Saturday, November 18, 2023

Christmas Ornaments 2023

Hi everyone.    I'm making Christmas ornaments again this year.  This time I'm using flat round 3" glass ornaments (round ornaments of glass that are hollow, approx. 1" thick, with the front and back flattened slightly - see below photo) that I purchased from Michaels at the end of last year.  Drips of alcohol inks are added to the outside of the glass ornaments to create the designs.  It's also a great way for me to use some of my stash of many bottles of alcohol inks. :)

I had a play day with my dear friend, Fran.  We each made a few ornaments - so fun!  We followed this video:  Christmas Ornament Tutorial using Alcohol Inks by Michelle Fountain.  As always, when working with alcohol inks, make sure your area is well-ventilated and wear protection so you don't have a big mess to clean up at the end.  We wore gloves and had lots of paper towels on hand.

We used the same process as the video, adding drops of inks over the ornaments and used a fine tip applicator to add streams of rubbing alcohol to break up the metallic inks.  I love the random look you get when using the rubbing alcohol.  It's important to leave areas of glass without any inks on them to allow the tree lights to filter through.

Above is my favourite ornament of the day using only two colours, red and gold.  I can't wait to see what it looks like on my tree with some lights behind it. :)  I will list the colours of inks I used on the three ornaments near the bottom of this post.

Sending the above ornament to Color Hues #76 - Red and Metallic Gold.  Perfect! :)

... and since this is the first time I've used the glass ornaments, I'm also entering the above ornament into NBUS Challenge #56. 

I finished all three ornaments in the same way, adding some drips of Rainbow Alcohol Ink (Marabu), which is clear with mica glitter.  It adds a colourful, glittery finish which is so pretty.  The caps for the ornaments were all silver, so I left it original for the purple ornament.  For the ornaments with gold drips, I added 2-3 layers of Princess Gold Embossing powder, heat setting after each layer.  I added a decorative hanger and voila --- gorgeous one-of-a-kind ornaments. :)

Here's two more I made that day ...
Sending the above ornament to Merry Little Christmas Challenge #53.


#1 Alcohol Inks:  Aqua, Clover, Stream, Sailboat (all from Ranger); Gold (Pinata); Rainbow (Marabu)
#2 Alcohol Inks:  Pearl Villianous (Purple), Eggplant, Silver (all from Ranger); Rainbow (Marabu)
#3 Alcohol Inks:  Pearl Sublime (Lime), Turquoise, Meadow Green (all from Ranger); Gold (Pinata); Rainbow (Marabu)

Thanks for stopping by!


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Supplies:  Flat Round 3" Glass Oraments (Michaels), Alcohol Inks (Colours: Ranger, Pinata; Metallics: Ranger, Pinata; Rainbow: (Marabu), Rubbing Alcohol, Needle-nose Applicator bottle, Versamark ink, Princess Gold embossing powder (Ranger), Sponge paint brush, Durable Gloss Finish (Martha Stewart - discontinued), decorative hangers (Amazon)


35 comments:

Jeanne H said...

wow, what wonderful ornaments! tfs

Anneke said...

Very beautiful ornaments, great idea. I will have to try that, when I am done with my Christmas cards…

I Card Everyone said...

Loll, when you say 'flat round' my brain goes kaput! Do you mean it's flat on the back?
No matter what the shape, you have really brought the most beautiful colors and dribbled stripes to the party today - gorgeous!
=]

nancy littrell said...

OMG..Stunning Ornaments, Lolly:-) I LOVE your color choices for each ornament. I hope you will be taking photos of the ornaments on your tree with the lights from your tree shining thru....TFS the link too...I am not sure what you mean by a flat glass ornament either. So happy you got to have a play day with your forever girlfriend too:-) Love and Hugs..Nancy

HilaryJane said...

These look amazing. What a good idea. They would make great Christmas presents xx

Julie B said...

Stunning 'Wesley Bobs' as my friend Jenny would say. They'll look fab center stage on your tree. Thanks for joining us at Color Hues too. :)

Pat said...

What beautiful bright alcohol ink baubles you made Loll, I just adore the way there are stripes of colour with gold running through, just gorgeous! x

Liz said...

These are fabulous Loll, I love the colours. xx

Leslie Miller said...

Ohhhhhh, gorgeous!!! I've seen this done. My friend sent some of these to me once. I keep them in a special box. You WOW'd me, Loll!

