DIY Glitter Christmas Ornaments: The Easy Way to Make Your Own Custom Ornaments

Glitter Christmas ornaments are a holiday classic—and surprisingly easy to make! You can customize these with any color glitter and add a festive Christmas saying (15 free SVGs included), cut from your Cricut machine.

Follow my straightforward step-by-step tutorial and video where I’ll guide you through the full process, from learning how to evenly coat the inside of the ornaments with glitter to applying the vinyl and adding your personal holiday phrase to the curved surface. Several crafty pro-tips are included, making this a fun, kid-friendly craft and merry family tradition.

Free SVGs With Festive Christmas Sayings

In addition to the DIY glitter ornament tutorial, I’m sharing 15 FREE Christmas word SVG cut files to use on your ornaments. These joyful sayings will add a beautiful finish to this fun holiday craft.

Find And Create Your Own Holiday Fonts

Learn how to find and create the best holiday fonts and create your own unique phrases in Cricut Design Space.

• Check out my ultimate guide on how to install and use fonts in Cricut Design Space, including where to get the best free fonts, and find specialty characters and glyphs.
• And discover this collection of the cutest holiday fonts that work well within Cricut Design Space.

Want to design your own SVGs? I design all my own SVG cut files and love teaching other cutting machine crafters to do the same. So, check out my FREE Magic of SVGs workshop here!

DIY Glitter Ornament Supplies

Your first step is to gather your supplies. Here are my recommended supplies for Christmas glitter ornaments.

• Clear plastic ornaments. Find these at craft stores during the holiday season. I prefer plastic because they’re shatterproof (kiddo proof).
• Fine glitter or fine/chunky glitter mix
• Clear polyurethane (found at Home Depot) or polycrylic
• Funnel or rolled-up piece of cardstock
• Syringe (30 ml)
• Mini plastic cups
• Vinyl in choice colors. I recommend white for most of the wording; black works well if you are making white glitter ornaments. I also love to use glitter vinyl for the details.
• Transfer tape
• Cricut scraper
• Cricut cutting machine (or any cutting machine that works with SVG files)
• Ribbon (optional)
• FREE Christmas SVG word designs and how to download the designs

FAQs for Making the Glitter Ornaments

Here are some helpful tips to know before crafting these ornaments.

What Liquid Glue Do You Use to Make Glitter Ornaments?

I’m often asked which glue is best for making handmade glitter ornaments – polycrylic or polyurethane. As my first choice, I prefer using polycrylic due to its ease of use and lower fumes, and I think it dries a little faster. That said, I’ve also used polyurethane. Both work equally well, and I’ve found they do not yellow, even two Christmases later!

Can I Use Glass Instead of Plastic Ornaments?

Yes, glass ornaments work just as well as plastic ones. The only difference is potential breakage with glass (and plastic being kiddo-proof).

Should I Use Fine or Extra Fine Glitter?

Either will work, but I prefer extra fine.

Do I Need to Seal the Ornament?

No, no need to seal since you’ll be using Cricut permanent vinyl.

How Many Ornaments Does a Bag of Glitter Make?

That depends on the size of the ornaments and ounces of glitter purchased. Typically, a 3.5-oz bag of glitter is enough to make 10-12 ornaments that have a 5-inch diameter.

What Size Should I Make My Holiday Phrase?

That also depends on the size of the ornament you’re using and your personal preference. As a gauge, in this tutorial, I used 5-inch diameter ornaments and made each phrase around 2.75 inches wide.

Download the Free Ornament Designs

You can access the Christmas Glitter Ornament SVG collection with a free account or simply sign up for a free account using the form below, and once inside the Vault, use the keyword ‘ornament’ to find and download these templates.

How to Make Glitter Ornaments – Video Tutorial

Once you’ve gathered your supplies and downloaded the free Christmas SVG templates for these ornaments, watch the full video below and follow the step-by-step tutorial.

