Today’s ornament idea is really quick and easy, but super nifty…popcorn inside clear glass ornaments. I can’t take credit for this idea…I saw it on make-stuff.com (and there are a few other cute ideas for clear glass ornaments on that page, too, so check it out) and I’ve been wanting to try it for myself and see if it actually worked. I did have a few tragic glass ornament casualties while I was experimenting…but once I figured out the correct popcorn kernel to microwave time ratio (very scientific), they came out really cute.
You’ll need:
- Clean and dry clear glass ornaments. (These are cheap cheap cheap right now at Michael’s and Joann’s) Make sure you only use clear ones, not any that are frosty or pearly or anything like that…those could cause major issues in the microwave. And even though I love Christmas ornaments, they certainly aren’t worth burning the house down over. Oh, on that note, count on a few extra than you expect to need…I had one break on me, and I also used a few extra while I was trying to get my microwave time right.
- Plain popcorn. Don’t use the microwave kind, because they are all greasy and will make the inside of the ornament all icky looking.
- A brown paper lunch bag
- A small microwave safe dish…I just used one of those little mini Pyrex prep bowls.
- A ribbon to hang the ornament from.
There will still be some unpopped kernels left…after the ornament has cooled down, just shake the leftover kernels out, pop the lid back on, and tie a piece of ribbon to the top…voila!
You could even dress it up a little by adding other things, like artificial berries, mini pinecones…just keep in mind that if you put anything in that’s got any weight to it, it’s going to fall to the bottom and stay there.
Very simple, but also really festive!
An update!
I had a few people ask if this ornament would last in storage. Here is mine after a year in my stifling hot Florida attic… it’s still looking pretty good!
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this idea. I just have a stupid question: do you have to get rid of the popcorn after Christmas or does it “keep”?
Not a stupid question at all…I’m actually wondering the same thing myself. I am going to pack mine away and see how it looks next Christmas. :D
You can pack them i have some from 2010 and it still looks great!!(:
Thanks, Savanna! Mine still looks great too!
Until this year, I had some that were 12 years old. They still break when you drop them LOL, but I always just put them back into their box and stored the box in the same rubbermaid tote as the rest of the ornaments. Never had an issue – they looked great every year.
Thanks for the directions – I couldn’t remember exactly what we had done and I did want to make some more as they always receive comments. I do remember the paper bag as extremely important when figuring your microwave settings. Every one is different. Mine at home did one setting, when we did them at school, that microwave took less than 45 seconds!
Wow, that is awesome that they still looked great after all that time. Thanks for sharing that with us! :)
I tried to make these awesome ornaments but I tried twice and both times hot kernels like shot up out of the ornament and broke it. Has this happened to you? Do you know what is going wrong???
Hey Lindsey… I had a few breakages too. I had to figure out the right amount of kernels and the right amount of time, and once I got it, they all worked pretty well after that. You might try adjusting the amount of kernels a little from what I wrote above because of our microwaves being different.
But yes, I probably broke 3 or 4 before I got it right, which is kind of a bummer, but once I got that time/kernel ratio down, I didn’t have any more problems.
I wish I could give you an exact answer…. good luck though!
Lindsey, I never asked before, but did you make sure to use the paper bag? I think that helps them pop faster, in the same way that the microwavable popcorn bags do… you probably did, but I just want to make sure.
Could this possibly work with the clear plastic bulbs? As well
I definitely wouldn’t try microwaving a plastic ornament, but they do make plastic balls that open all the way up. You could pop some popcorn separately, and then add them to the ball afterwards, and I’m sure that would work great!
This is adorable! I’ve linked to it on my blog… Thanks for sharing!
Melissa, thank you SO much…I appreciate it! :)
I made these, and they came out so nicely! I actually used larger plastic ornaments, which were great because I was able to pop the popcorn before hand and just put it into the ornament through the larger opening. I added some rhinestones to the ornament, ribbon around the hook and paired them with handmade fancy hangers (you posted about) and they look AWESOME.
Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Renee, that is great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how they came out! I love the idea of using the plastic too, so you don’t even have to worry about the ornament breaking. That’s awesome!
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