Bobby said...

These are absolutely gorgeous, Loll. I made some a couple of years ago and they didn't look half as good as yours. Maybe it's the flat side of the ornament (I used round) or maybe you have a wonderful knack with alcohol ink. I bet it's the latter.

Karen said...

These are stunning! I love them all, but the red and gold one is particularly beautiful, and so much fun to see in the Color Hues gallery!

TracyT said...

WOW!!!!!!
I have seen the flat round ornaments and wondered if I should invest.
I am totally checking out the tutorial and might even make these for a super crafty gift tag or a set of green and gold for the Packers fans here. Wouldn't they be a great Christmas table gift?
Thank you so much for sharing and reminding us how to be safe with the process. Protect lungs and hands!!

Stef Perry said...

Loll, your ornaments are beyond gorgeous! Such beautiful colors and a fantastic method to accomplish these designs. I've bookmarked the page so I might try this one day. Thank you so much for sharing your red and gold version with us at Color Hues!

Susan said...

They are so beautiful, Loll! Wonderful vibrant colours! So glad I got to see them in real life.

TK said...

These are really beautiful, Loll! Wow, such great color, intriguing shape and definitely a winner!

Ros Crawford said...

They are stunning!!

kiwimeskreations said...

Beautiful and unique ornaments Loll, I am sure they will look fabulous on your tree.
Blessings
Maxine

Cat Craig said...

OH MY GOSH, these are gorgeous.I am awe struck. Crafting supplies are great...but an inspired mojo is the best. You knocked these out of the park.

Linda said...

WOW!! You know how much I love a Christmas bauble, and these are stunning. they will look amazing hanging from your tree xx

Marcia Hill said...

I'm joining the bandwagon of WOW's here too Loll...all 3 of your ornaments are incredible and are totally going to make your tree SHINE this year!! Your red & gold caught my eye first thing in the Color Hues gallery and had to come see what you were up to! I've seen these flat ornaments at Michael's and Hobby Lobby before but never knew what I'd do with them...guess I know differently now!! Thank you so much for sharing these beauties with us at the Color Hues Challenge...we always love seeing your creativity in the gallery!! Hugs. :0)

Darnell said...

What a fun play day with beautiful results, Lolly! Your favorite is my favorite! All of them look like expensive blown glass ornaments from Italy! You have such a creative mind! Hugs, Dolly (And thanks for linking to NBUS again!)

Sue N said...

What a fun project, Loll! And it's even better shared with a friend! Several years ago my daughters and I made ornaments, but put the inks on the inside of the round ornaments! I love the look of the flat round ornaments! The red and gold is gorgeous, for sure, but they're all lovely! Sue N

Faith A at Daffodil Cards said...

Stunning result, x

Cindy Beach said...

What beautiful ornaments, Loll, and great that you're using up some of your stash to make them. We love having you join us at Color Hues!

Bonnie said...

Beautiful ornaments, Lolly! I know they will look beautiful on the Christmas tree!

Lisa Elton said...

Glitzy and glamorous, Loll! Great job, they're all so fabulous!

Christine Alexander said...

they are all so pretty Loll and even prettier IRL. Now that our visitors have gone I will be giving this a go :)

Brenda in IN said...

Every one you made is stunning. The colors are beautiful and I'm off to watch the video. This would be fun to do with my daughters-in-law and granddaughters so they would have their own handmade keepsake ornaments. Thanks for sharing.

Rajani Rehana said...

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JoAnn said...

Gorgeous ornaments. I have some of these and also lots of Alcohol Inks so will give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration.

Nstiz said...

THESE are gorgeous! I can only imagine how messy that is. How cool! We did something similar but dripping paint into the glass ornament then letting it drip upside down into a paper cup. Thanks for the video. I may have to try this!

Nancy said...

Loll, Your ornaments are just absolutely lovely and I have one that my son and I made when he was young and it's one of our many treasures on our tree. Thanks for the great memory and for joining us at Color Hues.

JulieP said...

These are outstanding!!!! It's nice to have something unique in our gallery. Thanks so much for playing with my colors (and beyond!) here at Color Hues!

BożenA said...

Unique decorations. It's fascinating how the colors mix to create elegant streaks. My favorite decoration is the first, red one, although the others are equally beautiful.
xx