Art Project #55-- Swirl Painted Ornaments

We make a lot of Christmas crafts and ornaments each December.  I know we'll be cranking through this 100 Day Challenge as we make our way through December.

It can get tough to keep coming up with new ideas.  We often repeat favorite projects from past years but every now and then I come across a project I had set aside for when the boys were older.

This was one of those projects!

While this is easily simple enough that young kids could do it, I was always too worried that something would get ruined with the acrylic paints to attempt it before now.

My boys had so much fun making these swirl painted ornaments and no one got any paint anywhere except for inside the ornaments!



What you will need:


  • Glass ornaments (with the hanging end removed)
  • 3-4 colors of acrylic paint


That's it!  (Though we did use some napkins and disposable cups too)


First we pulled out our paints.  We like the multi- surface paints from Folk Art but they are a bit thicker than other acrylic paint so we had a bit of a hard time getting the paint to swirl at first.


Then we each picked a few colors we liked and started squirting paint into the opening of the glass ornaments.  



To help the paints swirl and mix just a bit better we put a crumbled napkin over the hole and shook it gently.  Until we had a pattern we liked.




We added more  paint if we had areas that were not covered (though Evan chose to leave his green one with a blank side so people could see inside and look at the designs the paint had made).



Once our ornaments were done we did set them in disposable plastic cups to dry.  After 23 hours I checked on them and then put the in the cups with the open side facing down to drain out any paint that was still not dry.  If paint was coming out of them (two of ours were dry and two were still wet), I let them dry another 24 hours. 

Our finished ornaments!


Can you see inside Evan's ornament?
Our other art projects:
Project 1: Painting with Hexbugs
Project 2: Tissue paper flowers
Project 3: Star Wars Crafts
Project 4: Watercolor compass circles
Project 5: Floral pens
Project 6: Watercolor outlines
Project 7: Scratch art jellyfish
Project 13: Water gun art
Project 14: Watercolor Kits
Project 15: Dragonfly Silhouettes 
Project 16: Painting pet rocks 
Project 17: Spray Paint Resist
Project 18: Water bottle windsock
Project 20: Tin can windsock 
Project 21: Firework glue art
Project 22: Qixel art kit
Project 26: Spray Painted Canvas
Project 28: Tin Foil Art
Project 29: Oil Pastel Bubbles 
Project 32: Drip Painted Pots


Linking Up With:

photo TWTpictures_zpslz1mzxyh.jpg




Comments

  1. Andrea NineDecember 6, 2016 at 11:37 AM

    These are so beautiful! And you just gave me an idea with all your projects. We may be building a new home and my husband is going to let me turn the bonus room into a craft room and office. I should make a little flip file of these and give them a try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3December 6, 2016 at 3:21 PM

      That sounds wonderful. I have a small little craft room and I just LOVE it! Even if I don't always have the room to do all of my projects in it it's great to have a place to store all the supplies.

      Delete
  2. Organized IslandDecember 6, 2016 at 12:35 PM

    Those really are stunning! What a lovely idea. There is something so special about homemade holiday decor that is made by the kids that is to be treasured!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3December 6, 2016 at 4:19 PM

      Thank you! I totally agree; I try to have something homemade by them all (that I get to keep and not give away as gifts) each year.

      Delete
  3. Erica SchmidtDecember 6, 2016 at 3:50 PM

    I love the tie dyed look of these homemade ornaments! Great to see your kiddos getting hands-on!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Leslie ADecember 6, 2016 at 11:46 PM

    Those are so cute! I need to find shatter-proof ornaments for this project, otherwise they won't be around for very long to admire!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3December 7, 2016 at 6:41 AM

      I was actually picturing them shattering and us getting wet paint everywhere. Luckily that didn't happen.

      Delete
  5. Lisa PomerantzDecember 7, 2016 at 1:54 PM

    These are gorgeous! I love them, and the simplicity of it all. Not to mention, the clean up looked easy too! I must try this with my girls! Thanks for such a wonderful idea! Do tell your boys they made such lovely ornaments! xo #mg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3December 7, 2016 at 4:15 PM

      Oh I sure will. I'm so glad you liked them and it inspired you to make some memories with your girls. Enjoy.

      Delete
  6. Helena TheQueenofCollageDecember 7, 2016 at 4:28 PM

    Love the colour and simplicity of this make. #TheReallyCraftyLinkParty

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mackenzie GlanvilleDecember 9, 2016 at 5:05 AM

    these look completely amazing, I have never seen this done but I LOVE this idea! My kids would love it too #mg

    ReplyDelete
  8. My Petit CanardDecember 10, 2016 at 6:06 PM

    I love these! What a clever and creative idea. I dont think I've ever seen anything like them. I'd love to give them a go with my 3 year old. She is massively into arts and crafts so would absolutely love doing something like this :-) Great post, thanks for sharing it on #MarvMondays. Emily

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3December 10, 2016 at 7:11 PM

      I hope you enjoy it! Seems like they come out beautiful no matter what colors you choose.

      Delete
  9. Lisa EhrmanDecember 11, 2016 at 3:04 PM

    I love this! The ornaments are gorgeous :) I'm sure you'll always treasure them, because the kids made them. Thanks for sharing this and all your other links, too, at Together on Tuesdays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3December 11, 2016 at 6:14 PM

      It's pretty rare that I get to keep them; they often gift them off to family so I was so happy when they all said they wanted to keep these on our tree.

      Delete
  10. Erin VincentDecember 11, 2016 at 10:01 PM

    These turned out soooooooooo pretty! Now I need to go out and get some clear ornaments!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3December 12, 2016 at 7:18 AM

      I wish I had bought more when we found them... not sure I want to head out in the snow/ freezing rain/ much we're getting today. But I really feel like we've kept all the crafts we've made this year and we have none to give away as gifts!

      Delete
  11. Jennifer HumphriesDecember 13, 2016 at 8:21 AM

    Oh, pretty! I want to make these now. Thank you so much for sharing this at the Happy Now Link up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3December 13, 2016 at 1:12 PM

      Thanks! They are so easy and so pretty! We'll be doing this again next year for sure.

      Delete
  12. EllibelleNovember 14, 2019 at 10:47 AM

    These turned out so beautifully! So fun and colorful!
    Ellibelle's Corner

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne November 14, 2019 at 2:13 PM

      Thank you. I loved the bright colors they chose too; typically I tend to pick more "Christmas" themed colors but these really stand out on our tree.

      Delete

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