Steps for Making Your Own Christmas Glitter Ornaments

1. Coat the Ornament.

• Open the ornament. Carefully remove the top cap and hanger piece from the ornament. Fill a 30 ml syringe with polycrylic or polyurethane. 
• Add the liquid. Push the syringe into the top of your ornament. You only need enough to coat the inside completely.
• Coat the inside. Swirl the liquid around so that it’s fully coated. Hold the ornament and slowly swirl and turn it in your hand until the entire interior surface is coated.

2. Drain the Excess.

• Start draining. Next, tip the plastic ornament upside down on a cup to drain the excess.
• Keep rotating. As the excess drips out, slowly rotate the ornament in your hand. This prevents pooling at the bottom and ensures the coating stays even.
• Final drain. Once most of the liquid has dripped, place the ornament upside down on a mini cup and let it drain for at least one minute.

Pro Tip: Allowing the ornament to fully drain is important to prevent uneven distribution of glitter.

3. Add the Glitter.

• Add glitter. Flip the ornament right-side up and set it on a cup. Place your small funnel into the opening.
• Pour. Dump a generous amount of glitter into the ornament. Don’t worry about using too much; the excess can be poured back later. Gently tap the funnel to clear any trapped glitter.
• Coat the interior. Slowly start turning and rotating the ornament in your hand. Make sure to coat the bottom first, then work your way up the sides until the entire lower and middle section is covered.
• Coat the top. The top edge is the trickiest. To cover it, fold up a paper towel and place it over the opening. Hold it securely, then shake the ornament vigorously, doing quarter turns in your hand as you shake. Continue until the top interior is fully coated.
• Remove excess. Pour any excess glitter out of the ornament and back into your bag or container to reuse later. (I’ve never had any issues with reusing this glitter; it keeps quite well!)
• Dry. Now, place the ornament upside down on another cup and let it dry for at least 30 minutes before applying vinyl. Once dry, you can replace the top cap/hanger.

4. Cut And Prep the Vinyl.

• Design and cut. Use your Cricut machine to cut out your selected Christmas phrase from adhesive vinyl. Many great SVG files with holiday sayings are available for free on my and other crafter blogs.
• Weed. Remove all the excess vinyl around and inside the letters (weeding).
• Apply the transfer tape. Place a piece of transfer tape over the weeded vinyl design and use your scraper to burnish it well, ensuring the vinyl adheres to the tape.
• Add “give” to the transfer tape. Applying vinyl to a curved surface while preventing wrinkles and bubbling can be a little tricky, so check out my hack below for the best results.

Pro Tip: With your scissors, cut several small, short slits all the way around the edges of the transfer tape that holds your design (top, bottom, right, and left edges). Do not cut into the vinyl design itself. These slits allow the transfer tape to overlap and flex on the curved surface, making it easier to lay the vinyl flat.

5. Apply the Vinyl to the Ornament.

• Center the design. Estimate the center of your ornament and position the vinyl design where you want it.
• Press from the center. Press the design down firmly, starting first with the absolute center.
• Work outward. Using your thumb, slowly work outwards from the center, pressing the vinyl down firmly. The slits you cut will naturally overlap as you smooth the design onto the curve.
• Remove transfer tape. Slowly peel back the transfer tape. If any part of the vinyl lifts, stop, press it back down firmly with your thumb, and then continue peeling.

6. Complete with Ribbon or Hook.

• Embellish. Add an ornament hook or festive ribbon through the top loop to complete your custom glitter Christmas ornament.
• Display your ornaments! Showcase your custom ornaments on your holiday tree, arrange in a decorative bowl for sparkling table decor, or weave them into a wreath or garland. I love the idea of personalizing the saying with a name or endearing phrase, then attaching the ornament to the gift as a special keepsake!

More Holiday Crafts to Love!

Looking for more Christmasy Cricut crafts? Check out these favorites below and more festive projects on the blog.

About Abbi Kirsten Collections

I have spent the last 9+ years building my creative skills and sharing them with others. My flower designs are created with simplicity, color and crafty fun in mind. If you haven’t yet, be sure to join the subscriber community to gain access to all my freebies or visit my signature design shop here!

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