6 DIY Glass Ornament Ideas

November 30, 2012 | Posted By: Jamie Hand | Categorized in: Home & Auto, Gift Ideas

With Christmas a little under a month to go, its time to get those trees out of the attic and start decorating. If you are looking to add some new life to your tree, there are plenty of ways to do it. You certainly do not have to hit up the fancy Christmas sections in the department stores. For under $10, you can score a box of clear glass ornaments from either Amazon or your local craft store. In doing so, give a splash of color to your ornaments by using materials you already have around the house. From napkins to old baby socks, you can transform any plain ornament into something fun. Plus, its a great activity to involve children. Their imaginations will go wild.

Here are six different ideas on how to dress up or reuse glass ornaments:

Baby Sock Ornament
Preserve the memories of your child’s early years by turning their favorite baby socks into a tree ornament. This baby sock is size 6-12 month, which fit perfect over the ornament. I tied the sock at the top and used a matching ribbon to hang on the tree.

Personalized Photo Ornament
Print out one of your favorite photos. Cut a circle slightly smaller than the diameter of the glass ball. Roll the circle cut photo into a tight roll with the picture on the outside. Push photo into the center of the glass ball using a chopstick or pencil to guide it into place. Stuff recycled tissue paper behind the photo to keep it upright.

Yard Sale Dot Ornament
Use leftover price stickers from your neighborhood yard sale. My three year old assistant placed the stickers on the ball. To finish we tied recycled ribbon from a birthday present to the top of the ornament.

Decorative Napkin Ornament
This is a great way to use up those pretty decorative napkins leftover from other celebrations throughout the year. Using a chopstick or pencil as a guide push the napkin through the center of the ornament ball. Finish with ribbon at the top.

Decorative Yarn Ornament
Fill the ornament with your favorite leftover decorative yarn or ribbon. Push one end of the yarn down the hole and use a chopstick or pencil to direct which way you want the yarn to fill. I used textured yarn left over from a previous project. I added a personal touch by writing the year and family name on a tag and sliding it over the yarn. Wrap the top of the ornament in extra yarn to give a finishing touch and leave some extra yarn to make a loop for the tree.

Creepy Crawly Ornament
Use your creepy, crawly plastic bugs and/or insects, which can be purchased at any Dollar Store, to fill the ornament. My 3 year old son enjoyed picking out which plastic bugs to use. The plastic bugs were pretty easy to push through the center and I used the chopstick to maneuver each bug into the correct position.

Jamie Hand is an art instructor, busy mom of two, and blogger at Hand Made Kids Art. Follow her blog for creative kid projects and video tutorials.

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6 DIY Glass Ornament Ideas

Here are six different ideas on how to dress up or reuse glass ornaments:

Additional Resources