DIY Alcohol Ink Christmas Ornaments

I am so excited to show you how to make these easy DIY alcohol ink ornaments!  Each one is like a little work of art, and they’re definitely one of a kind.  This simple technique is a fun way to create a marbled Christmas ornament with a lot of depth and interest.  And of course you can make these any color – but obviously I chose teal alcohol inks!

Supplies for Making DIY Alcohol Ink Ornaments:

• White or cream color ornaments (glass or plastic – mine are thrifted glass)
• Alcohol Inks (you can buy in three packs or larger packs like this and  this)
• Rubbing alcohol
• Krylon clear glaze
• Small dish (I used a plastic tray from a box of cookies, haha)
• Small paint brush
• Q-tips
• Ornament hanger or string
• Wood dowel and bucket to hang ornaments to dry
• Plastic bag/plastic sheet to protect surfaces

You can make these alcohol ink Christmas ornaments in ANY color – alcohol inks come in so, so many – but these are the exact bottles of alcohol ink I used. I only used 2-3 of these per ornaments, but mixed it up for each ornament:

It was REALLY difficult to capture this process in photos because both of my hands were constantly moving!  But the process is so simple, so let me quickly explain it and then share more detailed instructions with photos.  I also shared a quick little alcohol ink ornament video tutorial on Instagram – keep scrolling to watch that.

How to Prep for Making Alcohol Ink Ornaments:

Making these DIY alcohol ink ornaments will be fast and furious, so do a little prep work and set up a workspace to make this project as easy as possible.

1. Lay down a plastic sheet or bag to protect your work surface
2. Get a bucket and dowel ready, with ornament hooks set aside, so you can hang your ornament to dry once it’s finished
3. Choose your alcohol inks – try to do one or two colors to start, too many and it could become very muddy
4. Open the alcohol inks so you can pour them on one handed and not fuss with lids
5. Pour a tiny bit of alcohol in a small container and put your small paint brush beside it
6. Get some Q-tips ready!
7. You might also want to wear gloves – these inks can stain (although you can wipe most off with alcohol) but I found gloves made it harder to hang on

Now you’re ready to make these gorgeous DIY alcohol ink Christmas ornaments!  I hope you have a lot of fun painting Christmas ornaments with alcohol ink.  Here’s a short tutorial for how to make alcohol ink ornaments, but keep reading for more detailed step by step alcohol ink ornaments instructions as well.

How Do You Make DIY Alcohol Ink Christmas Ornaments?

1. Drop alcohol ink on the ornament and quickly swirl it around
2. Blow on the alcohol ink, or use a hair dryer, to spread the ink around even better
3. Keep swirling until the ink is dried – lest it pools on the bottom
4. Hang to dry completely
5. After 24 hours, spray with Krylon clear glaze (that’s how to seal alcohol ink ornaments)

How to Use Alcohol Ink on Glass Ornaments?

Here’s a more detailed, step by step tutorial for how to use alcohol ink on glass ornaments.

Step 1. Just like with my alcohol ink art, you’re going to drop on a couple of drops of alcohol ink.  But instead of moving it around the paper, you’re going to move the ornament around!  Alcohol ink on a curved surface is a bit tricky…

Step 2. Once you drop on the ink, it will start to move very quickly so just swirl the ornament around, encouraging the ink to move loosely around the sphere.  Don’t stress if you get any on the collar of the ornament – it can be wiped off with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol.  You can also blow on the ink, or use a hair dryer, to help coax it around the ornament.  This is where a second set of hands would have been great.

Step 3. If an area becomes too dense or plain, dip the brush in alcohol and drop on a single drop of alcohol – watch the alcohol ink react and see it become lighter and more fluid.  Then drop on another drop of alcohol ink so it layered over the area that’s become more sheer.

Keep repeating this process: a drop of alcohol ink, swirl, drop of alcohol, swirl… until you’re happy with the finished product.

Step 4. Once you like the look, blow on it a bit to help encourage drying and keep swirling for a few minutes after the last drop.  You want it to dry as it’s moving around the ornament – not settle in a pool at the bottom like my first one (I didn’t swirl it around long enough after I was “done” with the design).  After that first one, I swirled around my finish ornament for another minute or so after completing the design and then hung it to dry.  It took me approximately 20-25 minutes to make each ornaments, but it was kind of mindless and meditative work – and definitely very, very easy!

Step 5. When the ornaments were dry, I hung them to fully dry on a wooden spoon and Swiffer handle across a super dirty basin (sorry – I grabbed this in a hurry from the garage and it was not photo ready, lol).

How Do You Seal Alcohol Ink on Glass?

Step 6. I let them dry overnight.  Wondering how to seal alcohol ink ornaments?  I used Krylon clear glaze.  I gave each ornament a thorough coat and hung to dry again, waiting 24 hours.  My ornaments with alcohol ink are completely touchable – none of the ink transfers or can be rubbed off with a cloth.  Without the finishing spray, there was some mild transference when I handled the ornaments, but now there is absolutely zero and they are even glossier than before.

Can You Use Alcohol Ink on Plastic Ornaments?

If you want to try this on plastic ornaments, like inexpensive ones from the dollar store, you definitely can, but the glass looks especially beautiful because it plays with the luminescence of these inks and complements the ethereal, watercolor effect.  I’m a fan of the alcohol ink glass ornaments, personally, so I recommend glass – only if it isn’t too hazardous for your family.  I also recommend a nice big ornament – it’s a larger canvas on which to create your alcohol ink masterpiece.  You can also use clear glass ornaments or clear plastic ornaments and apply the alcohol ink inside or outside – using a cream background was a personal choice for me.

Alcohol Ink Christmas Ornaments Tutorial (Video):

 

 

 

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A post shared by Tanya | Decor, DIY & Thrifting (@danslelakehouse)

 

The Finished DIY Alcohol Ink Christmas Ornaments:

These alcohol ink ornaments are definitely my favorite Christmas tree ornaments!

Here’s how these DIY alcohol ink ornaments look on a tree.  The beauty of these DIY alcohol ink Christmas ornaments is that you can make them in ANY color, so you can create one of a kind ornaments that match your Christmas tree theme perfectly.

This is my Mom’s FIRST Christmas tree in a long time.  You can read all about it here.  Because we have no ornaments from my childhood, we had to start from scratch and I’ve been busy making her a lot of DIY Christmas ornaments – see them all here!

P.S. Don’t Forget to Pin For Later!

Why I Love Alcohol Ink Crafts

If you haven’t seen my tutorial for alcohol ink art or my tutorial for how to use alcohol ink on ceramic, you are missing out!  Here’s a sneak peek of those two DIY alcohol ink crafts:

Alcohol ink is a really fun medium because you do not need to be artist to use these inks to create beautiful, marbled, swirling designs with depth and interest!  Alcohol ink art is EASY.

What Can You Make with Alcohol Ink?

Looking for more alcohol ink craft ideas? Check these out:

• DIY Alcohol Ink Art 
• DIY Alcohol Ink on Ceramic & China
• DIY Alcohol Ink Coasters
• DIY Alcohol Ink Note Cards
• DIY Alcohol Ink Inside Glass Ornaments
• DIY Alcohol Ink Stained Glass Ornaments
• DIY Alcohol Ink Ceramic Ornaments