(You can download a free PDF file of this tutorial…just click HERE)
I’ve had lots of people asking me how I made my glitter birthstone ornaments, so I thought doing a tutorial would be a good idea. This would also be a GREAT project to do with kids, for an awesome handmade Christmas gift idea, because they are so quick and easy. And the best part? The glitter is inside the glass ball, so you can admire them all you want without becoming sparkly head to toe yourself. Unless you want to be sparkly head to toe, and in that case, I can’t help you. At least not in this blog post.
You will need:
- clear glass ornaments (Joann’s and Michael’s carry them during the Christmas season, or you can get them online at Hobby Lobby).
- glitter (hooray for glitter!)
- okay, are you ready for this one? floor wax. (sounds weird, yes, but this is the amazing secret ingredient.)
First, make sure you start with a clean ornament. I use rubbing alcohol to clean them, and I explain how and why in a previous blog post I wrote about how to make these glass Easter ornaments.
Now, about the floor cleaner…I read about this idea more than a year ago when I was reading a crafting forum somewhere, and I completely dismissed it. I had visions of bald-headed men and toxic looking yellow Lysol-like stuff, and decided that whoever had had this idea must have been a little cuckoo. Then one day I was shopping in the cleaning products section of the black hole of doom, oops I mean Walmart, and I saw this:
I immediately realized that this was exactly what that person must have been talking about, so I decided to try it out…and I am so glad I did, because it works a-MAAAzing.
So pour a little bit into the ornament, and swirl it around. I don’t shake it, because then it gets kind of bubbly.
Then pour the excess back into the bottle. This stuff is a little bit expensive, but it goes a long way. In fact, this bottle is the only bottle I’ve bought…and look how little I’ve used. I might even use it to clean my floors.
Now pour in your glitter and swirl it around the same way as you did with the floor cleaner. You could shake it, but for some unexplainable reason, I don’t like to…I like to swirl it all nice and evenly around the glass. (I guess I’m weird.)
And voila!
oops, sorry. You wanted to see the ornament…
Let it dry for a little while before putting the cap back on…I always take the little wire out of the cap, and put the cap on first (put a little glue around the inside of the cap for security):
and then stick the wire back in…this will keep it from scratching off the glitter on the way in.
All done!
But wait!
Look at what a few little scrapbook stickers and some rhinestones can do…
There are endless ways you could dress these up…any other ideas?
(P.S. You can download a free PDF file of this tutorial…just click HERE)
UPDATE: I tried these with plastic bulbs, and they look great! Read about it HERE.
{ 109 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
Can you use other floor cleaner, like fabuloso? Or just regular glue? Maybe water down the glue?
I’ve gotta tell you, I just did this glitter ornament Thursday with a group of about 50 church kids, ages 3 thru High School! It’s really hard to find a craft that appeals to all age groups ;) They loved it!! Tons of parents came up to me afterwards and asked “HOW did you DO that?” I just smiled and said, “Magic”. Thank you for a magical craft!
BTW, we embellished the ornaments with some glittery snowflake stickers I found at Michaels.
Please help! I did this and now the glitter is coming off! I have to give these as presents in 2 days!
I am experimenting right now with both the glitter ornaments and the ones you paint on the inside. I was wondering how long you let each of them dry before you put the caps back on. The glitter ones seem to dry pretty quickly. I left the painted ones upside down over-night and they still seem pretty wet. Also a lot of paint dripped out, maybe I used to much? I put them out in the garage because it is cold and I thought they might dry quicker. I would like to be able to perfect both of these ornaments so I can give them as gifts throughout the year. They are absolutely gorgeous and I just want to make sure I am doing everything right so I don’t wasted a bunch of money. Thanks :)
I love this tutorial – I know it’s way after Christmas, but I’m hoping my town has some of these on major discount somewhere so I can make some right NOW! haha!
Also, I noticed while I was looking for tutorials that this website http://www.furnishburnish.com/diy/diy-glitter-ornaments/ is using the photo of your 2 ornaments with the snowflakes and rhinestones on it without any credit. I’m a major advocate of copyright laws and give credit where credit is due and I thought I would let you know.
I’m glad you like the tutorial, Ash! And THANK YOU for letting me know about the photo. Grrrr… I just sent them an email about it. If I don’t hear back, I’ll be posting it on their facebook page next! Thank you so much. I hope you are able to find the ornaments somewhere on clearance. If not, they do carry them at hobbylobby.com (just not at a clearance price!).
Just so you know, they STILL have YOUR PIC on their site with NO CREDIT. Talk about gutsy.
Ugh! I had forgotten about this one; thank you so much for reminding me. This time, I sent them a DMCA Notice of Copyright Infringement. (Second one I’ve had to send this week!) I have to see a lawyer tomorrow about another case of copyright infringement involving one of my patterns… I may as well bring this up to him as well, since this website ignored me the first time I emailed!
Ugh, I just don’t get how people can do this! :(
Great idea! Love these clear ornaments. The ideas are endless in decorating them!
← Previous Comments
{ 11 trackbacks }