DIY Textured Christmas Ornaments

If there is one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love a good, easy DIY project. What do I love even more? An easy holiday DIY project. And these DIY textured Christmas ornaments are exactly that. This project can be done with just a few supplies, can re-use old Christmas bulbs, and can be modified to fit your style and the colors that you like to decorate with.

A pretty perfect DIY project, in my opinion. Easy, low-cost, and brings new life into something. Check, check, check!

So, keep on scrolling for the full (and easy!) tutorial.

Here’s what you’ll need to make DIY Textured christmas ornaments:

Christmas bulbs you no longer use or clear bulbs, like these
Acrylic craft paint (this is the exact paint I used)
Baking Soda
A couple of small paint brushes
Rub n Buff (I used antique gold for these ornaments)
Ribbon (optional)

I think what I love most about this project is that it allows you to bring new life into those old ornaments that just don’t fit your style anymore. Again, if you don’t have any old bulbs sitting around, you can always start with clear bulbs. But either way, this project only takes a few items (most of which you probably already have), so let’s get started!

Step one

Mix a bit of baking soda into your paint. I don’t have a specific measurement here and you really can’t do it wrong. Essentially, you want to create a paste-like consistency. Add too much baking soda? Just add some more paint. Too much paint? You get it, right? Just add more baking soda.

The baking soda is really what is going to create that plaster-like texture on these ornaments and also help the paint to stick to the bulb.

Step Two

Paint the ornament. There is no real graceful way to do this but I found sliding the opening onto a finger works pretty well. I’ve also found that the ornaments usually need two coats of paint.

Step Three

Let dry between coats. This seems obvious but I wanted to add it here mostly to point out the trick I found that works really well for drying. I first let a few dry just by balancing them on the stem of the ornament, this definitely led to a few finger marks in the paint. So the next round I tried, I used a floral foam (like this) and a few sticks to set up a little drying rack. This definitely isn’t necessary but may save you a little stress and a few paint-covered fingers.

Step Four

So you could skip this step entirely, if you prefer the look of the plain textured ornament. When I made mine, I left some as-is but some to some I added an aged brass finish. This is where step four (and the Rub n Buff) comes in. Honestly, what can’t you use this stuff on?

If you want to create that aged brass finish on your ornaments, you will just add some of the Rub n Buff to a small brush. (a little goes a long way here). Simply brush it on the ornament. I like the idea of leaving a bit of the paint showing for that really aged, textured feel so again no need for perfection here.

When making my ornaments, I decided to leave some as-is without the brass and some with. I like the variation of the similar but slightly different ornaments for my tree.

Once you have the finish you want on your ornament, just place your topper back on the bulb and add some ribbon. Again, this is an optional step, if you’d prefer to hang with hooks - feel free. I just really like the look of the ribbon for an extra touch on these ornaments.

And there you have it, DIY textured Christmas ornaments!

In case you’ve been skimming…

How to make DIY Textured Christmas Ornaments

Grab your supplies; Christmas bulbs, acrylic craft paint, baking soda, paint brushes, Rub n Buff, and ribbon
Mix baking soda into your paint
Apply the paint mixture to your Christmas bulb
Let dry and apply a second coat of paint
Once dry, add some Rub n Buff to create an aged brass finish
Place the topper back on the bulb and add some ribbon to hang

A few Items Needed to Make DIY Textured Ornaments

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