chalkboard ornament DIY

DIY chalkboard ornaments! So much fun. So, I was having one of those days where random craft supplies were jumping into my cart. Calling out to me. Like, 'You don't need me ... but you really want me.' And one of the craft supplies that was tempting me was this Martha Stewart Crafts chalkboard paint. It was right there on the shelf with its cute packaging in my two most favorite colors. So I grabbed it. Along with some plain frosted glass ornaments. And that pretty much explains what's going on here.

It's the easiest of easy DIY ornament projects you'll find this season. (And there's something weirdly soothing about painting on glass ... I don't know. It's just fun?) You'll need Martha's multi-surface chalkboard paint (I grabbed the mint green and light blue, but it's also available in gray and black,) a soft paint brush or sponge brush, a glass ornament and some chalk. I used inexpensive frosted glass ornaments, just because I thought they might take the paint a little better than a regular glass surface. But I'm sure this project would work on normal glass as well.

Remove the little silver cap from the top of your ornament and paint a thin coat of the chalkboard paint over the entire surface of the ball. Don't worry too much if your brushstrokes show a little bit; it will even out as it dries. (My personal drying method is shown above. I had good luck with wooden spoon and spatula handles.) Let the ornament dry for at least one hour, and then paint a second thin coat. Wait until the paint dries completely – another two hours or so – before you try writing on the ornament with chalk.

Then have at it! Make an ornament for each person in the family, or have everyone in your household sign their name and give the autographed ornament as a gift. Bust out the sidewalk chalk from last summer and let your kids draw all over them. So fun, so easy. Happy holidays.