These charming handmade ornaments are the perfect addition to your holiday decor or to gift with love! In this project, I walk you through how to paint four festive ornaments using MDF wood blanks, gesso, acrylic paint, metallic accents, and a few finishing touches to make them shine.
Begin by preparing your MDF wood ornaments. These 1/8″ thick wood blanks are ideal for crafting because they’re sturdy yet lightweight. To help your paint adhere and pop, apply a coat of white gesso to each ornament using a flat brush. Gesso acts as a primer, keeping the paint from soaking into the wood. If you don’t have gesso on hand, white chalk paint or regular white acrylic paint will also work in a pinch. Be sure to let each piece dry completely before moving on to the next step.
For the Red & Gold Tree Tag:
Start by painting the entire ornament surface with Primary Red acrylic paint. Let this fully dry. Next, add a few coats of DecoArt 24K Gold acrylic paint to the tree cut-out. Let this dry as well.
Attach the metallic gold tree cutout to the center using Zip Dry glue or your favorite quick-drying adhesive. To give the piece a more vintage or aged look, lightly dab a black archival ink pad along the edges using a stencil brush. This adds depth and frames the piece beautifully. Finish it off by threading a gold ribbon through the hole at the top for hanging.
For the Blue & Purple Tree Scene:
This round ornament features a magical night scene. Begin by blending teal, purple, and black acrylic paints across the surface in soft, sweeping arcs using a stencil brush. Once you have your background the way you like it, water down some Titanium White acrylic paint and splatter some white “stars” onto the background. Dry fully.
Next, use a liner or fan brush to paint your trees with white paint. I like to call this technique “dancing the brush” – tap it lightly up and down to suggest the texture and shape of trees.
As a finishing touch, paint the frame piece with black paint, glue that over the top, and add a twine hanger.
For the mini ornaments:
For the smaller star and bulb-shaped ornaments, grab a stencil brush and your favorite bright or metallic colors – Aquamarine, Lime Green, and Extreme Sheen Gold are all great choices. Brush the paint onto the surface of each mini ornament, then paint the tops in a contrasting color like black or a coordinating metallic. A liner brush works well for this part. These little accents add color and shimmer to any holiday decor. Once the ornaments are dry, add hooks or twine to hang them from a tree or tie them to a gift.
If you plan to reuse your ornaments year after year, don’t forget to seal them. A coat of DuraClear Satin or Matte Sealer will protect the surface and make the colors last. You can use either a brush-on or spray sealer – just make sure everything is fully dry before sealing to prevent smearing.
Feel free to customize your ornaments even more by mixing and matching color combinations, adding splatter paint for sparkle, or using glitter and stickers for extra embellishment. You can also write a date or name on the back with a paint pen to mark the year or personalize a gift. These ornaments are quick, fun, and fully customizable – perfect for gifting, decorating your own tree, or adding handmade flair to your holiday wrapping!
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Supply List:
- Wood Ornaments
- Decoart Media Paints: Titanium White, Primary Red, Cobalt Turquoise Hue, Carbon Black, Dioxazine Purple
- DecoArt Extreme Sheen: 24K Gold, Peridot, and Aquamarine
- DecoArt Gesso (White)
- Adhesive: Zip Dry
- Ink: Archival (Black)
- Brushes: Tracy Weinzapfel Sets
- Decoart Duraclear (Satin)
- Archival Ink Set #3
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