Doodlebug Tutorial and Project

Every year after Christmas, I pick up a few boxes of empty glass ornaments at Michael's for the following year's holiday season's DIY craft project.  With some glitter, they really make some seriously cute and easy ornaments.  One year, First Born dropped a couple and it has become the family lore!  Second Child who wasn't even conceived in our consciousness at the time of the "incident" will solemnly tell you the cautionary tale of her older sister dropping and breaking Mama's ornaments! LOL.

Doodlebug first came out with their sugar coating glitter in 2008, and they were extremely popular and difficult to find!  I would know because I was in market searching and buying, lol. I did manage to amass a lovely collection of Doodlebug glitter.  To think a few years later, I would serve on its design team and create a glittery tutorial, oh the full circle! :)

1.  Gather supplies needed: empty glass ornaments, glitter, and embossing fluid refill.

2.  Pour 2 teaspoon of embossing fluid into the empty ornament. This was a little hard to photograph, but you can sort of see just how much I have poured into the little bulb.  You can actually dilute the embossing fluid with water to make it stretch.  I recommend diluting it first before pouring into the little glass bulb.

3.  Gently rotate the ornament so that the entire interior of the ornament is coated with embossing fluid. This could take a while if the embossing fluid is thick.  (Yes, some embossing fluid is thicker than others.)

4.  Add more embossing fluid if it is needed. Pour out the extra when it is completely coated.

5.  Pour in the glitter quickly and abundantly but quickly swirl the ornament so the glitter coats the interior of the ornament.  It's important that a lot of glitter hits the wall of the glass ornament at once.  Otherwise, a little glitter hits the wall and the wall loses its stickness, which means more glitter won't stick.  So to create the most consistent thickness of glitter around the glass wall, use a lot of glitter and work fast.

6.  Pour out any excess glitter.  At this point, the ornament is actually ready to go on your Christmas tree!There's no waiting for drying, it's immediately done.  You can tie some twine on it, put a ribbon on it and hang it up.

7.  Optionally, you can decorate the outside of the ornament if desired with glittered stickers and jewels like I have done here.

Other ideas on decorating the exterior of the ornament: white rubons, permanent markers, glitter pens... I have tied wide ribbons at the top of the ornament, they look really good that way.  I hope this is helpful and that you will enjoy making your own glitter ornaments!

Before I go, I have another Doodlebug project to show.  I altered a kraft box into a gift box with papers from Doodlebug's Santa's Workshop collection.  I put this under the tree and the kids said that it is just decoration!  Who knows, eh?  Santa might just come on Christmas Eve and put something in there, so no one should discount an empty box!

Now if only we can fast forward so Santa can bring us more toys :) Have a wonderful week everyone!