Glass Baubles

Did you know you can turn aged, outdated, painted-on-the-outside glass Christmas balls into a beautiful thing? Glass ornaments are very fragile and need to be handled very gently. These balls were discarded and being the re-cycler I am, after experimenting I discovered the paint can be scrubbed off.

The top can be taken off easily by gently tugging on it. I used a Stanley pan scrubber that is guaranteed to not scratch the surface. After wetting the ornament and the scrubber, I gently scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed until the paint came off. I rinsed both inside and outside with warm water and left them sit overnight to dry. Then comes the fun of filling them!

I filled this one while it was still damp and the Diamond Dust Twinklets I bought at a craft store several years ago, stuck to the moisture, leaving a snow-like look.

I filled others with strips of sheet music, curled ribbon, Epson salt and beads. It's best to use light articles to fill the ornaments. I intertwined silver-mirrored balls with the glass ornaments and love the silver/clear contrast.

The silver tree was bought after 2013 Christmas 40% off at a local store which is the best time to buy next year's decorations. Last year I left mine up for Valentine's Day which I decorated in hearts and roses, though by it was over I was ready to put it in storage.

 

~ Esther