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DIY Christmas Ornaments with Cricut, Glitter, Paint, & more!

Hello Daydreamers!

In today’s tutorial, I am going to teach you how to make the cutest Christmas Ornaments in the history of ornament making!

I spent about two weeks putting together this entire post, and I think it has everything you need to know to decorate your Christmas tree to perfection.

There are different techniques and styles, and I am sure that you will fall in love with at least (if not all) one of them.

If you have a Cricut machine, I also include details to explain how to cut and transfer vinyl to your ornaments.

If you don’t own a Cricut, I have all the information you need to have the same results.

Multiple Christmas Ornaments collage. Different colors and techniques glitter, vinyl,
Let’s make these Christmas Ornaments together

Before we get started, I want to give a little map or guideline of what I am going to be covering in this article.

In the first part of this tutorial, we are going to use clear plastic ornaments, and we will be using different techniques.

  • Christmas ornaments with photos and artificial Snowflakes
  • How to make Christmas ornaments with glitter
  • Christmas Ornaments using Paint.

After covering the techniques I just mentioned, we will take a little break, and I will show you how to cut vinyl with your Cricut to decorate your Christmas Ornaments. (Optional)

Note: I will provide you free resources SVG/PDF for you to replicate these free resources.

In the second part of this tutorial, I am going to teach you how to make Ornaments using wooden slices.

I am going to cover how to personalize these ornaments with paint markers and graphite paper. No Cutting machine needed to make these ornaments!

Are you ready?

Let’s Daydream Into Reality!

How to Make Christmas Ornaments with Artificial Snowflakes

Ornaments made with artificial snowflakes are the easiest thing in the world!

The good thing about these ornaments is that you can make them in a matter of minutes and they are perfect for a crafting session with your little ones.

The mess is minimal when you follow my steps!

Materials

  • Clear Plastic Ornaments (you can find them for super cheap at Michaels).
  • Photos
  • Scissors
  • Artificial Snow. There are many brands out there, I used the Buffalo Snow Flakes, and I bought it from Michaels, but also available on Amazon.

Note: Ignore the funnel in the picture down below. It will do more harm than good.

Materials needed to make Christmas ornaments with photos and Buffalo Snowflakes

Step 1

Fill your ornaments with artificial snow halfway through.

This snow is messy! (VERY) I tried to use a funnel, but the flakes didn’t go through.

After traying with a paper funnel and my bare hands (and a giant mess on my table), I put the ornaments inside the bag and filled them from there.

So easy!

And best of all, mess-free.

Filling Christmas Ornament with artificial snow

Step 2

Cut the photo you want to use, roll it, and insert it in the ornament.

Adding photos to Christmas Ornaments

The ideal photos are where people are little. Avoid total portrait photos because they won’t fit the ornament.

I used some of my wedding photos, but you can use pictures of your little ones, grandkids, etc.

Two different Christmas Ornament made with photos and artificial snow

Step 3

Close the ornament and hang it to your Christmas tree. They are also perfect for a small present.

How to Make Glitter Christmas Ornaments

If you’ve seen some of my other articles, then you know that I love glitter.

I love the sparkles glitter offers, and these ornaments are so vibrant and full of life that they will make your tree look beautiful!

Materials

The materials you need to make glitter ornaments are the following:

  • Polycrylic Clear Gloss
  • Glitter
  • Clear Christmas Ornament
  • Funnel
  • Spoon
  • Paper plates
Materials needed to make glitter ornaments
Some of the materials you need to make glitter ornaments

Step 1

Start by opening your Polycrylic container.

Something to consider with polycrylic it’s that a little goes a long way. With an 8fl oz, you can make a lot of them, maybe 50 – 80 ornaments?

To add polycrylic to the ornaments, use a funnel; I bought a set for this project, and I am so happy I did.

Bye mess.

With a plastic spoon, get some from the container and pour it to the ornament (through the funnel).

You don’t need a lot, maybe a tablespoon (you can pour the excess back to the container). Polycrylic is very runny!

Swirl your ornament until everything is coated.

Step 2

Pour polycrylic excess back to the container and place the ornament on a paper plate to get rid of the extra mixture.

A lot will come out, so let them rest for about five minutes.

Tip: If your ornaments got some polycrylic on the outside, use a damp paper towel to clean them up.

Step 2

It’s time to glitter up our ornaments.

Before you start this process, make sure the ornaments are completely drained.

