These DIY Light Bulb Crafts Ornaments are an easy ombre crafts project. Make light Bulb ornaments by recycling old Christmas light bulbs in an afternoon.
Everything “ombre” – a gradient effect of various shades of a single color from dark to light – has been really popular in design for the past few years, so I decided to use craft paint in four different shades of blue as the base color for my set of four light bulb ornaments. By adding fine glitter and unbleached baker’s twine, I bought these simple glass light bulbs from the recycling bin to Pinterest reuse gold.
Any shape of light bulb will work, but I really liked the chandelier/candelabra shaped light bulbs with their best tips to mix and match and drop in between branches with my existing collection of round ornaments.
Light Bulb Ornaments – Ombre Crafts
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Light bulbs (any shape or size)
- Acrylic craft paint in various shades of the same color, dark to light
- Sponge brush
- Fine glitter
- Paper plates
- Hair dryer
- Jute String
- Scissors
1. First, clean the outside of your ornaments with rubbing alcohol and dry with newspaper to remove any dust or other particles. (Newspaper works better than paper towels or cloth because it doesn’t leave anything behind – a little trick I learned working in restaurants when I was a teen!)
2. Next, using a sponge brush, paint one of your ornaments in the darkest shade of color, working from the metal light bulb base to the tip. When the entire light bulb is covered evenly, sprinkle glitter to your desired coating all the way around.
3. Then, while still holding the metal light bulb base between your fingers, dry your ornament with a paint dryer or hair dryer on high heat. Hold about six inches away from your light bulb and rotate to dry evenly, for about 30 seconds.
4. Lastly, when your light bulb ornament is completely dry, knot a 6″ to 8″ length of jute string (or any other string or yarn that you like) around the metal base of the light bulb, knotting once – and tightly. Then knot the other end to create an ornament loop, and voila!
5. Repeat with additional light bulbs with your lighter shades, together creating the ombre craft effect when they are hung from the tree.
Melissa Massello creates awesome DIY upcycled Christmas projects and shares her experiences with The Home Depot.
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Mandee Pogue
November 25, 2014 at 4:01 pmOh.my.goodness! How adorable are these! I am definitely doing with my nieces!
Linda Bouffard
November 25, 2014 at 7:45 pmVery sweet, Evelyn!!
Nichole @ casadecrews.com
November 25, 2014 at 8:52 pmI always want to be crafty, but then I get lazy. These look easy and pretty, and fun! I love it
Emily Thompson
December 5, 2014 at 2:54 pmI love these!! Sharing on my FB today… wish I had some bulbs like this to make these right now!!