alcohol ink and paint glass ornaments — **decor crafts** -> **Christmas**

Hand Painted Glass Christmas Ornament
Use alcohol inks and acrylic paint.

The INTERIOR is painted, leaving a protective outer covering.

Also see:
Follow Our Adventures
Art & Painting
Craft Projects
Christmas Sewing & Crafts

Winter Holidays

Winter is a perfect time to combine our love of arts and crafts with our interest in home decor. On cold winter days, there is nothing like the warm cheer of holiday decorations.
I love this farm in all seasons. I stop by often to enjoy the beauty and serenity. I like to bring that feeling into my home - any time of year.

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Create Unique Glass Ornaments

SUPPLIES

Alcohol Inks
Use the colors of your choice. I made my ornaments with a group of friends. We used a variety of colors - each with our own style. I am most familiar with Jacquard Piñata Alcohol Ink Made in USA, but there are other good brands as well.

Ornaments
Glass ball ornaments (some people prefer plastic - we used clear glass)

Deco Art Americana Paint

We tried fluid white paint (the type used on paint pours), but it didn’t actually work as well as the Deco Art Americana. I chose white - use the color of your choice. Experiment!

Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol mixes with the inks and creates beautiful effects. Household rubbing alcohol is fine.

Gloves / Table Covering

Gloves and table covering are a must, because this job can be messy.

Other Supplies

paint brushes - optional (any inexpensive small brushes will work)

Straw, air sprayer can - these provide nice effects with the paint

SAFETY NOTICE

REMEMBER TO FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS listed on product labels. Work in a well ventilated area.

Click photos for larger image.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Clean the ornament if needed. We painted the INTERIOR of our ornaments, so I brushed on a bit of rubbing alcohol as the first step, then let that dry.

2. Drop in Alcohol Inks

Remove the metal end that holds the ornament hanger. Add drops of alcohol inks into the ornament - let the alcohol ink drip into the interior of the ornament. You can’t go wrong here - just add a few drops, swirl it around and watch what happens.

3. Play & Be Creative

Add more colors. Drip in some rubbing alcohol. Turn the ornament upside down, and roll it around - watch as the inks react with one another and to the rubbing alcohol. If you have a straw, use it to blow air into the ornament. If you have an air can, try that. Do NOT spray from the can too hard though - it can blow the ink out of the glass ball and into your face - yes - I know from experience!

Play and have fun. If you don’t like an effect, simply add rubbing alcohol to the inside of the ball, hold the ball upside down and let it all drip OUT. You will now have a clean glass ornament and can start over.

3. Add White Paint

As a final step, we added white paint to the interior of some of our ornaments. We found that it set off the inks by providing a more solid back drop. The image below shows white paint inside the ornament - dropped in AFTER the layers of alcohol ink.

4. Let Dry

Turn upside down on a dixie cup. The excess paint will drip into the cup, allowing the ornament to dry.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE

I love my ornaments, and I am now curious about other mixes of paints. Next time, I will omit the alcohol inks, and create “pours” of paints. To learn how to do a “paint pour”, visit my youtube channel. I use various favorite acrylic pour recipes - all with different results (all beautiful).

Below are close-ups of some of our ornaments.