For the glitter, I like using a funnel as well. Make sure it’s a new or clean one, though. If you are using the same one you used with the polycrylic mixture, rinse it before using it.

A little goes a long way; you only need like a teaspoon.

I always like to use plenty and then return to the original container.

Swirl the ornament, until everything is coated. Let me tell you, that the glitter sticks to the polycrylic like MAGIC!

It’s beautiful and vibrant.

When your ornament is completely coated with glitter, use the funnel to return extra glitter to the original container.

Glitter is gold, and we don’t want to waste any of it!

Now, it’s time to let your ornament dry; I let them dried overnight.

More Glitter Ornaments

Here are more examples of the ornaments I made using this method. I also used some chunky glitter, and I think it looks terrific.

I am mesmerized at the final product.

Don’t you think they look fantastic?

The good thing about glitter ornaments is that you can find glitter of any color you like and love.

How to Paint Christmas Ornaments

Using paint to personalize Christmas ornaments is another excellent technique.

I love how amazing these ornaments look. But, beware, these ornaments take FOREVER to dry.

After two days, they were still wet inside.

Material

  • Acrylic Paint
  • Clear Plastic Ornament (Glass can work too)
  • Paper Plates
  • Funnel (optional)

Step 1

If you are using a bottle of paint (I love DecoArt paints, very affordable at Michaels) you don’t need a funnel, you can just pour it right in the ornament.

There are two approaches with painting Christmas Ornaments, one is by using a little bit of paint (about a tablespoon or so), and the second one is using a lot of paint and then returning extra paint to the container.

When you use a little bit of pain, this project can take forever because paint, in general, has a higher viscosity (density).

If you use a little paint, prepare to swirl a single ornament for about 30 minutes.

Nobody has time for that!

I don’t.

lol

For me, I prefer to be very generous with the paint and then return the excess to the paint container.

Tip: Use a paper towel at the top of the ornament and swirl without worrying you’re going to spill paint everywhere.

Warning: Don’t shake the ornament, you will create bubbles in the paint, and your paint could dry with those little bubbles.

Step 2

Return extra excess of paint to the original container. You can use a funnel, or you can place the ornaments upside down on the paint bottle (if they match in size).

If you use a good amount of paint, let them drain for about ten minutes or so.

Now, believe it or not, there’s still going to be extra paint inside the ornament.

Not a lot, but enough to make your project take forever to dry.

If you have extra time, I recommend you finish draining your ornaments on a paper plate for about ten more minutes.

Fun fact: My Instagram followers loved this photo, where I shared my draining methods. I would like to see you over there, so make sure to hit that follow button!

Step 3

After draining the paint from your ornaments, it’s time to let them dry! Place them on an area where you can lay them right side up.

Even if you let them drain for a long time, these ornaments take a long time to dry (2 to 3 days). You can speed up this process by having them in a ventilated area.

Don’t touch inside of them or be very careful about it, I did to test the dry time, and one of them has a couple of fingerprints.

Multiple Christmas Ornaments drying after painting.

These ornaments are so pretty, and due to all kinds of paint colors available on the market, you have infinite possibilities.

I love the metallic paints!

The con of this method is the drying time, so plan if you want to make them.

Free Printable & SVG Christmas Ornaments Files

As I promised, here are some SVG files to upload to Cricut Design Space. (Personal Use Only)

If you don’t have a Cricut, you can download this printable and use them with the method I’ll be covering after this section.

Usually, I don’t share the fonts I used when I make my files, but there are three fonts that I am obsessed with right now, and they are perfect for Christmas ornaments.

You can get them at creativefabrica.com (One of my favorite places to buy fonts).

You can only save these files from a desktop computer; smartphones are not that smart when it comes to SVG files.

Oh!

And just so you know, I also have a library full of free SVG files and Printables for all my subscribers, a.k.a Daydreamers. You can see a preview right here or get access by filling out this form.

How to Cut Vinyl for Christmas Ornaments with Cricut

You can decorate your Christmas Ornaments with some vinyl.

If you don’t own a Cricut, or don’t know what is this machine about, you can read this excellent Cricut guide where I walk you through everything you need to know.

You can still decorate your Christmas Ornaments with vinyl, did you know you can buy decals on Etsy, or Amazon? Just perform a search with “vinyl Christmas ornament decals.”

If you have a Cricut, congratulations!

I love some of the things you can make with vinyl and your Cricut. Let’s see what we can do with the files I just provided you with.

