How to Decorate a Crystal Ornament
Plain crystal ornaments often sparkle in the sunlight, but you can add color and dimension to enhance the designs. Decorate a crystal ornament with glass paint, rather than acrylic or enamel paints, so that the paint will adhere to the ornament while maintaining the translucent character of the crystal. If painting the ornament does not appeal to you, decorate it with faceted crystal or glass beads to add pops of color. Customize crystal ornaments to coordinate with your holiday home or to personalize event decorations.
Things You'll Need
- Glass cleaner
- Cleaning cloths
- Rubbing alcohol
- Glass paint
- Paper plate, tin foil or cardboard
- Toothpick
- Fine artist's brushes
- Paint sponge
- Glass micro beads/3mm crystal beads
- One-part epoxy jeweler's glue
- Acrylic clay roller
Instructions
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Paint
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1
Clean the crystal ornament with glass cleaner, then dry it completely with a soft cloth. Wipe rubbing alcohol over the area of the crystal where you plan to paint. Allow the alcohol to evaporate. Do not touch this area again with your fingers.
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2
Squirt a small amount of glass paint onto a paper plate, section of tin foil or cardboard. Stir the paint with a toothpick to blend it, if necessary.
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3
Dip the tip of a fine artist's brush into the glass paint. If you are covering the entire ornament, dip the tip of a paint sponge into the paint. Apply the paint to the clean area of the crystal ornament.
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4
Follow the process to apply as many different colors of glass paint as you like to the crystal ornament. Allow the paint to dry completely.
Beaded
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5
Clean the crystal ornament with glass cleaner. Dry the ornament with a soft cloth.
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6
Spread a small amount of one-part epoxy jeweler's glue onto one section of the crystal ornament. One-part epoxy jeweler's glue comes in a tube. Squirt a small drop onto the ornament, then spread it with a toothpick. Wait 1 minute.
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7
Cover the glued area with glass micro beads or 3mm crystal beads. Press the beads into the glue with an acrylic clay roller. Micro beads are similar in size to seed beads, but they do not have holes. Small crystal beads have holes, but they will not be noticeable when the bead is attached to the ornament.
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8
Follow the process to decorate sections of the crystal ornament with beads. Allow the adhesive to dry for at least 24 hours before moving the ornament. If the ornament is round or you wish to decorate more than one side, wait for the glue to dry before rolling or flipping the ornament.
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Tips & Warnings
Cover sections of the crystal ornament with painter's tape to paint limited areas of the ornament.
