| See-Through Christmas Ornaments |
From "DIY Crafts"
episode DIC-164 |
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Carol Duvall, host of HGTV's The Carol Duvall Show, offers an easy and inexpensive way to make a variety of glass tree ornaments. Clear Ornament With Painted Design on Acetate Materials:
Transparent ball-shaped glass ornaments, clear or colored
Mixture of detergent and water
Bleach
Ribbon
.005 acetate sheet
Pen or pencil
One or more photographs
Color copies of photographs
Glue stick
Design or picture to trace
Paint pens or permanent markers
Scissors
Index cards
Rubber gloves
Safety glasses
Caution: Wear protective safety glasses and rubber gloves while working with bleach. - It's best to use clear ornaments, but if you're using colored ornaments, it's not difficult to remove the paint. Place an ornament in a bowl of detergent and water to clean off the surface color. To remove the paint from inside the ball, remove the top metal cap, pour in a small amount of bleach, and insert a small piece of fabric. Replace the top, and shake the ball to allow the bleach and fabric to come into contact with the entire interior. Pour out the bleach, remove the fabric, and rinse out the ball.
- Draw and cut out an acetate circle the diameter of the ornament. Here's a trick Carol used to determine the diameter: she cut a circle in the center of an index card and tried placing the opening over the ball. If the circle is too small, it won't fit over the ball at its largest point. If it's too large, the ball will fall through it. The circle is the right size when the card fits around the center of the ball (figure A). Once you've determined the proper size, use the index card to draw acetate circles.
- Paint the design on the acetate circle with paint pens or permanent markers (figure B).
- To assemble the ornaments, remove the metal cap from the top of the ball. Roll the acetate circle around a pencil, and hold it with your finger. Slide the pencil into the ball, and release the acetate (figure C). Remove the pencil. The acetate will pop open and stay in place when the edges meet the sides of the ball (figure D). If the acetate is thinner than .005 size, it won't pop open. If it's thicker, it won't roll around a pencil.
- Adjust the acetate circle inside the ball by moving it with tweezers. Add cording or ribbon around the top of the ornament.
- You can make ornaments with photos inside using the same method. Cut a piece of acetate in a circle the diameter of the ornament. Cut a color copy of a photograph in a circle about 1/2" smaller on all sides than the acetate circle.
- Glue the photo in the center of the acetate circle with a glue stick. Glue a second photo on the other side of the acetate if desired. Insert the photo inside the ornament as described in step 4. The photo will look as if it's floating inside the ornament (figure E).
Variations: - Fill clear ornaments with popcorn, confetti, cellophane sparkles, pieces of foil garland or potpourri (figure F).
- For real sparkle, remove the metal top of a clear ornament, then remove the bulb from one of the lights on a string of Christmas-tree lights already strung on the tree. Place the metal top over the light-bulb socket, place the ornament over the light, and reposition the metal cap back into the ornament (figure G).
Ornaments From Plastic Place Mats These ornaments cut in Christmas shapes from plastic place mats are perfect for use outdoors. Carol tested their durability by hanging them in the shower for a month, then putting them in the freezer. Materials:
Plastic place mats
Scissors
Paint pens
Con-Tact® paper
Circular paper hole-punch reinforcements
- Cut Christmas-tree shapes out of plastic place mats.
- Cover with green Con-Tact paper, if desired. Decorate by painting on designs with paint pens or markers. Carol used hole reinforcements with painted centers to look like ornaments on a Christmas tree (figure H).
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