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50+ Stunning DIY Glass Ornaments to Adorn Your Christmas Tree

If you bought some Christmas balls and aren’t sure what to do with them, get over 50 DIY glass ornaments to decorate your Christmas tree!

DIY Glass Ornaments to Make

Every year I get a lot of questions about making Christmas ornaments. Which I totally get. Because honestly, the display at the craft store can be a little intimidating. There are a bunch of clear glass balls in a tray and some paints and glitters and Mod Podge.

But what are you supposed to do with it all?

It’s not as straightforward as one might think. There’s quite a lot that you can do, which is what can make it overwhelming! I’m going to show you how to make a bunch of DIY glass ornaments with ALL kinds of different techniques.

And none of them are hard to make.

Preparing the Ornaments

Before getting started, you’re going to want to clean the surface. This step is crucial if you want any painting or Mod Podge to stick. You are removing oils from fingers – oils that repel paint.

Thoroughly wash in warm, soapy water, then rinse in warm water and let dry. You can also use rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball. If you’re going to paint the inside, you’ll want to swirl some rubbing alcohol around on the inside and let dry.

What glue is best?

To add embellishments on top of paint or Mod Podge on the surface, I use craft glue. If it’s directly to the glass, I use E-6000 for the strongest bond.

Christmas tree made with glass baubles

What paint is best?

You’ll want to use one of three things: craft paint made for glass or multisurface, spray paint, or chalk paint.

Regular craft paint can be used on the inside of an ornament, but you won’t want to paint it on the outside. It’s too easy to scrape off. More about painting on glass here.

I’d also love for you to check out my guide to Mod Podge on glass to get my best tips.

How do you fill ornaments with glitter?

There are a few ways to do it. If you have Mod Podge, you can mix it with glitter. Pour it into the ornament, let it drain out, and the Mod Podge dries glittery on the inside.

You can also use floor wax (I know, crazy!). You pour it into the glass ornament, swirl it, then pour out the excess. Then add the glitter, swirl it, and pour out the excess again. Let dry and you have a glitter glass ornament!


Are you ready to learn how to decorate some glass ball ornaments? Take a peek at the list below and let me know your favorites in the comments!

