Do It Yourself Clear Glass Christmas Ornaments

You can quickly paint Christmas ornaments to match your color scheme.

Creating Christmas ornaments with a color scheme that matches all your other holiday decor is an uncomplicated task. Whether you want to reflect a love of your favorite sports team, school colors or use miniature figurines to create a whimsical ornament, you can do it yourself with just a few inexpensive supplies. Making Christmas ornaments with your family and friends may become an annual holiday tradition because the techniques are simple and take little time to accomplish.

Things You'll Need

• Clear glass Christmas ornaments
• Acrylic paints in the colors of your choice
• Empty egg carton
• Small items such as colorful beads, tinsel, iridescent pipe cleaners
• Coordinating narrow ribbon

Instructions

Color Scheme Ornaments

1. Rinse the inside of the ornament with rubbing alcohol and allow it to dry. This will help the paint to stick to the inside area more efficiently.

2. Choose two or more acrylic paint colors that match your holiday decor, sports team or school colors.

3. Remove the metal top with the hanger on it carefully and set it aside.

4. Hold the first acrylic paint tube over the hole in the top of the ornament. Squeeze the bottle to allow a few drops to flow over the rim and into the ornament.

5. Rotate the ball and add another color or two or three more around different sections of the rim.

6. Swirl the paint around inside the ornament by moving your hand to allow the paint to flow inside the ornament. Add more paint if it does not swirl efficiently.

7. Place the ornament into an empty egg carton. Wait about five minutes and rotate it again. Check on it every couple of hours and rotate it again until you get the desired effect.

8. Turn the ornament over and allow any excess paint to drip out of the glass ball ornament into a wastebasket.

9. Place the ornament into an empty egg carton to support it while it is drying. It may take up to three or four days. You can speed up the process by using a blow dryer.

10. Replace the metal cap and hanger. Add a decorative ribbon loop that matches the colors in the ornament and hang it on your tree.

Filled Ornament

1. Remove the metal cap and hanger from the ornament and set it aside.

2. Select small items to fill your Christmas ornament. You can use seed beads, tiny seashells, glitter, tinsel, iridescent pipe cleaners or tiny figurines, whatever will fit through the hole in the ornament.

3. Replace the metal cap and holder. Make a loop hanger out of coordinating ribbon to thread through the hanger and display your ornament in your home.

Tips & Warnings

• You can purchase glass ball ornaments and the acrylic paint at craft and hobby or discount stores.

• Watch for the after-Christmas sales and stock up on inexpensive glass ornaments for the next holiday season.

• Be careful when handling the ornaments; they break easily if you drop them.

References

• All Free Crafts.com: How to Make Glass Ball Christmas Ornaments
• Save on Crafts: How to Paint Clear Glass Ornament Balls

Resources

• Better Homes and Gardens: "Stained Glass" Christmas Ornaments