I love a coastal Christmas themed tree, and it is truly made by these DIY sea glass ornaments. 

We first introduced you to these ornaments when we originally made them for our 2013 Christmas tree.

However, I recently realized that we never shared a tutorial for how to make them.

So, today I am here sharing that tutorial with you.

Here are a TON of ideas for DIY ornaments you can make and sell!

Looking for other coastal Christmas decor ideas? We have years and years worth!

Spanish Moss Wreath

DIY Beach Christmas Ornaments

Oyster Christmas Trees

Driftwood Christmas Trees

DIY Driftwood Wreath

Driftwood Angel Tree Topper

Simple Blue + Grey Stockings

Anchor Christmas Wreath

We often pair these faux sea glass ornaments with a rope garland, sea shell ornaments, and sand ball ornaments.

Pretty much everything on our tree is a DIY because I just love crafting! 

These sea glass ornaments are a really simple craft. The base is a clear fillable ornament ball.

You can get these in glass or plastic in any craft store around the holidays.

I recommend buying them in bulk because if you are making one of these ornaments, you might as well make a dozen! 

The color on these ornaments is actually painted on the inside of the ornaments balls which keeps the paint from chipping or scratching over the years.

Ours are 5 years old and still look as good as new. 

You could add any color dye to the ornaments. I went with a blue-green color to look like sea glass. 

The more dye that you use, the darker that the color will come out.

You can alternatively also use acrylic paint in lieu of dye for a more pigmented look.

That will look less like colored sea glass and more like opaque painted glass.

Enjoy this simple tutorial and let me know if you try it yourself! 

How to make DIY Sea Glass Ornaments

What you need to make sea glass ornaments:

• Clear ball ornaments
• A jar that you don’t mind ruining (for mixing the dye)  I used an old jelly jar
• Water
• Craft glue
• Food coloring or paint of choice

How to make DIY sea glass Christmas ornaments:

1. Mix your dye first. In the jar, mix glue and water until you get the consistency of maple syrup. Add dye or paint until you achieve the desired color. 
2. Pour the dye mixture into the glass ornament. Pour more than you think that you need. 
   

   

3. Swirl the dye around until you get full coverage on the inside of the ornament. 
   

   

4. Place the ornament upside down on the jar to allow the excess dye to drip out. 
   

   

5. Allow the ornament to dry upside down. Replace the hook when dry and hang from a ribbon or ornament hook. Enjoy! 

Want the same effect with glitter?

You can mix glitter with clear polycrylic and pour that the same way for glitter ornaments.

Want a darker painted ornament?

You can mix acrylic paint with a pouring medium to get a more solid painted finish inside your ornament.

What’s your favorite DIY ornament?

Yield: 1 pack of sea glass ball ornaments

How to make sea glass ornaments

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $10-50

Follow my easy tutorial for how to make DIY sea glass Christmas tree ornaments!

Print

Materials

• Clear ball ornaments
• A jar that you don’t mind ruining (for mixing the dye)
• Water
• Craft glue
• Food coloring or paint of choice

Tools

• Your hands

Instructions

1. In jar, mix glue and water. Shake. You should get the consistency of maple syrup.
2. Add dye or paint to mixture until you get desired color. NOTE - this is like water colors, it dries very transparent. The color will be much more faint than it looks in a large quantity in the jar. If you want to really see the color, add lots of dye or paint.
3. Remove the metal lid/hook for a glass ball ornament.
4. Pour dyed water into the ornament.
5. Swirl around until you get full coverage.
6. Place ornament upside down on your jar and allow excess to pour out.
7. Allow to dry upside down on wax paper, where more paint will drip out.
8. When dry, replace the hook and hang.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Glass Balls Clear Glass

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

See all of our handmade ornament ideas:

• How to make photo ornament balls
• DIY sea glass ornaments
• Sand ball ornaments
• How to make beach ornaments
• DIY pier post nautical ornaments
• Fur ball pom pom ornaments
• DIY snowball ornaments
• Citrus felt ornaments
• Mink snowman ornament
• Deviled egg felt ornament
• Metallic dipped textured ornaments
• Paper ball 3D ornaments
• Toilet paper roll starburst ornaments
• Bottle brush tree terrarium ornaments

Simplify your crafting journey and eliminate guesswork with our free ornament crafting cheat sheet – your essential guide to selecting the right materials and tools with ease! Click here or the image below for the free download!

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Morgan

Hello, I’m Morgan, half of the creative force behind CharlestonCrafted.com! With a passion for DIY that dates back to 2012, I’ve transformed three homes and now I’m dedicated to helping others craft their dream spaces. Let’s turn your house into a home together!