1
DIY handprint snowman ornament
plaidonline.com
Fingerprint Snowman
This is one of my favorite glass ball ornaments of all time! Paint a ball blue, then add a kid's handprint in white for snowmen. Then add the rest of the details. Isn't it so cute?
Get the Tutorial
2
Ten Minute Snow Globe Ornament
Jessica Hill
Ten Minute Snow Globe
The ornament would look beautiful on any tree, and it would also make a thoughtful hostess gift this holiday season.
Get the Tutorial
3
DIY Winter Floral Ornament with Vinyl
Alexis Middleton
DIY Winter Florals
Make a DIY winter floral ornament for your Christmas tree using vinyl and your Silhouette.
Get the Tutorial
4
Peppermint Cocoa Christmas Ornaments
lecremedelacrumb.com:
Peppermint Cocoa
A tasty treat for those neighborhood gifts or use them to decorate your own Christmas tree!
Get the Tutorial
5
Oh Christmas Tree Crafts
Glittered Reindeer
I love the idea of using brown glitter to coat the inside of an ornament and turn it into a cute little reindeer! I love the fun little bow on top too.
Get the Tutorial
6
DIY Sprinkles Ornaments
Ali Martin
Colorful Sprinkles
Sprinkles are naturally colored – making them a great addtion to the middle of the glass balls.
Get the Tutorial
7
Alcohol Ink Ornaments That Look Like Blown Glass
Patti Estep
Alcohol Ink Blown Glass
Learn how to make these beautiful alcohol ink ornaments that resemble blown glass, but are so easy. They also cost very little so you can cover an entire Christmas tree on a budget!
Get the Tutorial
8
Fingerprint Reindeer Ornament
plaidonline.com
Fingerprint Reindeer
Adorn your tree with this cute fingerprint reindeer, perfect for Christmastime crafting with the kids.
Get the Tutorial
9
Glittery Galaxy Inspired DIY Glass Ornaments
Cyd Converse
Glittery Galaxy Inspired
These ornaments feature swirls of glitter to resemble the night sky. These galaxy-inspired glass baubles will become a keepsake you treasure for years to come!
Get the Tutorial
10
Frosty the Snowman glass ball ornament
Aileen Libbey
Frosty the Snowman
From his corncob pipe and button nose to that magical hat placed on his head, this Frosty the Snowman has it all.
Get the Tutorial
11
stlmotherhood.com
Floating Photo
A floating photo ornament has an image — like a family photo — that seems to hover inside a clear ornament like magic. They’re really simple to make if you know the trick: a piece of clear plastic to suspend the photo in the middle of your ornament!
Get the Tutorial
12
Glitter Unicorn Horn Christmas Ornaments
sweetredpoppy.com
Glitter Unicorn Horn
I feel like unicorns have had a moment these past couple years, and I'm glad they're part of Christmas too! These ornaments are glittery and fabulous, and I love that the horns are made out of clay.
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13
DIY Black, White, and Gold Ornaments
homeyohmy.com
Black, White, and Gold
When given a bag of mystery supplies including faux snow and glass ball ornaments, Amy made these upscale looking ornies with gold and black. I'm impressed!
Get the Tutorial
14
plaidonline.com
Poured Paint
Bring some color to your tree with cool paint shades – and the dipped portion is a nice added touch.
Get the Tutorial
15
Christmas Grinch Ornament
catchmyparty.com
Grinch Inspired
Green feathers with a little red heart? That says "the Grinch" to me!
Read More
16
Mandala Christmas Ornaments
plaidonline.com
Mandala Painted
Decorate basic ornaments with a unique mandala pattern for added charm to your Christmas tree!
Get the Tutorial
17
gigglesgalore.net
Painted Copper Leaf
I'm a big fan of aqua and turquoise shades of paint mixed with copper leaf. It's so striking and beautiful! These were made with two supplies, and are much easier than you might think.
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18
tattly.com
Temporary Tattoos
Turns out that temporary tattoos aren't just for wearing on your body – you can also use them for Christmas! They apply straight to the glass, or you can paint the ornaments first.
Get the Tutorial
19
Disney Princess-Inspired Christmas Ornaments
asthebunnyhops.com
Disney Princess-Inspired
Do your kids love Disney princesses? Turn glass balls into your favorite characters . . . then see if your kids can recognize them on the tree.
Get the Tutorial
20
Confetti Ornaments for Christmas in Three Steps
Tissue Paper
These tissue paper ornaments pack a visual punch for Christmas decor, and are easy enough that kids and adults alike can make them.
Get the Tutorial
21
Botanical Ornament
thecraftedlife.com
Botanical Terrarium
For these, you're going to fill a glass ornament and tie a bow. The results are quite beautiful.
Get the Tutorial
22
DIY Glass Ornaments with Snowflakes
littleyellowwheelbarrow.com
Lace Snowflakes
If you can find small doilies or lace circles, you can use Mod Podge Stiffy to make this project. The results are beautiful, glittery "snowflakes" display in glass on your tree.
Get the Tutorial
23
Ice Cream Cone Christmas Bauble Ornaments
mypoppet.com.au
Ice Cream Cones
These ice cream Christmas ornaments take a few minutes to make, but the results are well worth it! Pick your favorite flavor and create the cutest bauble to hang on your tree.
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24
Cactus Christmas Bauble Ornaments
mypoppet.com.au
Christmas Cacti
Cintia is genius – she made the spikes for these cactus ornaments out of hot glue! I need to make a few of these for my friends that live in Arizona.
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25
Easy DIY Christmas Ornament To Make In Minutes
kenarry.com
Fabric Scraps
