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    DIY Ornament Ideas – How to Paint Alcohol Inks on Glass

    Updated: Dec 11, 2022 by Annette Browning

    Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may receive a commission.
    See Disclosure for details.

    Super fun glass Christmas ornaments painted with Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks

    Raise your hand if you love Christmas crafting! And, don’t you just love making lots of different ornaments not just for the tree but for all over the house Holiday decorations?

    Well, let me show you my all time favorite craft to do for the season: super creative, totally unique glass Christmas ornaments painted with RANGER-Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Inks.

    I have been searching around for some new and fun DIY Ornament Ideas and after experimenting with Alcohol Inks, I want to show you how easy it is to paint colorful, unique glass ornaments.

    Three glass glove ornaments painted with alcohol inks
    In this Article:
    • Painting the ornaments – step by step:
    • How do you seal Alcohol Ink on glass?
    • Does Alcohol Ink wash off glass?
    • How do you make clear Christmas ornaments with paint on the inside?
    • Does alcohol ink stick to plastic?
    • How do you seal alcohol ink on ceramics?

    Not sure if you have noticed, but I’m sort of obsessed with Alcohol Inks lately. The colors are amazing!

    You can create such gorgeous, painterly effects with alcohol ink. Honestly, they’re very much like watercolor paints but better somehow, brighter.

    Plus, once again Christmas is right around the corner so now is the perfect time to make some hand painted ornaments for your tree or to give as one of a kind, handmade gifts.

    Also, if you are looking for ideas for ornaments or decorations to make and sell, these little beauties would do really well at a Christmas Bazaar or Craft Show.

    Two painted glass ornaments on a table. One in the foreground and one more blurry in the background
    Ebook cover with text and an image of two painted glass ornaments

    GRAB THE PDF!

    Get this tutorial Ad-Free
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    That way you can print it and keep it handy while you work.


    My kids and I used to decorate glass ornaments by pouring different color paints inside and letting them swirl.

    Really, those are still some of my absolute favorite Christmas tree ornaments. As the paints blend together, the ornaments end up with a marbled look.

    This time, I decided to try painting the glass ornaments with Ranger Adirondack alcohol inks on the outside. That turned out to be a little bit trickier than I expected because these paints are translucent.

    The first ornament I painted with only alcohol ink and while it was pretty, the colors didn’t stand out on the clear glass.

    After some pondering, I decided to try painting a white background with acrylic paint first. But, instead of painting the outside of the globe, I poured the white paint inside the globe and now the alcohol colors pop!


    For more crafting fun, you may like how to make a Christmas Wreath with Ball Ornaments


    Love Alcohol Inks? You’ll also love my Alcohol Ink Switch Plate Covers




    Supplies needed:

    • Alcohol Inks
    • Glass Ornaments
    • White Acrylic Paint
    • Craft Paint Brush
    • Rubbing Alcohol
    • Small disposable container
    bottle of white paint, rubbing alcohol, bottles of alcohol ink, paintbrush, glass ornament

    Painting the ornaments – step by step:

    Preparing the Glass

    First, you need to remove the hanger from a glass ornament and set aside. Now, open your bottle of white acrylic paint. Carefully, squeeze a small amount of white paint into the globe.

    Gently, turn the globe to distribute the paint evenly inside the globe. Add more paint, if needed, a little bit at a time and continue turning the ornament.

    You want to make sure and cover the entire inside of the glove with white paint.

    hand holding a  glass ornament with white paint inside.

    Once the entire inside of the ornament is covered with white paint, you will need to remove the excess. (Otherwise, the paint will take too long to dry)

    The easiest that way I have found to remove the extra paint is to turn the glass ornament upside down on an old container where the opening is smaller than the globe such as an old tomato paste can or similar. The extra paint will drip out into the can.

    Applying the Alcohol Inks

    Before you begin, cover your work surface. Then, pour some rubbing alcohol in the disposable cup. Since these inks dry quickly go ahead and open all of your alcohol ink bottles.

    Now you want to dip a paint brush in the rubbing alcohol and wipe on a part of the ornament. Next, pick up one of the bottles of alcohol ink and drip a small amount onto the rubbing alcohol. Less is more here!

    Slowly turn your glass ornament and watch the ink flow. You can also blow on the ink to make it move. Give it a minute or two before adding more ink. These inks are hard to control but there’s really no wrong way here.

    Fingers holding a bottle that is dripping purple paint on a white glass ornament

    Pick a second color of alcohol ink and drip onto the ornament. Let the colors flow together and blend.

    Fingers holding a glass ornament with green and purple paint dripped on it

    Now, add a third color of ink to the ball and repeat the process. Allow the colors to flow and blend together.

    Fingers holding a glass ornament with purple, green and blue paint on it

    Isn’t it cool how the colors are swirling and blending to make new colors? Continue adding color until you are happy with your ornament.

    Note, it does not have to be completely covered with alcohol inks. The white paint can show through here and there to highlight the other colors.

