Easy Homemade Ornament Ideas

Here are some easy homemade ornament ideas. You'll need a package or two of clear glass ornaments and several bottles of acrylic paint to make personalized ornaments. 

Experimenting with colors is part of the fun. Metallic shades like gold and silver are classic choices, but we've also had great success with deep red, blue, and green on our handmade ornaments. So, don't be afraid to try these colors and let your creativity run wild.

The night before you create your holiday masterpieces, remove the ornament tops and pour some rubbing alcohol into each one.

Swish it around, and dump it out. This simple cleaning process ensures that the interior is free of any dust or dirt, providing you with a fresh surface to work with. Turn the Christmas ornaments upside down to drain. 

The next morning, gather the paints and glass ornaments and cover your work surface with newspapers to protect it.

Yes, it's a bit of a messy job, but the process itself is a joy. The festive result is well worth the extra clean-up time. Here are a few easy homemade ornament ideas you can try at home, each step of the process is engaging and entertaining.

Add Color

Squirt about three teaspoons (three little squirts) of several different acrylic paints into each ornament. 

Keeping your thumb over the top hole, gently swirl the colors until they're mixed to your liking. 

Then gently return them to the box, upside down, with fresh newspapers underneath. Allow them to dry for a couple of days before using or wrapping them as your customized holiday gifts.

Finish by placing the tops back on and tie with a festive ribbon. Consider stringing beads on the hook for added sparkle. These are great gifts for teachers and grandparents.

Easy Homemade Ornament Ideas if You Want to Get Really Festive

• Personalize it. You can write your name (or the name of the person you're giving it to) on the front, along with the year, in glitter glue or using an acrylic paint pen.

• Make it sparkle. Instead of putting paint in the glass ornament, squirt in a little glue, pour in glitter, and swish it around. Then pour out the leftover and let it dry. Don't use too much—you don't want the whole ball covered—you want to create a pattern. 

• We liked using white glitter. After it dries, stuff the ornament with confetti or beads and your child's class picture.
  

• Design it. You could also write the person's name on the ball with clear glue and then roll it in glitter. 

• Or, you could make a design on the ball - like a snowman - and roll the ball in white glitter. Or, you could outline a tree with the glue and turn it in green glitter. After it dries, glue on little colored beads.

Those are our easy homemade ornament ideas. But the possibilities are endless. Use your imagination to create memories of the season that best reflect your personality and style.