glitter ornaments handmade with clear plastic bulbs

(You can download a free PDF file of this tutorial…just click HERE)

 UPDATES:

  1. I tried these with plastic bulbs, and they look great! Read about it HERE.
  2. The Pledge product I used in this project is now called: Pledge floor care multi-surface finish. One of our lovely readers contacted Pledge and found out that this is the same exact product…she didn’t leave her name, but I sincerely thank her for clearing this up for us!

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 right HERE).
  • glitter (this is my favorite 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:

pledge floor cleaner glitter ornaments

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.

(ps. The look of the bottle has changed… you can see what it looks like now, right HERE.)

So pour a little bit into the ornament, and swirl it around. I don’t shake it, because then it gets kind of bubbly.

swirl floor cleaner around inside glass ornament

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 one day.

pour excess floor cleaner back in bottle

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.)

swirl glitter around inside glass ornament

And voila!

i love elvis

oops, sorry. You wanted to see the ornament…

glitter glass 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):

clear glass ornament lid

and then stick the wire back in…this will keep it from scratching off the glitter on the way in.

put cap back on glass ornament

All done!

But wait!

Look at what a few little scrapbook stickers and some rhinestones can do…

how to make glitter ornaments

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)

UPDATES:

  1. I tried these with plastic bulbs, and they look great! Read about it HERE.
  2. The Pledge product I used in this project is now called: Pledge floor care multi-surface finish. One of our lovely readers contacted Pledge and found out that this is the same exact product…she didn’t leave her name, but I sincerely thank her for clearing this up for us!

479 Comments

  1. Ronny Howard on November 21, 2016 at 12:30 pm

    This looks like a really fun idea! I have a young daughter that would love making these for her mom this Christmas. I like that the glitter is inside the glass ball so that they can be admired without getting glitter everywhere. Thanks for the fun idea!

    • Anonymous on December 6, 2017 at 11:22 am

      I love the ornament with a glitter Thankyou

    • Nancy D on October 25, 2019 at 9:46 am

      Great idea. I have 2 grandchilden ages 5 and 8. This would be a great project for us to work on.

      • cheryl on October 29, 2019 at 12:05 am

        If I want to put a word or initial on the ornament, what do you suggest using and how would i keep it on?
        Thanks
        CB

        • Anonymous on November 12, 2019 at 4:52 pm

          If you don’t have a cutting machine, you can get stencils and acrylic paint.

  2. Amber Grosse on November 22, 2016 at 12:35 am

    I am curious (I looked back at all of the comments and didn’t see a previous answer) … what type of glue did you use on the cap?

    • Anonymous on November 26, 2016 at 1:23 am

      Elmer’s worked for mine!

    • Deena on November 22, 2019 at 6:53 pm

      Hi I made these ornaments which I love but when they dried all the glitter fell off inside the ornament? I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, and suggestions? Please

      • Bridget Flores on November 26, 2019 at 11:30 am

        Mine did the same thing. I even tried recoating them but still fell off.

      • Anonymous on November 27, 2019 at 7:25 pm

        Try using Polycrylic by Minwax instead of the floor polish. I’ve used both and have had success with both, but with the Polycrylic you supposedly won’t have this issue.

  3. Anonymous on November 27, 2016 at 5:51 pm

    Did u use anything outside the bulb to make sure the stickers stay on

    • K on October 22, 2017 at 10:27 am

      Clean it with Alcohol pads first then they should stick.

  4. Heather H. on December 3, 2016 at 12:36 pm

    Hi! Great idea and so much fun. Question.. do you happen to know how to remove the pledge cleaner if it gets on surfaces like counters, etc. ?

    • Karan on September 1, 2017 at 7:11 pm

      I used to use this very same Pledge on my floors many years ago. It wears and wears but if you want it removed, ammonia and hot water works well.

  5. Heidi on December 5, 2016 at 4:32 pm

    Do you clean the outside or inside with rubbing alcohol?

    • Karen johnson on November 3, 2018 at 1:58 pm

      do you use the alcohol inside and outside on the bulb

  6. Cherisma H. on December 6, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    I would like to do Christmas ornamets on Sunday Dec. 11th. Mixing the glitter and faux snow. Do I still need to add Pledge to the plastic ornaments? Thank you

  7. Maida on December 7, 2016 at 12:14 am

    Love these! Quick question– about how much glitter is used per ball? I’m planning on doing these with a class and am trying to figure out how much glitter I need to buy! Thanks!

