How to Paint Ornaments for Your Christmas Color Palette

Are you having a difficult time finding Christmas tree ornaments to coordinate with this year’s color scheme? Let’s learn how to paint ornaments for your Christmas color palette. These custom color Christmas tree ornaments are easy to make, too!

HOW TO PAINT ORNAMENTS FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS COLOR PALETTE

Have you ever had a plan for your Christmas decor, and it failed? Even a little?

Yeah, me, too!

Last year, I found some lovely muted red ornaments to add to the small collection I already had. My plan was in motion!

This year, I decided to add the muted red ornaments I had found last year to my mint baubles and make these two colors my Christmas color palette. (I had seen this combination on another tree and loved it!)

However, when I went to add MORE muted red ornaments to my collection THIS year, there were none to be found. Ain’t that just the way things go?

The Solution

The solution? DIY custom color painted Christmas tree ornaments, of course!

This DIY will help you create any color of ornament to match your Christmas decor scheme, whether it’s muted red, sage, or even a wedgewood blue! The colors are limitless!

Custom Color Painted Ornaments for Any Christmas Color Scheme

You’ll only need a few items to create custom color painted ornaments!

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What You’ll Need

Here are the things you will need, and some are optional:

• Textured and/or plain white ornaments (shatterproof). Matte works best, but you can make glossy ones work, too! I wish I had seen the ones I’m linking here, as they would look amazing using this technique, and they have several sizes! Unfortunately, I can’t find the large ornaments anywhere online. I picked up mine at Walmart last year. 🙁
• Paper mache ornaments. (optional)
• White paint for base coat, if needed.
• Your choice of custom color acrylic paint. You can even mix your own color! I used ColorShot’s Stiletto (a fuchsia red that turned muted red on the white ornaments).
• Paint brush. This is my fave affordable set that is GREAT quality!
• Paper towel or wiping cloth.
• Rhinestones (optional, but they add so much!)
• Tacky Glue Set for adding embellishments. (I like this set because I’ve used all of them at some point.)
• Jewel picker (kind of a ‘must’ for adding rhinestones)

Now, let’s get to the tutorial!

How to Make Custom Color Painted Ornaments for Your Christmas Color Scheme

This is a super easy option for making DIY painted ornaments that will match any Christmas palette you choose!

The technique I use is dry brushing!

• With these ornaments, I didn’t paint a base coat. If the white is white ‘enough’ for you, no basecoat is needed.
• Dip your brush in the paint and then wipe onto the paper towel. Wipe several times until you have very little paint left on the brush (Photos 1-3). You can always add more paint, but you can’t take paint away.
• Brush onto the ornament, only hitting the top of the texture (Photo 4).

• To add more paint, simply repeat the first step and brush more paint on… but, always make sure the paintbrush is almost dry (Photo 5… 6 is a repeat! Oops!)
• Unless you want to add embellishments, your are done!

You can use this technique on any white ornament (or even a silver ornament). Even a smooth surface ornament can be dry-brushed, leaving a feather-like effect.

Reverse Dry-Brush Technique for a Custom Painted Ornament

With this ornament, I wanted to have the mint green as the base, with the white on the texture.

• Simply paint the whole ornament in your fave Christmas color, and then dry-brush with white (Photo 1 and 2).

The finished product gives a soft, vintage look and still matches any Christmas color palette.

Adding Embellishments to a Custom Painted Christmas Tree Ornament

If you want to add some rhinestones to your dry-brushed Christmas ornaments, go for it! It’s easy!

• Using Fast Grab Tacky Glue, place a dot of glue on the areas where you want rhinestones (Photo 1).
• Take your jewel picker and place your rhinestones on the glue (Photo 2).

I love the way the rhinestones give a sparkly finish to the ornament, and it looks GREAT on the tree!

Jumbo Christmas Ornament in Your Christmas Palette

This jumbo (6-inch) ornament was just as easy to make as the first red ornaments above… with one difference.

• If the base of an ornament is definitely NOT white, like this one, then be sure to give it a couple coats of white paint before dry-brushing (Photo 1 and 2).

The finished product looks a bit bright here, but it looks great on the tree!

Paper Mache Custom Painted Ornaments for Your Christmas Color Scheme

This last ornament was a bit of a ‘test’. It definitely worked, but I think I may try some different embellishments next time!

• After painting the ornament with your fave base color, put a coat of Mod Podge on the ornament and add your favorite glitter! (Photo 1 and 2)

Finished Custom Painted Ornaments for Your Christmas Color Scheme

And here are the finished products, in all their glory!

This ornament sparkles, especially with the tree lights on (I can see the sparkle from where I’m sitting now!)

Here’s a better photo of the lights on the rhinestones…

This ‘flowery’ ornament got a couple rhinestones, as well.

The mint reverse dry-brushed ornament looks lovely in the warm LED lights on my King of Christmas Flocked Queen Slim Tree.

And my jumbo custom-color ornament is one of my faves… looks like a candy cane!

Of course, I had to share the paper mache ornament, too!

Oh, and here’s the feather-look that you can create on a smooth surface ornament.

Now, just a couple more of my favorite photos…

This ornament looks so cozy nestled in the branches!

So, do you think this is easy enough for YOU to try? I think I will be making these ornaments for many years to come!

What color will YOU be using? Be sure to let me know in the comments!