Make your own Christmas Ornaments #1: Glitter Ornaments

Christmas is coming and I don’t know about you, but once fall arrives, I start to get the itch to create and decorate! Each year, I like to make some of my own DIY decorations for my home. Ornaments for the Christmas tree are definitely one of my favorite things to make.   There are, of course, some sentimental ornaments that MUST go on the tree each year, but it’s fun to make new ones to replace some old ones and freshen up the overall look of the tree. Or maybe you have multiple trees with themes … making your own ornaments is a great way to decorate those trees! I am going to share some of my favorite ornaments I have made in the next few blog posts. Along with photos of the ornaments, I’ll share supplies needed and links to tutorials (if available) I’ve found helpful as well.

GLITTER GLITTER GLITTER

My favorite ornaments to make are glitter ornaments. They are very popular amongst crafters and those with cutting machines such as those made by Cricut or Silhouette. The possibilities are endless and the materials are few. So grab some fine glitter, Polycrylic gloss finish, ribbon, and create a design using vinyl and you are set to go!  

The photos above show a sampling of glittered ornaments I have made, either for myself or for gifts. There are a couple of different techniques that can be used, but most crafters will tell you to use Polycrylic, not Mop and Glo and to use fine glitter (however, note for the Joy to the World ornament, I used larger glitter in the shape of stars and hearts). To make these ornaments, you basically pour a small amount of Polycrylic into the glass ornament and swirl it around carefully starting at the bottom and working your way back to the opening, then you let the excess Polycrylic drip out into a disposable cup. Next, you pour in a couple of tablespoons of glitter and gently move your ornament round and round and work the glitter from the bottom to the top as you swirl it around. It will stick to the Polycrylic. Add more glitter if needed and make sure to cover the entire inside of your ornament. Next, you let your ornament, sit on top of a cup or muffin pan so it can drip and dry. Let it dry completely, about 24 hours. Once it is dry, you can apply your vinyl design you created using your Cricut or Silhouette.

In the photos above, you can see some of the needed supplies. The first photo shows how my vinyl design looked prior to applying it to my ornament. Next is a photo of the Polycrylic, which you can purchase at Walmart or a Hardware Store. I will admit the first glitter ornaments I made, I did use a mop floor finish and it did work well. But what I have heard from other crafters is it might not hold up well over time. You can experiment and see what works best for you! Next is a photo of some of the glitter I used. For the most part, you want to use fine glitter because it sticks better and spreads evenly. However, if you want to use shaped glitter and not cover the entire surface, it does work. You can purchase glitter from any craft store. The ornaments in the photo above are large glass ornaments I purchased at Michaels, but you can buy ornaments from any craft store as well as Walmart and Amazon. I prefer glass but many people like to use plastic especially if they have young children. You can buy different sizes and shapes as well. You will see some different shape glass ornaments in my next blog post about filling ornaments with various items. Here are a few more of my creations!

If you need more info on how to make these ornaments, go to YouTube and search “glitter ornaments with Polycrylic” and a ton of videos will come up showing you step by step how to make these beautiful masterpieces! If you like this blog post, give me a like and make sure to follow my blog to see my next few posts about more ornaments to make for Christmas! I’d love to see your creations, so stop by my Pinterest page and share in the comments! Thanks for stopping by, Kristina