    Fingers holding a glass ornament with purple, blue and green paint on it



    Finishing the ornament

    Once you are happy with your alcohol ink ornament, carefully re-insert the metal hanger. Take an old paint brush (or similar) and thread it through the hook and hang your ornament to dry.

    painted glass ornament

    For best results, let your ornament dry overnight. You don’t want to seal the ornament until the inks are as dry as possible.




    How do you seal Alcohol Ink on glass?

    Now, the only thing left to do is to seal in the paints so that they will not smudge or rub off. You can easily do this with an alcohol ink sealer such as Acrylic Spray Sealer.

    Simply, spray on two or three light coats, letting the sealer dry between each application. I found that it helps to hold the spray can about a foot or more away from the ornament to keep the inks from moving too much.

    While all of these colors coordinate beautifully, I have found it best to use no more than 3 per piece. Otherwise, they tend to combine too much and become muddy.

    And the really cool part is, if you are not completely happy with your alcohol ink ornament, you can simply wipe off the inks with the rubbing alcohol and start over. Obviously, that has to be done before sealing it.

    This painting technique works great on all different glass objects from the various Christmas ornament shapes to picture frames.

    Does Alcohol Ink wash off glass?

    The alcohol ink will not wash off, once it has been sealed properly. That is why I recommend you spray on more than one coat of sealer.

    Just keep in mind that the paint won’t hold up to rigorous handling. And, even though we sealed the alcohol ink ornament, the paint can still be scratched.

    How do you make clear Christmas ornaments with paint on the inside?

    One common method is to take plain, acrylic paints and squeeze or pour a small amount inside the ornament. Slowly turn the ornament to distribute the paint.

    Add a small amount of a second color and repeat. You may wish to add one or two additional colors.

    Hint: 1. Begin with only small amounts of paint (you can always add more). 2. Keep the number of colors to no more than 3 or 4. Any more than that and the blended colors may turn into a muddy brown.


    Do you want more DIY ornament ideas for decorating glass globes? Here is a great article with loads of clever projects from HGTV.

    Enjoy!

    If you try this project, please send me a photo of your creation. I would love to know how it turned out.

    Make sure and stay tuned … I have an entire post on great DIY ornament ideas coming up soon.
    Peace,
    Annette

    Learn how to make a Make Your Own Christmas Wreath with Wool

    For more alcohol ink crafts, see how I painted these switch place covers with these same colors of ink.

    Ebook cover with text and an image of two painted glass ornaments

    GRAB THE PDF!

    Get this tutorial Ad-Free
    Only $5

    That way you can print it and keep it handy while you work.

    Does alcohol ink stick to plastic?

    Yes! These types of ink are specially formulated to adhere to non-porous surfaces including metal, glass, plastic, glossy paper, dominoes, foil, shrink plastic and more.

    How do you seal alcohol ink on ceramics?

    For any kind of sealed pottery or ceramic, you can use the same alcohol ink sealer that I used for my glass ornaments. This acrylic spray sealer is easy to use, dries quickly and seals the paints very well.

    Related Holiday Craft Articles



    Fall and Thanksgiving Crafts

  • Easy Pumpkin Crafts for Adults

  • DIY Wreath Ideas for Fall

  • DIY Thanksgiving Dinner Table Decorations

  • 25 Fall Crafts with Burlap Fabric

  • Christmas Holiday Crafts

  • Best Gifts for Crafters and Makers

  • Gift Ideas for Knitters and Crocheters

  • Upcycled Sweater Wine Bottle Sleeve

  • 31 Handmade and DIY Gift Ideas

  • Homemade Christmas Crafts & Decor Ideas

  • DIY Stenciled Dish Towels

  • DIY Alcohol Ink Christmas Ornaments

  • Handmade Christmas Wreath Ideas

  • How to make a Wool Christmas Wreath

  • DIY Christmas Wreath with Ball Ornaments

  • Fun Gift Wrap and Tag Ideas

  • Christmas Ornament Crochet Patterns
  • A glass ornament painted with yellow, orange and brown alcohol inks
    a glass ornament that was painted with blue and green alcohol inks
    Three painted glass ornaments on a white table
    closeup of a glass ornament painted with blue and green alcohol inks
    Marketing image showing painted glass ornaments and text
    Fingers holding a white glass ornament with green and purple paint
    bottles of alcohol inks, a paintbrush and painted ornaments

    DIY Ornament Ideas – How to make Alcohol Ink Ornaments

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    About Annette Browning

    Annette is a long time fiber artist and former alpaca farm owner. She shares her love of dyeing, felting, crochet and knitting as well as other craft projects.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michelle James says

      December 03, 2017 at 9:23 am

      These are gorgeous. I love alcohol inks too. The white paint inside is a great tip. Thanks so much for this tutorial!

      • Annette says

        December 03, 2017 at 6:42 pm

        Hi Michelle. I’m thinking of trying different color backgrounds to see how that works. Thanks for stopping by!

    2. Jean says

      December 24, 2017 at 11:05 am

      These are so pretty and different. Thank you for sharing with us.

      • Annette says

        December 25, 2017 at 3:48 pm

        Thank you so much, Jean! I’m glad you enjoyed this project. 🙂

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