I was inspired by seeing all the Christmas craft supplies at Factory Direct Crafts to come up with something simple and fun to do with my kids with the clear glass Christmas ball ornaments.
Surely this is something that my kids could help me do that we could give as gifts and decorate our own tree.
I wanted to figure out a way to create pattern within the clear glass ball.
Kinda like building a ship in a bottle only the easy, kid version.
We ended up using the glass version because my boys are a bit older, but there are acrylic clear balls available that can be even easier when making Christmas ornaments with small kids.
We had done a marble painting project awhile back and I thought that might work inside the ornament. If I could plop some paint in the bottom and then gently drop a small marble inside, I could create lines with the paint by manipulating the marble.
I found some of the kids’ magnetic spheres that fit well into the top of the ornament. Because of the weight of these, it is really important to roll them into place gently and then use a swirling motion instead of a shaking motion.
Homemade ornaments for kids
Materials:
- dozen or more clear Christmas ornament balls
- small marble or ball bearing
- paint
- floor wax and fine glitter {if desired}
- curling ribbon
We found that you could do multi-colors if you waited between layers. We also found that you could mix the paint and glitter if patience was involved. I used floor wax {which dries clear} with the glitter to adhere it to the inside of the clear ball if I wanted the glitter to be on the outside layer.
Here are some of our favorites…
This one is simply white paint in the bottom and then swirled with the marble. I tried to graduate the swirling so that the white was denser at the bottom and thinned at the top of the ornament. It reminded me of clouds.
This is the same ornament on a tree tied with red curling ribbon. The glass has a pretty iridescence that catches the light.
This one used red paint first in the same swirling motion and then a secondary layer of green glitter. In this case, we simply shook the glitter into the ball while the paint was still wet. My 8 year old made this one.
This was my 5 year old’s creation. He used the floor wax first and then added both red and green glitter. Once that dried he stuffed in some of the red and green curling ribbon. It is hard to fully appreciate how pretty this looks in a photograph. It is my favorite from the day.
This one started with white paint and then added wax and clear glitter.
My kids LOVED this project. I would advise that an adult take off the ornament tops and make sure there aren’t sharp surfaces there. We did end up breaking a ball, but the mess was easily contained. It reminded us of coloring Easter eggs which is always a favorite family activity.
The final homemade Christmas ornaments are beautiful! We could add personalized tags and they would make a great gift that the child created himself.
Thanks so much to Factory Direct Craft who not only was the inspiration for this post, but its sponsor.
About Holly
Oh I love how these turned out! I have plans on making a few ornaments with my 4 year old! We will have to give this a try!
I just bought a ton of the clear plastic ones from the craft store and was thinking along the same lines! It will be interesting to see what the children come up with! Thanks for all of the tips, yours turned out fantastic!
Be careful with plastic. I’ve done this with glass before with my kids with great results but then tried plastic because I had a whole group of very young kids. The paint we used wasn’t sticking very well to the plastic. So, make sure you use paint that definitely sticks to plastic if you use plastic ones!
What a great idea! JDaniel has been talking about marbles.
Great idea. I myself have been creating some home made items. There is nothing quite like being original, different and letting the kids help out. I love your ornaments.
We have done this without the marble–just swirled and turned upside down to dry. I think the marbles are a great idea!
Those are super cute! I like the idea of using a marble to manipulate the paint.
~Kimberlee
We made these before a long time ago with my older ones. Thanks for the reminder.
Wow, I love this idea! How pretty they turned out!
I love making ornaments too…and I’ve been brainstorming things to do with those clear glass balls! I also especially love it when kids can be involved. Would you share this at my party?
http://oneartmama.blogspot.com/2011/11/shine-on-fridays-2-and-some-fabulous.html
You mentioned magnetic, i wonder what would happen if you manipulated the ball bearing inside with a magnet on the outside??? hmmmm. i’ll have to give it a try. thanks for the inspiration!
I thought this might be a fun story idea for your blog! Thanks so much for checking it out! Merry Christmas, Emily
As the holiday season draws near, Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Giverosity, continues its dedication to helping underprivileged children throughout Texas. With its fresh approach to giving, Giverosity aims to provide an enjoyable, yet efficient way to donate gifts during the hectic holiday season. Giverosity features toy and clothing items online to make it easy to donate anytime from your computer, phone or tablet.
Founded by two young professionals, Taylor Brown and Emily Dawson, Giverosity began with a simple mission – finding a way to give back during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Less than three years later, Giverosity has raised more than $25,000 in charitable donations, impacting the lives of hundreds of local children and spreading holiday cheer. Giverosity has expanded its presence beyond the Dallas-Fort Worth area to Houston in order to reach more deserving children.
Through Giverosity, anyone can go on the site and browse the vast selection of toys and clothing to pick gifts to donate. Since Giverosity is online, busy individuals can skip a trip to the mall and the time it takes to deliver the gifts without sacrificing the opportunity to personally pick out a gift and make someone’s holiday special.
Giverosity and its donors recognize the importance of giving locally and impacting families in need across Texas. Much of this growth can be attributed to the newly formed Development Board, a group of inspired young professionals in various industries coming together to serve their communities and make a difference.
“As a recent graduate I work long hours and although I wanted to give back, I had a hard time fitting it into my work routine,” said Emily Dawson, an investment analyst at Texas Capital Bank. “With Giverosity, I can browse the toys online during my lunch break, late at night or whenever I have a spare second and pick out the perfect gift.”
In Houston, Giverosity has partnered with Goodwill Houston and in DFW donations will benefit the children at Interfaith Housing Coalition, an organization that provides transitional housing and life coaching to homeless families working to get back on their feet. Giverosity’s charitable partners set up a “Christmas store” where all of the toys that have been donated through the website are set out and the parents can select toys to give their children on Christmas morning. “It’s a boost for them this time of year,” Tina Robertson, the Chief Operating Officer at Interfaith said. “Just to see the smiles on the children’s faces is rewarding enough.”
With a simple click of a mouse, Giverosity gives generous donors the power to spread holiday joy to deserving children that otherwise wouldn’t receive anything.
These are gorrrrgeous!
Heya i’m for the primary time here. I found this board and I to find It truly useful & it helped me out a lot. I am hoping to give one thing again and help others like you aided me.