How to Make Store Quality Christmas Ornaments

I don't know about the rest of you but It seems every year I want to update my Christmas ornaments (plus the fact that at least 10 ornaments get crushed in transport from my garage to the tree). Then, when I go to my local department store I take a look at the price tags on the packages of four (yes, only four!) ornaments and my jaw almost hits the ground. Finally one year I decided that I could make ornaments just as well as these big manufacturers. So the very next day I went to the craft store, purchased plain glass ornaments and enamel paint.

That night I think I burned my husband's ears with the curses that were coming out of my mouth. Enamels can be very difficult to work with especially if you're used to acrylics which are a lot more opaque than enamels. However, I did finally come up with an ornament after experimenting with Crackle Medium. The opacity of the paints isn't relevant for them. I've found that these are some of the most unique looking ornaments I've seen and I have never seen them in stores (I live in a small town so cut me a little slack here). The following is an easy to follow how-to for these ornaments that come out looking very vintage and expensive (without the cost!).

Supplies
~ Enamel Paint - the 2oz Folk Art Enamels are the ones I used
~ 1/2 " paint brush
~ Glass Ornaments - I bought the 4" ones just so I had a little more room to work with but you can use any size
~ Crackle Medium - From what I've read this is used primarily for acrylic paints but it does work on glass with enamels

1. You are going to want to make sure you clean the surface of your ornament with rubbing alcohol to remove all the oils that your hand may have left on it as this can effect how well the paint adheres to the glass.

2. Once that's done I start with my base coat. I've found that gold works the best and really shows through the cracks that eventually will be created. When I say gold I mean metallic gold. Not yellow. Also if you are wondering how I paint the whole ornament without putting tacky fingerprints on it, I put my finger through the hole at the top of the ornament.

3. After letting the enamel dry you put on the crackle coat. This is a pretty viscous medium, follow the directions on the bottle for drying (you won't be letting it dry really)

4. When the medium has reached a tacky state you put your final coat of paint on. This is the going to be the primary color of the bulb. I've found that burgundy, navy, and forest green come out gorgeous with the gold. You will have to do this relatively quickly because the paint will start to crackle almost immediately. It takes a bit of practice but after my first one it was a breeze.

Now you have finished your project! All you have left to do is let it dry and see the fruits of your labor. The easiest way to let them dry is to stick a kabob skewer in the hole at the top of the ornament and put the skewer in a tall glass. I will warn you, DO NOT wash the ornaments for at least a month. Because of the crackle medium you cannot cure them in the oven like you would if you only used enamels. One month will allow the enamels to cure and strengthen. Now, I also put a gloss on after they dried just for that added protection against chipping and to give it a nice shine. Since you can't heat the enamels anyway you might as well make sure your ornaments last.
Now you've saved at least half the amount you would have spent on ornaments! Be a thrifty shopper and you may save more. Most of the craft stores around me have a weekly flier that has a coupon for at least 40% off of one item (the glass ornaments will be the most expensive part at around $4-$5) and as the Christmas season gets closer they'll have different sales weekly. So go forth, have fun, and get creative!