Every year, I like to make some Christmas ornaments. I prefer ornaments that look high-end but cost a lot less to make myself. There are a lot of copycat looks out there but if they become too costly to make, well then, I’d prefer to just buy them. Our Christmas tree has an abundance of bird ornaments. I suppose it started from my love for birds and the quest skyrocketed with our youngest daughter’s obsession with these feathered friends as well. So, while I love all the bird ornaments we’ve collected over the years, I also like to have some neutral ones too. Having neutral, base ornaments, adds cohesiveness and helps to pull the whole look together.

As you may also know, I love all things vintage, including Christmas ornaments. The mercury ornaments have always been a favorite, but they have always been pricey for me. So, instead of buying vintage, I decided to DIY some vintage inspired mercury looking ornaments, and the process couldn’t be easier. I know you will love how simple this DIY is and the look is beautiful. I used gold as a secondary color with the silver, but you could use any color and get creative with it – red or pink would be stunning. I made a short demonstration video for you visual learners.

It’s important to note that I store my spray paint cans in the house. We have a spot under the stairs where I keep all our paint cans and spray paint so that it doesn’t get ruined by extreme cool or hot temps. This saves me money and I tend to use the same colors, so it works out. Also, using plastic bulbs does not work. Well, it didn’t work as well for me. I ended up getting a box of glass bulbs from Hobby Lobby, 50% off, so I got a dozen for $4, which is a good deal to me. I already had Mirror Effect paint from this fun project, and I usually have matte gold spray paint on hand in general. We also keep white vinegar stocked so the supplies needed are few and easy to get.

The steps are easy but be sure to have a space for the bulbs to dry. If they get touched or tipped over, it can mess up the finish. I first tried this technique out by spraying the Mirror Effect paint inside the bulb, but for whatever reason it didn’t work well. Maybe the inside of the glass has a coating or something. The gold paint I sprayed inside seemed to hold where the mirror paint didn’t. I suppose you could also add acrylic paint to the inside of the bulb and rotate it to cover all around. Since I already had my spray paint area set up, I just stuck with a quick spray of gold. The only downside, in my opinion, is that the ornaments are glass. I really try to stick to unbreakable ornaments, but I think these are worth it, they’re just so pretty.

Thanks so much for checking out this DIY craft post. I have a few more ornament ideas coming up this season so be sure to subscribe to my free email to get updates. Let me know if you have any issues or questions.