Holiday DIY: Simple Filled and Painted Ornaments Tutorial

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm addicted to making ball ornaments this year! It's just so simple and there are so many variations!

You can fill glass ball ornaments with yarn, twine, feathers, fake snow, pine needles and random craft supplies. You can also fill them with paint! It's so easy to do.All you need is a clear ornament and your favorite acrylic paint.I'm really loving Martha Stewart's paint line. It is full of so many gorgeous colors and shades.

Squirt about a teaspoon of paint directly into the ornament.

Slowly swirl it around until it coats the inside.

Use a plastic bottle or paper cup to store the ornament upside down. Leave it there overnight so that all the excess paint runs out.

Add the metal cap and voila! A lovely painted ornament in any shade you choose! You can use acrylic paint to add details to the outside, or leave it blank.

Update: Here are a couple of additional tips based on questions and comments over the past year:

Be sure to start with a small amount of paint. If it doesn't coat the inside entirely, you can add more as you go. Adding too much at the start may slow the drying process.
Leave the painted ornament upside down for at least 24 hours to let all the paint run out.
Having the paint drip out will make the opening of the ornament messy -- clean it with a baby wipe or paper towel. Or once its dry, sand the paint enough so the metal cap can be put back in its place

I also tried filling with Martha Stewart's flocking powder. It leaves a nice, cotton candy-like texture.

I used some varnish to coat the inside of the ornament first...to give the flocking powder something to stick to.

Let it dry for 15 minutes, not completely, just enough to get sticky. Then coat the inside with the flocking powder.

Using the same varnish to coat another ornament, I poured some candy sprinkles inside! These would be great stocking stuffers for kids..just make sure they don't try to eat them! You could seal the metal top with some glue on the inside if you're worried about that ;)

Update: For the ornaments using varnish, be careful only to use a small amount. The flocking powder ornament especially requires just enough varnish to make the inside of the glass tacky to the touch. Any more will be too wet and cause clumping.

I got a little carried away with the paint selection. I tried glitter, satin, high gloss and pearl. Each makes a different, yet gorgeous effect.

Comments

DIY craft videos

Upcycled Drawers to Side Tables

We rescued some large mid century drawers and turned them into bright side tables. 2 extra large drawers, 8 little legs, and some scrap wood. The legs were attached with blind nuts and a wood shelf was added. A couple coats of paint later and bland drawers become bright accents. I chose to leave the original handles on to keep the mid century feel, two sets of legs were used, although they didn't match exactly, we trimmed one pair and the slight miss match adds to their charm and uniqueness. *Due to many questions I am adding more info here after original publishing. We attached the shelf with wood glue and brads (thinner headless nails) and the legs are attached with blind nuts- available in most hardware stores. *** added after original post This set of little drawers has really made the rounds. Since being posted they have been seen all over the web and Pinterest. They even made it into Mary Janes Farm magazine! I was contacted from another publication to feature the...

DIY MENU BOARD

Hello, SITS readers! It is Lindsay, back to share with you a DIY project that will hopefully help me get organized with meal planning this summer. I don’t know about you, but a lot of times, at the end of a busy day, the last thing I want to do is think about what to have for dinner! I know there is a better way to organize our meals and grocery shopping and it all has to start with an actual meal plan for the week. So, what do clearance teak wood coasters, plywood and frame pieces have in common? They all come together to make a menu board. This DIY menu board is going to help plan our weekly meals and make my grocery shopping a lot easier this summer. (Fingers crossed) . DIY MENU BOARD During the week, planning meals and getting dinner organized and on the table can be a struggle with our busy schedule. By the end of the day, I am tired and we are usually getting ready to head out to one activity or another. For some time no...

DIY Crafts

Search This Blog