How to Make Crystal Ornaments
Make tree ornaments that sparkle and delight with Borax and pipe cleaners.This craft is fun to do with the family and produces beautiful ornaments for the Christmas tree, window decorations and gifts for family and friends. Attach the crystal ornaments to wrapped presents or plates of Christmas goodies to be given away.
Find Borax, also called 20 Mule Team Borax, in the laundry aisle at the local grocery or discount store. It is a powdered mineral used to boost the cleaning power of laundry soap.
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Things You'll Need
- Borax
- Tea kettle
- Water
- Measuring cups
- Wooden spoon
- Pipe cleaners, white and other colors
- Scissors
- Wide mouth Mason Jar or other clear glass container
- Yarn
- Pencil
Instructions
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1
Twist pipe cleaners into different shapes such as stars, snowflakes, angels, hearts or spirals. Some shapes may require cutting pipe cleaners with scissors and twisting them together. Be creative, but do not make the shape too big to fit in the jar without touching the bottom or sides.
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2
Boil water in a tea kettle. Pour 2 cups per every one-quarter cup of Borax. Quart sized Mason jars will hold 4 cups of water; add one-half cup of Borax.
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3
Stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve. Stir in more Borax until the solution is cloudy.
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4
Tie the pipe cleaner shape to a piece of yarn. Tie the other end of the yarn to a pencil. Suspend the ornament in the solution by placing the pencil over the opening of the jar. Cut the yarn short enough that the entire pipe cleaner is in the solution.
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5
Leave the pipe cleaner in the solution over night for heavy crystals and no less than two hours for a light crystal effect.
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Tips & Warnings
Use white pipe cleaners for a complete crystal look. Colored pipe cleaners provide a little color to the ornament. If you want the color to show through, do not soak them as long.
Use acrylic sealer in a spray can to seal the ornament when it is done. This will prevent the crystals from flaking off. Another way of giving color to the ornaments is to add a drop or two of food coloring to the solution before soaking the pipe cleaners.
Use only pure Borax for this project. Do not try to use laundry detergent with Borax in the ingredients, as it will not work. Place the project in a safe place while it is soaking, so that children can not touch it or drink the solution. Borax is a chemical that can cause harm.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
