When we saw these handmade ornaments from Pam Dudley of Pam’s Painted Petals and Design we knew we had to share them! Thank you so much to Pam for teaching us how to make these fantastic DIY Christmas Ornaments.

DIY Alcohol Ink Christmas Ornaments

Supplies

• Glass or plastic ornaments. I prefer the shatterproof versions found at craft stores!
• Air Blower. You can use canned compressed air but I use an air compressor with an airbrush tip. You can also use a USB rechargeable blower but you will definitely need something more powerful than your lungs and a straw for this technique. Canned air for the computer can work and this is what I chose when I made mine.
• A variety of alcohol inks. I use Ranger Inks, but any brand or color will work.
• Fine or Extra Fine Gold / Silver Glitter. Any color will work, but I prefer silver and gold because they show up better.
• White Acrylic Paint, watered down.
• Isopropyl Alcohol for cleanup.
• Gloves
• Egg crates. If you don’t have those, find somewhere you can rest the ornaments upside down (like small paper cups) so the excess fluids drain out.
• Paper towels
• A funnel or sheet of paper to use as a funnel in order to pour glitter into the ornament.

Steps

Safety first! Make sure you wear gloves, the ink can get on your hands! It will come off… but not right away.

Take off the cap of the plastic ornament. Put a few drops of your alcohol ink into the opening of the ball ornament. Spin the ornament around and cover however much of the inside of the ornament that you like with the first color. Repeat the process with as many colors as you like; I like to sticker with three.

Once you’ve gotten the inside of the ornament fully covered, use the air to spread out the ink inside. The less air you use, the more defined your edges and lines will be. Once you’ve achieved your desired effect, allow the ornaments to dry upside down for about 10 to 15 minutes. Squeeze your watered-down white acrylic paint into the opening of the ball, swirling the same way that you did with the inks. The reaction between the ink and the paint will give you a really beautiful finish. If you’d like to add glitter, do that before emptying out your white paint. Shake very well until you have as much glitter as you’d like.

Turn the ornament upside down once more and leave it to fully dry. I like to paint the silver top to a coordinating color, gold, or silver. Finish with a ribbon of your choice!

DIY Paint Pour Christmas Ornaments

Supplies

• Glass or plastic ornaments. I prefer the shatterproof versions found at craft stores!
• Acrylic pouring medium. I use Flood Floetrol.
• Acrylic paint in your preferred colors.
• Dowel rods
• Styrofoam blocks
• Popsicle sticks
• Gloves.
• Glitter, if you want to add some sparkle.

Steps

Safety first! Make sure you wear gloves, the paint can get on your hands! It will come off… but not right away.

Start by placing your dowel rod into the Styrofoam block. This is where you will place your ornament upside down as you pour paint. The first thing after taking off the topper and setting aside is to add a primer on the clear balls, which will help the paint adhere to your ball and not scratch off. Then, place your ornament on the dowel.

This process can be both messy and lengthy, but it is always fun! You can use any acrylic paint, mica powders, or pigment powders, so long as you mix them with an acrylic pouring medium, like Floetrol. I usually mix 2 parts Floetrol to 1 part paint. Each color needs to be mixed in a separate cup. Once you’ve chosen your colors, you will pour the colors into another cup very slowly, one at a time, being careful not to mix. The first color you pour into the cup will be the last one that you pour out, so keep that in mind as you layer your paints before the next step.

Try swirling the cup in different ways as you pour the paint onto the outside of the ornament for different effects. It is okay if there is a lot of excess paint runoff. The important part is to check around the entire ornament to make sure there are no bare areas. This is where popsicle sticks come in handy.
You can keep pouring paints one after the other over and over if you have several balls that you are working on. This technique is called a “Dirty Pour.” If you don’t want to mess with mixing in the acrylic pouring medium, you can find pre-mixed paints at most craft stores these days. I have been experimenting and found that using both types (homemade and pre-mixed) creates such interesting patterns of cells!

And, of course, if you want some sparkle just sprinkle on some glitter while the paint is still wet!

When completely dry, seal the ornament with a satin or gloss finish, whatever you prefer.

Follow Pam for more creative DIY Christmas Ornaments!

You can follow Pam (@PamsPaintedPetalsandDesigns) on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok for more! Be sure to visit her Etsy page for her latest designs.