Step 1

Log in to Cricut Design Space, and click on the “Upload” button located on the left-hand panel of the canvas area.

At that point, you can click on “Upload Images” and follow the prompts to upload each one of the images.

Uploading images to Cricut Design Space

When you are done uploading all the files, select them and click on “Insert Images.”

Note: Weld each design, so it’s in a single layer. Learn more about “Weld” in this tutorial.

Before you cut your project, you have to resize each one of the files, so they fit on your project. I recommend you check the size of the ornaments you bought because they can differ.

I kept most of them within a 2×2 inches — some of them where 2×1.5, and other 2×1.7, and so on.

Since I cut them all in one color, I selected all files and clicked on attach.

Resizing and attaching images in Cricut Design Space

After resizing your files and attaching, click on “Make it” to cut your project.

If everything looks right, click on continue to select materials and cut your project.

Cutting vinyl mat preview

For this project, I decided to use Premium Vinyl – Frosted Glitter. You can use either permanent or removable vinyl.

If you have Cricut Maker select your material from Cricut Design Space, and if you have an Explore machine, move your Smart set dial to Vinyl or Vinyl+ if using glitter.

Select materials for Christmas Ornaments

Install fine point blade, place vinyl on Cricut Mat and load it to your machine and press the “flashing go button” to cut your project.

Note: Some of these designs have very intricate details, therefore take your time weeding. I recommend you use a sharp blade for very intricate cuts.

When your machine is done cutting your vinyl, unload the mat and remove vinyl by bending the mat.

If you cut multiple designs in the same vinyl sheets like a did cut them around with scissors before you weed them.

How to Apply Vinyl to Christmas Ornaments

We are getting closer to personalizing our Christmas ornaments with vinyl. I believe applying vinyl to curved surfaces should be an Olympic sport.

Don’t you think?

The good news, it that, like any sport, if you practice enough you get good at it. If this is your first time transferring vinyl to curved surfaces, you may fail, but no worries, you can try again on the same ornament.

Step 1

First, start by weeding the design with your weeder. Remember, some of the other designs on this article have very intricate pieces, so take your time weeding.

Weeding vinyl for Christmas Ornament

Step 2

After weeding, we are going to use transfer tape to stick the vinyl to the ornament.

If you are using glitter vinyl, you need to use Strong Grip transfer tape. If using regular vinyl, regular transfer tape is what you need.

Just make sure that you don’t use Strong Grip transfer tape on a regular vinyl cut because it won’t transfer to your surface.

Using transfer tape for vinyl

Most transfer tapes out there have lines that help you keep your design straight when transferring your design; use these lines when placing transfer tape on your design; then use the scraper to adhere your cut to the tape.

Step 3

Although applying vinyl to curved surfaces can be frustrating, here are my top tips, so you transfer your design to perfection.

Identify the center of your ornament

You don’t want to complete the transfer and find out that your design is not aligned with the ornament. You can use an eraser marker to identify the center and then wipe out clean when the transfer is complete.

Using eraser marker to identify center of Christmas Ornaments.

Identify the center of your design.

Knowing what’s the center of your design, it’s just as important as identifying the center of the ornament. You can mark the transfer tape with an eraser maker, as well.

The reason I don’t have photos of this step is that I learned this the hard way. After five ornaments ruined, I started to mark everything.

I was lucky with this purple ornament!

Make small cuts and join both centers

To transfer vinyl better, make small cuts on the transfer tape; these cuts can be made during the transfer process if you see your design can’t be applied evenly.

Remove backing from transfer tape and vinyl and join both centers (ornament, design) with a gentle tap. Make sure the lines of the transfer tape are aligned with the ornament as well!

With that initial tap, you have room to gently start transferring vinyl to the ornament. The key is patience!

Don’t try to transfer vinyl all in one movement; instead, with your fingers, start working one part of your design. The cut lines on the transfer tape will allow you to transfer the other areas.

Sometimes, the initial cuts on the tape won’t be enough for you to transfer your design smoothly. If that’s the case, make the cuts larger as you go.

transfering vinyl to Christmas ornaments

Remove Transfer Tape

When you’re done with the vinyl transfer, remove the transfer tape, and wipe out the mark you made with the eraser marker.

That’s it!

Doesn’t it look beautiful?

Ornament made with paint and decorated with vinyl

I love all the shine and beautiful colors of homemade Christmas ornaments.

