Creating a personalized, ornamental ball for the tree can be as individual as you like. Mine are red balls with golden glass paint depicting a design and each loved one's name.
By Christine Weber
This page contains the following solutions.
To make beautiful homemade Christmas tree ornaments, pour or squeeze craft paint, your choice of colors, into clear glass bulbs. Twirl the bulbs around, holding your finger over the open top, and watch the paint swirl around.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have seen Christmas balls that are originally clear glass. The balls have paint on the inside that has been swirled around. They were lovely.
How do I make them? I have tried with my regular paint and with glass window paint neither did any swirling. Thank you.My grandchildren and I did this a few years ago. I purchased oil based paint from the craft store (came in small squeeze bottles. We matched up two or even three colors, shot about 1/4 teaspoon (you will figure out amounts after about one or two trys) down separate sides counted to 5 and swirled the ornaments, they came out beautiful.
Just saw this post the other day. They are beautiful!
The kids did these in Sunday School and they came out great. We had them choose 3 colors and put in a small puddle of each all at once. Add each color on a different spot. As they were swirled around they blended with each other perfectly. We let them drain in paper cups and the next Sunday they were drained and dry.
An addition to previous post. The kind of paint we used was just everyday acrylic craft paint
My best advice is to use very little paint at a time and let one color begin to dry before adding a second color. Remember that once you let them sit, the liquid will continue to move. Make sure you put names on them if you are making them with a group because they will not be what you left them looking like when you return.
I wonder if adding a little water or paint conditioner (you will find this product where the paint sprayers are) will help dilute the paint enough to swirl?
I tried using 'paint' only and it just kind of sat there, I got frustrated and put the bulbs back in the box! Maybe I'll try it again and post back if it worked and how I did it the 'EASY' way :)
I tried making these, but they didn't turn out so well. I swirled the paint in and left them upside down in an egg carton to dry. They looked great at the time, but the next day they looked pretty bad.
I tried making these, but they didn't turn out so well. I swirled the paint in and left them upside down in an egg carton to dry. They looked great at the time, but the next day they looked pretty bad. They had large bare spots where the paint didn't stick. Someone told me to try rinsing the ornaments with alcohol first, but I had the same outcome. Any ideas? Thanks!
I just tried to do these, too and the paint wouldn't swirl well. It seemed to be too thick. Then, when I added more paint, it swirled but it wasted so much and the ornament cracked at the top over night while it was drying upside down. What did I do wrong? I used acryllic paint.
www.save-on-crafts.com/
Check out the above website, it gives good instructions. I make these every year.
I have made a few of these ornaments and listed them in my Etsy shop. www.teresascrafts.etsy.com
They are fairly easy to make and it's always a surprise to see how they turn out!
(Submitted via email)
My grandchildren painted the inside of ornaments yesterday. The paint swirled great and they look so good this morning, except several of the ornaments cracked at the top. How can we avoid this?
Diana M.
I found a simple and fun option to paint. I cut the decorative rope garland into small pieces and pushed it with a large crochet hook into the glass bulb, put the cap on add a ribbon voila! no drying time. I sold these at a craft sale. Imagine my surprise to last season to see this ornament on a friend's tree. She had received it as a package topper on a gift in a previous season.
What kind of paint did you use? Alcohol paint to give it a mesmerizing swirl?
How do I get paint to stick on glass ball ornaments?
Elizabeth from Alabama
If it is in your budget, get paint made for glass like Gallery Glass. If not, there is an additive that can be purchased from Decoart I believe that is mixed with regular craft paint to work on glass. Also if you just want to paint the balls all over, the easiest way is to remover the cap with loop from the top and pour paint INSIDE the balls, swirl it around inside for a few seconds, then turn it upside down in a styro or paper cup and let the paint drain out. It can be reused. You can do this with a couple of colors and you get a really nice marble effect.
Inside the glass ball is my problem. Sometimes it will stick and sometimes it won't. Thank you
I know when you are painting the outside you need to wipe them down with rubbing alcohol. Perhaps you could try rinsing out the inside with rubbing alcohol and allow to dry.
WHAT TO USE INSIDE GLASS BALLS TO GET PAINT TO STICK.
I have some clear glass Christmas ornaments that I want to paint for my tree this year. I have a treetop bow that has red birds on it. I would like to paint red birds on the ornaments. My tree is white.
Check stickers (or a photo) of the bird you want, then copy it in several sizes - several copies. There is sticky stencil material at craft stores you can put over the copy you want and make a stencil, or just cut out the paper one and use Modpodg or tacky glue to put it on the curved surface. I no longer have photo of the ladybugs of 3 sizes I put on planters.
Be sure to get paint that is designed to stick on glass. Lots of paints will flake off from glass. If you can find plastic ornaments, fabric paint, the 3-D kind, works very well.
Ask a nearby child to draw a bird for you? let them participate!
