DIY Marbled Ornaments for Your Tree| Artful Christmas by Susan Wasinger

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The holidays are coming and with it, all the wonderful decorations. I love the special feeling you get during the holidays when you are surrounded by twinkling lights and beautiful ornaments dangling on the Christmas tree. I’ve found myself bitten by the craft bug and have the desire to make some of my own ornaments this year. Just last week I created some fun popsicle stick glitter ornaments with my toddler. It was so much fun that it has made me want to create more, like these DIY marbled ornaments from Susan Wasinger. Aren’t they gorgeous? I love that you can use plastic or glass ornaments so that I don’t have to worry about having young children around. And you’ll never guess that a basic beauty supply is used to create these beautiful ornaments!

DIY MARBLED ORNAMENTS

MATERIALS

• nail polish in a variety of colors
• clear plastic or glass unadorned ornaments

TOOLS

• large bowl or tub
• skewer or other sharp implement for stirring
• needle-nosed pliers
• hook for hanging

PREPARATION

You’ll need a way to hang the ornament while it dries. I hung mine using a length of string and a bent paper clip.

1. Fill the bowl with water almost to the brim.
2. Drip one color of nail polish onto the surface of the water. You can add it in drops or as a ribbon that falls in a swirling pattern.
3. Add drops of a second bright color on top of the other polish. You can add drops of other colors if you want, but keep in mind that using more than four different shades can be messy and result in a muddy-looking liquid.
4. Drag the tip of the skewer gently across the surface of the liquid so that it pulls the colored polish into an interesting design. Don’t swirl the liquid too fast, or the colors will mix too much, and you won’t get any cool patterns.
5. Remove the wire loop cap from the neck of the ornament. Grasp the ornament firmly with the needle-nosed pliers and, starting at one end of the bowl or tub, gently roll it through the nail polish. Make sure the ornament stays close to the surface. Lift the ornament out of the water and set it down on its back, where there’s no polish. Repeat steps 1 through 4, then roll the backside of the ornament across the surface of the liquid to pick up the polish.
6. Replace the loop cap and hang the ornament up to dry.

Can you believe that nail polish in water makes this pretty marbled effect? I’m blown away by how simple this project really is and can’t wait to try them myself.  With such a vast selection of nail polishes readily available in retailers, it is easy to find just the color you’d like to fit your holiday decor!

You can find 30 Christmas craft projects from Susan Wasinger, including this one, in her new book, ARTFUL CHRISTMAS. This beautiful DIY book shares elegant holiday decor ideas made out of the most affordable and accessible materials around.

Deck the halls with a lacy air-dried clay wreath, sand painted ornaments, festive felt stockings, a glittered garland, silvered glass votive holders, and more beautiful Christmas projects for your home.  You’ll find step-by-step instructions and how-to photos for each project, as well as a chapter on techniques, materials, and tools.

If you like this idea and would love to try out more (as I’m sure you do),  ARTFUL CHRISTMAS is available at retailers nationwide, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It has a list price of $17.95 but is currently offered at both mentioned retailers at a significant savings. This would be a great book to add to your collection and would be a thoughtful gift for the crafter in your life!

Author Susan Wasinger designs houses, products, books, and magazines. Her work has been featured in Metropolitan Home, Stitch, Natural Home, and Piecework magazines, as well as on HGTV. She is the author of several books, including Eco Craft, The Feisty Stitcher, Sewn by Hand, and Artful Halloween (all Lark Crafts). Susan lives in Boulder, CO.

Thank you to Susan for allowing me to share these beautiful ornaments with my readers!