How to Paint Glass Ornaments for Christmas

It's easy to hand paint glass Christmas ornaments.

Hand-painted Christmas ornaments beautify tress. They make wonderful wedding, housewarming and new baby gifts. Most craft stores carry clear glass ornaments; your imagination is the only limit to how you can paint them. You can paint glass ornaments with free-form designs, winter scenes or even things that have meaning for your family.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Clear glass ornaments
• Rubbing alcohol
• Clean, lint-free cloth
• Scissors
• Empty, clean foam egg cartons, at least 2
• Acrylic paints
• Small paint brushes
• Paper
• Pencil

1. Use the scissors to cut the tops off of the egg cartons. This will make them more stable.

2. Remove all of the tops from the glass ornaments and set them in an egg carton lid so they don't get lost.

3. Pour a tablespoon or so of rubbing alcohol into each glass ornament, swish it around so that it cleans the entire inside and pour it out.

4. Pour a little more rubbing alcohol onto a clean, lint-free cloth and wipe down the outside of the glass ornaments. This will remove oils and dust so that the paint will adhere better.

5. Make free-form painted glass balls by pouring thin lines of color into a glass ornament and letting them run down the side. Do one color at a time and let it dry completely according to the manufacturer's instructions before adding another color. Rest the ornaments in the egg cartons to keep them safe while the paint dries.

6. Use the paper and pencil to draw out your design. Once you know exactly what you want to put on the ornament, use the drawing as reference to paint the design onto the glass ball. Pour different colored acrylic paints into the sections of an egg carton so that you don't risk spilling or drying out the paints.

Tips & Warnings

• Fill glass balls with glitter, tinsel or plastic snow.

• Keep glitter, tinsel and glass balls away from small children.

References

• Save On Crafts: How to Paint Clear Glass Ornament Balls
• Ruby Glen: Hand Painted Glass Christmas Ornaments
• Christmas Lights and Decorations: Hand Painted Christmas Ornaments

Resources

• Crafts Kaboose: Christmas Ornaments