Bulb paint ornaments are just as easy as glitter ornaments. I will show you how to make the basic ornament and then some fancy variations on bulb paint ornaments that I tried. See all the ornaments I am making for ornament week here
First, you should read the general tips and help article that posted. It will give you an idea of the stuff you need to do these easily.
What you will need
- Glass or plastic ornaments
- Cheap Acrylic paint
- Water
- Disposable Pipette
- Egg Carton
- Optional: gllitter, polycrylic
- Download File
Adding the Paint
Disposable pipettes are a must for doing this. It is so much easier and the paint goes where you want it to go. Get the pipettes here
First you need to remove the cap of the ornament. Then set up you egg carton on a piece of paper or wax paper and have it ready before you start.
To do only one color bulb paint ornaments, first add a little water to some cheap acrylic paint. The expensive stuff works too but it is a lot thicker and doesn’t take the water as easily. The thicker you have the paint the more bold the colors will be. Add the water a couple drops at a time and mix well. It won’t take more than 6 or seven drops depending on the quality of your paint. You just need it to flow.
Swirl the ornament so that it covers all the inside of the ornament. If you can’t get the top that is OK. When you invert the ornament, that part will get coverage. Invert the bulb paint ornament in the egg carton and let the excess drain out the top. Let them dry completely. I left mine overnight.
Adding More Than One Color
More than one color looks amazing for bulb paint ornaments. There are two ways to do this.
If you want the effect of the Santa ornament above (streaks of bright color through a solid ball) add very little water to the streak colors and apply them with the disposable pipettes to the bottom where you want the colors to be then invert the ornament and let it dry for about 20 minutes. The colors will run towards the top in streaks. Then add more water to the main color and add it to the ornament like you did the solid color ornament. The main color will swirl the accent colors a little bit and coat the rest of the ornament. Invert and let dry.
If you want the effect of the Noel ornament above (more marbled) add a little more water to the accent color(s) and place them where you want with the disposable pipette and swirl very gently. Let it dry for only 3 or 4 minutes. Then add the main color (with the same amount of water) all over the ornament and swirl harder to mix the colors. Invert and let dry completely.
Adding the glitter
The third ornament above has glitter added. The main color needs more water so that the glitter shows up. You just want a thin coat of color. Invert and let the excess drain out. Wait about 10 minutes and add a small amount of the polycrylic, swirl and let tit set for about 5 minutes before adding the glitter. Swirl the ornament and invert it a few times to get good coverage of the whole ornament. Let the bulb paint ornament sit inverted until totally dry.
Decorating your ornaments
Most people like to put vinyl on their bulb paint ornaments. I have several designs in the download section. If you want something else, like names, there are a couple of things to remember. The ornaments are curved. For vinyl to lie flat don’t make your vinyl to solid or too rigid. The vinyl needs to be able to form around the curve.
I have also seen where people put lace, ribbon or bows on their ornaments. This is where you can make the ornaments truly yours. Use your imagination and have fun with it.
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