But, wait, there’s more (read in infomercial voice) you can add more details to your ornaments by adding some beautiful bows.

I found a very helpful video tutorial that taught me once and for all how to make them.

You can glue them with silicone to your ornament, or you can loop some hemp cord on the back of them and hang them on the ornament.

In other words, these bows are the ornament of your ornament. lol

More Christmas Ornaments Ideas

Check out these other Chrismas ornaments I made!

For this article, I made about 20 of them! I also cut more vinyl in different colors for different vibes and effects.

Don’t they all look super beautiful?

Tip: You can also use vinyl on wooded slices, and tags to make Christmas Ornaments.

I like the way they look with and without the bows. What are your thoughts?

Which ornament is your favorite?

How to Make Wooden Christmas Ornaments

This article wouldn’t be complete without using wood to make Christmas Ornaments.

They are so beautiful!

Although you can also use vinyl to decorate them, I want to teach you how to personalize them with graphite paper.

I am always trying to find ways to accomplish beautiful things without costly materials.

Materials

  • Christmas Ornaments Wooden Slices
  • Graphite paper
  • Scoring Pen
  • Tape
  • Paint Marker (Fine tip)
Materials needed to make wooded ornaments

There are many types of wooden Christmas slices for you to buy. You can buy them with a white finished, unfinished!

I bought mine on Michaels with a white, farmhouse style finish, and I liked them.

Here’s a quick search on Amazon. Just pick what you like the best!

Note: The PDF file I provided you with, should work with most sizes of ornaments. However, you can print on a larger or smaller scale as well!

Step 1

Print the file I provided you with and cut around the design you want to use.

This technique requires patience and a steady hand!

Make a sandwich with the Wooden ornament at the bottom, the graphite paper facing down on the ornament, and the design you want to use on the top.

Tip: I highly recommend you use tape to secure design to your ornament. If your design moves in the middle of tracing, you’ll have a big mess.

Step 2

With the scoring pen, trace the design on your ornament. The score pen will create enough pressure to transfer graphite to your project.

Projects made with graphite work great on multiple surfaces, including fabric!

They work best when you have a chunky design; I don’t have a very steady hand for thin images.

Step 3

Remove graphite paper, and trace the outline of the design with a paint marker, then color inside of it.

Technically you can use acrylic paint as well; just make sure to use a very fine and high-quality small brush.

I prefer the marker because I feel I have more control over it. I got a beautiful set on Amazon with tons of different colors; I love it because it had a very fine tip.

I wasted my money on the ones I got on Michaels because the tip was very chunky.

Warning: If using marker pens, try them on a different surface first, so you know how much paint comes out the first time.

You can also use a bow to decorate your ornament as well!

It’s so beautiful and easy to make. You don’t need expensive machinery to make beautiful ornaments.

Here’s another example!

I used one of the skinny designs; It doesn’t look 100% perfect because my hand is not that steady, plus this was my 20th ornament or so.

I thought it looked a little empty, so I hand drew some snow and stars on it.

I think it looks so much better, don’t you think?

If you look close enough, there are still some graphite marks on my ornament.

Star wooded Christmas Ornament on Christmas tree.

I didn’t erase them because my paint was still fresh, but you can use a regular eraser to get rid of the marks when your ornament is completely dried.

Share it!

What do you think?

I hope you make the most beautiful Christmas Ornaments this and the coming years. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @daydreamintoreality to see all of your creations.

cricut design space digital ebook

Cara

Monday 21st of March 2022

Do these come off after awhile or are they pretty permanent?

Catalina

Wednesday 18th of May 2022

They're pretty permanent, after a year they were still like new!

Diane

Tuesday 14th of December 2021

So do I understand you can only use metalic inside. you can't dab it on the outside? Thank you

Catalina

Tuesday 26th of April 2022

The paint? Yes, you do it on the inside.

Claudine Sipili

Sunday 5th of December 2021

Wow! Thank you so much. I learned a lot from reading this article! And thank you for making it so easy to follow and fun to read. I love it!

Andrea

Thursday 2nd of December 2021

I tried the glitter ornaments and i used semi chunky glitter and it started to come off the sides. Any idea why?

Catalina

Sunday 6th of March 2022

No really. Did you you use a good amount of glue? Also maybe it was a little spot that didn’t get covered very well.

Wendy

Thursday 4th of November 2021

Will the glitter work on glass balls?

Catalina

Monday 8th of November 2021

I think so!