Easy to Make Christmas Ornaments - Painted Swirl Ornament

Looking for some easy to make Christmas ornaments or some easy crafts for kids for the holiday season? Then try these painted swirl ornaments. These ornaments make an excellent project for just about any age group. Learn how this simple technique turns dried paint into little decals that will cling to your ornament ball. Once you know how, you or your kids can easily turn an ordinary ornament ball into a beautiful work of art!

To see photos of these ornaments, see the link at the bottom of this article.

Ornaments

Supply List:

- Glossy ornament ball
- Glazed plate (from dollar store)
- Acrylic paint (in several colors)
- Paintbrush
- Mod Podge sealer (regular or glitter)

Important Note: You need to use a glossy ornament ball because a matte ball has no cling. Your "palette" (the plate) needs to have a glazed finish so your dried paint will have the proper cling. Check out your local dollar store for a cheap glazed plate. Also wax paper or a plastic surface does not give the paint enough cling.

Instructions:

1. Decide on the paint colors you want to use. Your finished ornament will be covered with individual circles of paint. So you should decide on a color scheme for your ornament before you begin. We recommend two colors in each circle and two or three different sets of these colors. An example would be red swirled with gold for one circle of paint and then green swirled with gold for another circle of paint.

2. On your plate, squirt out some paint (about the size of a large pea) for each color in your circle. Be sure to put the paint dabs for each circle very close to each other.

3. Swirl the dabs of paint together using the end (NOT the bristles) of your paintbrush. It takes very little mixing to get a beautiful swirl design. Too much blending and you just get a new color! Make each circle of paint about the size of a quarter. To cover a standard size ornament ball, make about 30 to 35 circles.

4. Once you have completed all of your circles of paint, let them dry for at least 12 hours. They need to be completely dry before you remove them from the plate.

5. Now carefully peel one dried paint circle off your plate. If you have any edges along your circles that you do not like, they can be cut off easily with scissors. Start by placing your circles around the neck of the ornament and work your way down from there. Press each one on so that it completely adheres to your ornament, and without any wrinkles. Continue to peel the circles off your plate one at a time. Be sure each circle is firmly pressed onto your ornament and that there are no cracks between circles. Just overlap each circle a little to avoid any cracks. Continue until your ornament is completely covered in circles.

6. Paint a coat of Mod Podge sealer over your entire ornament. Then hang it to dry for at least 24 hours.

You could be so creative with this technique. Maybe try stripes or a zig-zag pattern. Have some fun with this project and see what great looking designs you can come up with!

Easy to Make Christmas Ornaments - Painted Swirl Ornament

Don't forget to check out the photos!

To see the photos please visit our Easy To Make Christmas Ornaments: Painted Swirl Ornament page at http://www.holiday-crafts-and-creations.com/easy-to-make-christmas-ornaments-swirl.html. Kelli is the co-creator of http://www.holiday-crafts-and-creations.com, a site dedicated to bringing you fun and easy holiday crafts for the whole family.

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