Hi all! My sister Johanna has been making homemade Christmas decorations non-stop, and I asked her to share a few projects for the blog. She’s very creative, and after you read this tutorial, be sure to browse her shop for more handmade ideas.
Painting your own ornaments is an easy, affordable way to personalize your tree. With just a few paint colors, brushes, twine, and clear plastic balls, you can create charming, one-of-a-kind decorations that look warm and handcrafted in twinkling holiday lights. This tutorial walks through how to make small evergreen trees with red berries on clear ornaments for a cozy, rustic look.
DIY Painted Trees and Holly Christmas Ornament
Supplies:
- Clear plastic ornament ball (available at craft stores)
- Acrylic paint in white, green, and red
- Stiff-bristled paintbrush
- Small fine-bristled paintbrush
- Twine
- Scissors
Protect your work surface with paper or plastic. Cut several very small pieces of twine in various lengths for the tree trunks and branches — most pieces should be less than half an inch long. Cut enough pieces for about five small trees per ornament.
Remove the ornament top so you can hold the ball from the opening while painting. Squeeze some white paint onto your palette or protected surface. Using the stiff-bristled brush, load it with paint and use quick up-and-down tapping motions so only the tips of the bristles touch the plastic. This creates a lightly textured, roughed-up base coat. Avoid dragging the brush across the surface; use short taps instead.
While the base coat is still tacky, press the small twine pieces onto the ornament to form tree trunks and branches. Arrange them into clusters so you can fit about four or five tiny trees around the ornament, depending on its size. If the paint begins to dry before you finish placing all the twine, add a bit more white paint where needed.
Let the ornament dry completely before continuing — about an hour should be sufficient.
Once dry, add the foliage. Pour some green paint onto your palette and use the small brush to create short downward strokes for the tree foliage, starting at the top of each twine tree and working downwards. Quick, short strokes will mimic branches and leaves; if paint overlaps the twine, that’s fine and adds depth.
To suggest snow on the branches, reapply the stiff-bristled brush with white paint and lightly tap small flecks onto the green areas. For berries, clean the small brush, dip its tip into red paint, and use tapping motions to dot tiny red berries across the trees.
If you notice fingerprints or uneven spots, touch up the surrounding white background as needed. Allow the ornament to dry fully for another hour or two.
Your finished ornament will be a tiny woodland scene: several twine-trunk trees with green foliage and little red berries, perfect for a handcrafted, cozy Christmas tree.