Have some old ornaments that are no longer your style? Follow this tutorial for an easy ornament to make using old ones and some on trend fabric.
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26
Shelley Smith
Glass Tinsel
There's not really a tutorial for this ornament because it's simple – you simply cut a piece of tinsel garland stick it into a glass ball ornament. It's that easy, and the results are actually quite stunning.
Read More
27
Shannon Fox
Crushed Candy Canes
These candy cane filled Christmas ornaments make the sweetest – and simplest – tree trimmings.
Get the Tutorial
28
Dollar Store DIY Faux Mercury Glass Ornaments
palletandpantry.com
Faux Mercury
Create high-end looking Christmas ornaments using dollar store items and a fun paint technique! These were inspired by expensive Pottery Barn finds, but you can easily DIY them.
Get the Tutorial
29
Cupcake Ornaments for Christmas Look So Sweet
Steve Carrell
Cutie Cupcakes
These cupcake ornaments are regular ornaments painted to look just like delicious treats! Have you ever seen anything so sweet?
Get the Tutorial
30
Pom Pom Christmas Bauble Ornaments
tinkerlab.com
Pom Pom Baubles
This is a fun one to try with the kids, because they will love picking their own colors for this Christmas project.
Get the Tutorial
31
itallstartedwithpaint.com
Melted Snowman
What does a snowman look like when he's melted? Recreate it with this darling ornament – kids will love shaking it up and finding the pieces of Frosty inside!
Get the Tutorial
32
Spray Painted Glass Ball Ornaments
theredthreadblog.blogspot.com
Spray Painted Balls
Sometimes the easiest way to decorate glass is simply with spray paint! One of my favorite ways to do this is with complimentary colors that all look good together, like these.
Read More
33
Sea Glass Ornaments
Kim Wilson
Sea Glass
Learn how to make the easiest sea glass ornaments ever! This beach glass technique can be applied to a lot of surfaces for the perfect nautical themed Christmas.
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34
Mini Gumball Machine Christmas Ornament Tutorial
Greta Brinkley
Mini Gumball Machine
It turns out that seed beads make some pretty cute gumballs! Use mini clear glass ornaments to make the sweetest gumball machines I've ever seen.
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35
abubblylife.com
DIY Star Confetti
Confetti is fun for everyone! If your tree needs a little something colorful, Grab Mod Podge, metallic confetti, and a glass ball ornament. You'll have cute tree decor in minutes.
Get the Tutorial
36
DIY Crayon Drip Holiday Ornaments
Alexa Westerfield
Cool Crayon Drips
I absolutely love how watercolor-y and colorful these ornaments turned out, and they are SO easy to make. They really only take three things to create.
Get the Tutorial
37
Fun & Fruity Christmas Bauble Ornaments
mypoppet.com.au
Fun & Fruity
If you're the kind of person who likes a themed tree, may I suggest fruit this year? These would look beautiful on a white tree.
Get the Tutorial
38
Christmas Ornament Souvenir
Randi Dukes
Ornament Souvenir
Did you have a wonderful beach trip this past summer that you'd like to remember? Grab some shells and put them in a glass ornament!
Get the Tutorial
39
Paper christmas ornaments made with Mod Podge
Mod Podge & Paper Scraps
Learn how to Mod Podge glass ornaments with paper scraps – no crafting skills required! Such an easy holiday project that everyone in the family will love.
Get the Tutorial
40
crazylittleprojects.com
Kids’ Character
Craft projects at Christmas are always fun for the kids and they will love these character ornaments! They can make any character they would like, like Elmo or Minions, and hang it on the tree to enjoy for years to come.
Get the Tutorial
41
Glitter drying on the twine Christmas ornament
Rustic Twine
Learn how to make a glitter Christmas ornament with a rustic feel using Mod Podge.
Get the Tutorial
42
Fabric scrap ornaments
sewtospeak.blogspot.com
Patchwork Fabric
Looking for some good fabric crafts to do with your scraps after sewing? Don't throw them away! Grab a bottle of Mod Podge and apply them to some ornaments.
Get the Tutorial
43
Faux Jadeite Ornaments
Malia Karlinsky
Faux Jadeite
Have you ever heard of Jadeite glassware? The milky green color is something a lot of us fall in love with, and it looks great on a tree.
Get the Tutorial
44
Neon Marble Paint Ornaments
Alexa Westerfield
Neon Marble
Why not be a little diffeernt this year and use neon paints to decorate some glass balls. Wouldn't these look beautiful on a white tree?
Get the Tutorial
45
diy glitter ornaments with mod podge
Glitter Monogram
Do you love the look of sparkle on your tree? These pretty Mod Podge glitter ornaments are EASY to make – and like a million bucks.
Get the Tutorial

Did you enjoy playing with Christmas balls? If so you might like these other posts!

Christmas Card DecorChristmas Door DecorDIY Photo OrnamentsDollar Tree Christmas CraftsFree Christmas PrintablesMason Jar Christmas CraftsPaper Christmas Ornaments

Yvonne

Tuesday 28th of November 2023

Include mine! It's a yearly tradition! https://singathomemom.com/diy-heirloom-christmas-ornaments

Mare

Wednesday 15th of December 2021

What great eye candy. I cannot wait to make some of these with my great granddaughter (because of her youth, I will be using plastic).

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

NJ King

Wednesday 15th of December 2021

So many great ornament ideas!

Amy

Wednesday 15th of December 2021

Thank you so much!

terry freeman

Wednesday 15th of December 2021

Something for everyone! some fancy, some cute. so many choices!