Alcohol Ink on Glass Ornaments – “Stained Glass”

While experimenting with alcohol ink on glass ornaments & alcohol ink inside glass ornaments, I stumbled across this stained glass effect!

The More Time Consuming Method:

Well, technically I was making these with family and stole this technique from a family member, haha… I’ve made alcohol ink ornaments two ways: alcohol ink on glass applied to the exterior (and then sealed) or alcohol ink applied inside a clear glass ornament – but my technique with alcohol inks applied inside clear glass ornaments was to keep swirling inks, drying them in layers, to create an intricate, marbled, mini abstract.  I liked a very densely applied, luminescent alcohol ink ornament:

The Super Quick & Easy Method:

I brought my supplies for a family craft night and taught my technique for making alcohol ink ornaments and things were going swimmingly – but the fam quickly went rogue.  Luckily, the technique they discovered is SO MUCH FASTER and creates a pretty stained glass effect.  Basically, the ink is applied much more thinly and dried very quickly to create sheer areas of ink.  Let me show you how “we” did it!

Supplies:

• Clear glass or plastic ornaments
• Alcohol Inks (you can buy in three packs or larger packs like this and  this)
• Alcohol ink blending solution
• Hair dryer

How to Make Alcohol Ink on Glass Ornaments (Quick & Easy):

• Carefully remove ornament cap
• Pour only a drop or two of alcohol ink and blending solution into a clear glass ornament
• Swirl the ink around in one area and dry it with a hair dryer
• Keep swirling and drying the ink until it’s dried completely
• Pour in another drop of ink and blending solution – careful not to pour into the dried ink area
• Repeat the process until the new section has dried as well
• Repeat the process with a solid drop or two of ink (no blending solution) for more saturated areas
• Make sure to dry each section thoroughly with the hair dryer
• Set aside to dry overnight before replacing ornament cap

Note: I used one or two alcohol ink colors at a time for these ornaments – I find this method looks really pretty with two similar colors (like a light purple and dark purple) or two complimentary colors.  So I recommend starting with one or two and then experimenting from there.  Here are some step by step photos to illustrate the process for making these sheer alcohol ink ornaments:

The Finished Alcohol Ink Glass Ornaments

Here’s the finished result!  It’s much more sheer and ethereal than my other DIY alcohol ink ornaments – See these on my Mom’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Christmas tree theme.

Here’s a look at the other “stained glass” alcohol ink ornaments we made, in more jewel toned colors:

I tried this technique with the metallic copper alcohol ink, which doesn’t get as sheer as the other colors but still looks really pretty:

I love crafting with alcohol inks because alcohol ink crafts always turn out beautifully and watching the inks swirl is so satisfying.  I’ve shared quite a few alcohol ink craft tutorials, but here are some fabulous ones you can give as handmade gifts.

More Alcohol Ink Craft Gift Ideas:

• Alcohol ink ornaments (ink applied outside of glass)
• Alcohol ink ornaments (ink applied densely inside of glass)
• Alcohol ink on ceramic ornaments
• Alcohol ink art on yupo paper
• Alcohol ink on ceramic
• Alcohol ink coasters
• Alcohol ink note cards

P.S. Don’t Forget to Pin for Later!