DIY Painted Glass Christmas Ornaments

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by Renae Chiovaro on November 10, 2012

I started making some homemade Christmas gifts this weekend as part of our Heartfelt Holiday gifts. My grandma used to make painted glass ornaments and I thought I would give it a try. This is an easy project although it takes a couple of days to complete due to drying time.

Supplies Needed

  • Clear Glass Ornaments
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Old Muffin Tin or Other Pan
  • Paper Towels
  • Ribbon

Take the metal tops off the clear glass ornaments and set aside. I used an old muffin tin to hold the glass ornaments to make the paint application and drying process easier.

Drip acrylic paint on the inside walls of the glass ornament. I used two to three colors per ornament. Glitter and shimmer paint is the prettiest I think! Once you have a few lines of paint on the inside, place a paper towel over the open hole and shake the ornament. As you shake and roll the ornament the paint will disperse. You may need to add more paint if you are not getting even coverage.

The paint takes several days to dry. One thing I learned is that it is best to place the ornaments upside down to dry for a bit. That way the extra paint will drip out! Place a paper towel in the bottom of the muffin tin and then place the ornament upside down. Let dry for four days. I suggest checking the ornaments each day to make sure the pain is still evenly distributed.

For a more unique look, try baking the ornaments. I baked mine at 325 degrees for about 5 minutes. The paint started to bubble up a bit making a unique texture and pattern. This was actually an error on my part in an effort to rush drying but it actually turned out really neat! Make sure that you watch the ornaments in the oven carefully. If you bake them too long the paint will melt off.

When your ornaments are dry, gently replace the metal cap making sure not to scrape the metal against the paint. Add a pretty a ribbon and you are done!

Looking for more homemade gift ideas? Make sure to check out my Heartfelt Holidays series.

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.

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