How-Tuesday: Drawing-Free Glass Ornament

julieincharge

Story by julieincharge

Published on Nov 30, 2010 in Make

Photo by LoucheLab

The turkey has been digested, and holiday tunes are making their annual debut on the airwaves. Yes, it’s the time of year to dive whole-hog into holiday crafting. Aya Rosen, the artist behind the beautiful Etsy shop known as LoucheLab, has created a how-to project for making customized glass ornaments. If you swear up and down that you can’t draw, no excuses this time, Aya made this one specifically for you! So, leave your drawing frets behind, and join us on this week’s How-Tuesday adventure!

For those of you in the New York area, please join Aya at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, NY (and online) on Monday, Decemeber 6, 2010 for a live Craft Night ornament-making workshop.

The idea for this ornament came about back in June, when I did a demonstration with Pebeo at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn. There were a lot of people who tried the paint and made something very nice. But, somehow I was immediately attracted to that one person in the group who would not participate or draw at all. It became my goal for the day to persuade her, and all the other, “I don’t know how to draw” people — to make something, even without knowing how to draw. And since, not everyone knows how draw, or likes it, but everyone (or almost everyone) knows how to write, I decided to design something that is made totally of words.

You will need:

  • Glass orb Christmas ornament (available at craft stores, discount stores or almost anywhere). I used clear, but you can also use light colored ones.
  • Pebeo Vitrea 160 markers in 2 or more colors.
  • Pebeo Porcelaine 150 fine tip marker in black (optional)
  • Pebeo Vitrea 160 paints in the colors of your choice and a brush (optional)

What Are We Making:

I really like the idea of personalized Christmas ornaments. I think it’s cool to use the same decorations every year, and make them special for the people celebrating together. So, I decided to make one for my new puppy Ginger, and I wrote everything she wishes for Christmas.

 

How to Make It:

The first thing you need to do is, to “start” your marker. Shake it well for about 30 seconds, then press the tip firmly to a piece of paper a few times, until the ink begins to flow. The paint dries almost instantly, which is great for craft projects. But, marker tips easily dry out, so when not using them, even just for a minute, always securely cap them.

I used one Porcelaine 150 fine tip marker and one bullet tip marker, but pick whichever one you like. To make letters appear bold I wrote the outline first then filled it in with color.

Next, draw a frame outline around the name.

Think of all the things you know the person (or dog) you chose will want for Christmas. Then start writing the list of items around the ornament. I wrote in all different directions, using different types of writing: upper case, lower case, long hand, bold or thin letters — anything goes. The various fonts make it a more interesting design.

     

If you make a mistake, or are dissatisfied with something, you can simply “wipe off” the paint with a cotton swab and a little bit of water or rubbing alcohol.

Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours, for a decorative finish. Or you may bake the ornament for “washable” permanence. If you choose to bake it, simply bake in a kitchen oven at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for 30 minutes. You can hang the ornament from the upper oven rack, using a paper clip or ornament hook.  After the paint has been baked, it sets, and you can wash it with soap and water before storing it for next year!

Attach to a ribbon and that’s it! Hang it on your tree, for yourself, or give it as a really special gift to someone you love!

By the way, this can be a really fun activity for a tree decorating party; everyone can write or draw what they want for Christmas and hang it on the tree by the end of the party.

And of course, I couldn’t just let it go without drawing just a little bit, because that’s what I like doing the most! So I made a few more ornaments for Ginger, Lulu and Henry – 3 of my best dog friends.

Happy holidays, everyone!

 

Thank you to Aya Rosen from LoucheLab for sharing this project with us. If you make an ornament like this, please share a photo with us in the How-Tuesday Flickr group!

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