe cleaner on the back side of the shell. Bend the ends a bit.

Making a Crab from a Scallop Shell - hot glue the shorter pieces onto the back side of the shell for legs, bend a bit on the ends

To make the crab claws, bend the end of a longer pipe cleaner into an M shape, then move the first section under the first diagonal.

Making a Crab from a Scallop Shell - for claw, bend the longer ones into an M and mover the first section under the first diagonal

Now move the long stem under the second diagonal. It will look like the letter Y. Repeat with the other pipe cleaner.

Making a Crab from a Scallop Shell - move the long stem under the second diagonal to make a Y shape, repeat

Glue the claws to the top of the back of the shell.

Making a Crab from a Scallop Shell - glue in place

Glue on the little eyes.

Making a Crab from a Scallop Shell - glue on the eyes

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Comments

By 15mhhm15 [1,037 Posts, 2,391 Comments]

April 8, 20191 found this helpful

Aw totally cute!

Reply Was this helpful? 1

By attosa [1,116 Posts, 5,083 Comments]

April 10, 20191 found this helpful

Thanks, lovely! :)

Reply Was this helpful? 1

By suz1230 [48 Posts, 612 Comments]

April 11, 20191 found this helpful

Oh that sure is cute!

I save those shells too from the stuffed crab on the shell.

I didn't know what I could make with them, but I knew I could use
them to make something one day, so I've saved them,
and that crab you made is the perfect thing to use them for! :)

I think they'd be adorable too as a center piece on the table (maybe?) when having a combo seafood dinner.
I like to have fun like that with special dinners, like my hubby's birthday, and dress up the surroundings for the whole feel of it.

Thank you for a great idea of what to make with all these shells :)

Reply Was this helpful? 1

By Jess (TF Editor) [229 Posts, 2,181 Comments]

April 12, 20190 found this helpful

Be sure to share your version when you make one. I love to see everyone's creativity. :)

Reply Was this helpful? Yes