  8. Linky Thursday | StacySews on December 8, 2016 at 11:57 am

    […] to make your tree sparkle? These (no-sew) glitter ornaments keeps the sparkle on the inside so you don’t find it all over your house. Looking for […]

  9. Mikaela on December 9, 2016 at 2:41 am

    Quick question: I checked all over for pledge floor finish, and can’t find a bottle anywhere. Would I be able to use floor cleaner rather than wax? Would it have an effect on the final product?

    • Tracy K on December 15, 2016 at 7:06 pm

      You can buy it on Amazon – I just got mine today :)

      • Barb Adams on August 1, 2017 at 3:44 pm

        I used mop and glo when I made mine….. worked great

        • Anonymous on December 12, 2017 at 3:10 pm

          Was it map
          And glow one step

    • 6 oz) on November 24, 2018 at 11:03 pm

      I used Liquid Turtle Zip Wax (Quick & Easy-$2.99-$3.99 for 16 ounces.) instead of floor wax and it worked great. My husband also tried some liquid furniture oil/wax which did work but not as well as the Turtle Wax.

  10. Kerri on December 12, 2016 at 10:52 am

    I used polycrylic but it seems the color faded they started off such a beatiful Christmas green but now looks like a lime color has anyone had this happen ?

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  13. Michelle C Faustermann on December 21, 2016 at 5:16 am

    Will glue work as well? I hate to have a bottle of stuff I’m going to use so very little of hanging around in my already overloaded stash.

    • Barb A on August 1, 2017 at 3:46 pm

      NO! I tried a few different kinds stick with the stuff on here or mop and glo.

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  16. tammie on May 14, 2017 at 6:58 pm

    Wondering about your beaded hanger top…do you have pictures or instructions? Looks like a great way to bling it out.

    • Staci Ann Lowry on May 15, 2017 at 1:44 pm

      Tammie… I will see if I can do some instructions for those soon! In the meantime, if it helps, I basically just used jewelry ‘eye pins’ to attach them. :)

  17. Michael Williams on September 16, 2017 at 2:00 pm

    I can’t find that pledge floor care anywhere. I can find pledge floor care cleaner, but not finish. Is amazon the only place to find it? I’ve been to Bi-Lo, Wal-mart, and Lowes.

    • Anonymous on November 10, 2017 at 4:03 pm

      Just got it at my neighborhood walmart (the grocery store). Go to walmart.com and it will tell you if any Of your local stores have it in stock for pick up

    • Marianne on November 24, 2018 at 11:12 pm

      We also had issues finding floor wax that didn’t cost a fortune so we tried Liquid Turtle Zip Wax which was inexpensive ($2.99-$3.99 for 16 oz). We also tried some liquid furniture wax but it doesn’t work as well and glitter doesn’t adhere as well. The turtle wax worked like a charm-it has a slight blue tint but that didn’t affect the color of the glitter at all! and it wipes off easily and very shiny. :)

  18. Cheryl Kwasniewski on October 13, 2017 at 4:38 pm

    I’d like to do the glitter ornaments and was wondering what size glitter you used. Do you recommend any particular brand since the Martha Stewart seems to have been discontinued?

    • Sally on November 19, 2017 at 3:45 pm

      I seem to get the best results with extra fine glitter.

  19. Judy Snyder on October 17, 2017 at 8:22 pm

    I think I just found the perfect project for my granddaughter who is coming for the weekend and loves crafts….Thanks as always for sharing Staci….

  20. Betty on October 24, 2017 at 8:10 pm

    I have heard that pine sol also works. Did anyone try it?

  21. Maureen Sullivan on October 27, 2017 at 2:53 pm

    I made these 2years ago and used Rave hair spray,and came out great and still look great.

  22. Colleen on October 28, 2017 at 9:00 am

    Help, from the UK and we don’t have this product and can’t find an alternative video online..any UK floor finishes that works..tia Colleen

    • Claire Catchpole on September 22, 2018 at 7:33 am

      OMG!!! I have just tried this and it is fabulous!!! I had trouble getting the floor wax here in the UK. I eventually found it in Home Bargains (called Astonish wood floor polish) and it was under £2! Thank you!!

  23. Janet on November 3, 2017 at 8:26 pm

    If i didn’t coat the plastic disc well enough with Pledge can i redo it after the glitter is dry from first round?

