Decoupage Ornaments

There is something very special about home made gifts. To me, it feels like a gesture of sentiment. There is meaning in a hand made gift. For this project, the perfect paper makes the gift of this ornament a true gesture of sentiment. Best of all, it’s super easy and cheap.

All you need for this project is an ornament, glue, paper and a ribbon. I bought a bag of glass ornaments from the Thrift Store for less than $2. Most of them were discolored in some way, which was fine for decoupage. I also got a roll of ribbon and a bottle of glue at the Dollar Store. At home, I had a seed catalog, an old dictionary, some wrapping paper and children’s books, so I tried them all.

I bought a dictionary at the Thrift Store for 25 cents and used words related to the holiday to decoupage the ornament. See my videos of how to make gift boxes!

The type of paper will personalize the ornament for the recipient. The types of paper you use are only limited by your imagination, but the key to this project is to make sure the images you use are small. The smaller the better. Because the ornament is round, the paper will pucker as it is smoothed, so the smaller the paper piece, the less wrinkles will appear on the surface when it is dry.

One section of the seed catalog I used had a mix and match section with perfect sized pictures. Otherwise, larger pictures may be used. Simply cut or tear the pictures into smaller pieces.

Covering the ornaments is a practice in patience, and having small pieces of paper work best. Be resolved the paper will not lay completely smooth in the final product.

Rub the paper to the surface of the ornament, but be prepared for wrinkles that will not smooth. The dried ornament will have a bumpy texture.

Begin by brushing the surface of the ornament with a thin layer of any type white glue. Lay the paper on the glue and rub glue onto the surface of the paper, smoothing it with your fingers. You will get messy!

Once the entire surface has been covered in paper and thoroughly rubbed with glue, allow to dry overnight. I have found that a chopstick and a mason jar work well to keep the wet paper from coming into contact with anything. The texture and color of the paper will change as it dries. Some types of glue may even leave a light shine on the paper. The paper can be sealed once it is dry with a clear varnish or nail polish.

A mason jar and a chopstick for drying time.

Some of the paper I have used include an old dictionary (25 cents), maps (free at rest stops), and children’s books (less than $1 at garage sales and thrift stores). Wrapping paper can also be good to use, but finding a small enough print can be challenging. To make a gift box or can for gifting these ornaments (as pictured) see my blog here.