  24. Emilia Carvalho on December 6, 2017 at 11:26 am

    I thing is a very good ideia love it !!!!

  25. Kt on December 10, 2017 at 1:35 am

    Any chance you can give me a list of alternative that we can substitute for the floor finish to make the glitter stick

    • Marianne on November 24, 2018 at 11:15 pm

      Turtle Zip Wax-about $3.00 for 16 oz-works like a charm and wipes up easily!

  26. Stephanie Roberts on December 12, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    Tried this and it worked great initally. After about a week the glitter has started to fall off. I have already written on and decorated the outside of the balls and would prefer not to start again. Any suggestions?

  27. Elaine K on December 17, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    So amazingly easy!!! Thank you for sharing!!

  28. Teresa Freeman on January 12, 2018 at 8:32 am

    Sadly…I dropped a precious glass train engine ornament of my son’s and broke it. Through tears I had an idea to smash it further and put the pieces into a glass ball ornament. My question is…will this work with small pieces of broken glass rather than glitter?

  29. Cynthy Lee on June 19, 2018 at 10:22 pm

    That’s beautiful! Do you need some helper to measure the fire hazard of electrical parts and components subjected , you can know more about Glow Wire Tester in: http://www.testextextile.com/product/glow-wire-tester/

  30. Amberly on November 2, 2018 at 8:48 am

    I’m so excited!!! I can’t wait to make them for my classes! Thank you for sharing!!

  31. Nicole Jensen on November 3, 2018 at 5:13 pm

    I wish you said what color of glitter you used for your birthstones.

  32. Leanne on November 4, 2018 at 8:17 pm

    These are beautiful! I want to make some for Christmas.

  33. […] new life. Another great idea is to put the glitter inside of the bulbs. This instruction guide from The Ornament Girl will give you all of the details that you […]

  34. Heidi on November 7, 2018 at 12:39 pm

    I am curious as to it the glitter stays put over time. I am planning to do these as gifts and want to make sure they will

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  36. Heather Jackson on November 21, 2018 at 12:33 am

    I made these and after a week the glitter all fell off – is there another product you would suggest?? I used plastic ornaments

    • Julie on November 27, 2018 at 12:33 am

      Polycrylic gloss

  37. Tina on November 26, 2018 at 12:27 am

    I looooove this idea. I only have a quick 2 questions… What happens if the glitter doesn’t cover well? Is it the glitter or the floor cleaner?

  38. April on November 26, 2018 at 8:58 pm

    is it safe for preschool kids to do?

  39. Diane L Miller on December 3, 2018 at 4:59 pm

    I was wondering if anyone ever tried Top Coat Clear nail polish ?

  40. Diane L Miller on December 3, 2018 at 5:01 pm

    has anyone tried a top coat clear polish ?

  41. Terri on December 5, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    Would mod podge work if you can’t find the floor wax?

    • Staci Ann Lowry on January 28, 2019 at 7:00 pm

      Terri, I do think it would work, but will probably not be quite as sparkly as the acrylic-based floor wax would be.

  42. Jennifer Heffron on December 10, 2018 at 10:52 am

    Do you need superfine glitter, or will any glitter do?

    • Rena on December 12, 2018 at 9:54 pm

      I have been all over town today trying to get some ( pledge revive it floor gloss ) with no luck. What else could I use to make the glitter balls.

    • Staci Ann Lowry on January 28, 2019 at 7:00 pm

      I do prefer the super fine glitter.. I feel this covers a little better.

  43. Anna on February 6, 2019 at 4:42 pm

    Can you use acrylic paints instead of glitter?

  44. 21 Christmas Ornaments You'll Love To Make | on October 31, 2019 at 8:32 pm

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  45. Lucinda Himelright on November 7, 2019 at 9:09 am

    I tried this and once everything dried the glitter fell off in the bulb and would not stick. So I went to using spray glue.

  46. Anita on November 23, 2019 at 1:58 am

    Hi, I’m seeing a lot of comments about glitter falling off. Swishing rubbing alcohol inside to clean off dirt and oils before you start is important. Let it dry. You can try a product by Beacon called Glitter It, that’s what I used. It can be pricey but Michael’s, Joanne’s, and Hobby lobby always have a coupon.

  47. MaryAnne on November 25, 2019 at 6:02 pm

    How much glitter per bulb?

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