DIY Resin Ornament
It’s SO EASY to make a resin ornament! These glittery resin Christmas ornaments are so pretty, and they sparkle amazingly in the lights of the Christmas tree.
Follow our simple step by step tutorial to make these festive DIY ornaments with poured epoxy resin. These resin personalized Christmas ornaments also make a great homemade gift for family, friends, coworkers, and neighbours.
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How to Make Resin Ornaments
Materials:
Equipment:
- Jumbo popsicle stick(or silicone stir stick)
- 3 Disposable plastic cup(s)(or small silicone cups)
- Cricut tools(weeding tool, scraper, tweezers)
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.Pictured below are the basic supplies that you’ll need to make your ornament. Check the supply list above for more details.You’ll also need vinyl and a vinyl cutting machine (we used a Cricut) if you’d like to add words on your ornaments.
Step 2: Mix the resin
- Begin by protecting your working surface with a silicone mat, and be sure to wear protective nitrile gloves and eye protection.You may also need to wear a respirator, depending on the resin. Check your resin label for the safety requirements.
- Mix the amount of resin needed for the number of ornaments you’d like to make. Our molds need 15ml of resin each, and we made 4 ornaments (one was off camera) so we mixed 60 ml of resin total. You’ll need to adjust the resin amount depending on the size of your molds.Start by adding 1 part of Part A to the silicone measuring cup. The amount of Part A should be half the total amount needed. (In our case, 30 ml)Follow your specific resin’s instructions for ratios, drying times, and curing times.
- Add an equal amount of Part B to the measuring cup. Or whatever ratio your brand of resin suggests. (In our case, 30 ml)
- Mix the resin and hardener together with a popsicle stick or a reusable resin stir stick.Stir slowly, scraping down the sides and bottom of the measuring cup. Continue mixing for 3 minutes or until the mixture is clear.
Step 3: Add glitter to the resin
- Pour the resin into separate plastic cups (1 cup per colour of ornament you want to make).
- Pour glitter into the resin cups. You’ll want to use about 1 teaspoon of glitter total per ornament, between several different types of glitter.
- Try using fine glitter, chunky glitter, and holographic glitter to help catch the light.The different textures of glitter will give the ornament depth.
- Stir well to mix the glitter in. The resin mixture should be thick, and there shouldn’t be any transparent spots.
- Pour the resin into the ornament mold.You may want to use the stir stick or a toothpick to get rid of any air bubbles around the edge of the ornament.
- Repeat with the other ornaments and let the ornaments sit, untouched, for the recommended dry (or demold) time.Our resin’s dry time is 12 – 18 hours, but we recommend waiting 24 hours so that the ornaments are definitely hard enough to handle without warping.
Step 4: Unmold the ornament and prepare the vinyl lettering
- Once your resin ornament is dry you can demold it.Grab the side of the mold and stretch it a bit as you pull it back. The ornament should come out easily.
- Print your Christmas message, or whatever you’d like your ornament to say, on vinyl using a Cricut or other vinyl cutting machine.Find the link for our templates in the materials list above, or below this tutorial.
- Cut around the vinyl design.
- Peel off the outer layer of vinyl carefully, so that only your word design remains.
- Use the weeding tool to take out any small pieces from inside the design (eg. the inside of an “e” or “a”).
- Cut a piece of transfer tape to be the right size to fit on your design.
- Place the transfer tape on top of the vinyl word and use a scraping tool to make sure the vinyl is stuck nicely to the transfer tape.
Step 5: Add the lettering and an ornament hanger
- Peel the transfer tape off, bringing the vinyl design with you.
- Carefully place the design on the ornament and press it down.
- Use the scraper tool again to really ensure the vinyl is adhered to the ornament.
- Remove the transfer tape, peeling it off carefully.
- Repeat, adding Christmas messages to your other ornaments.
- Cut a thin piece of ribbon to be about 8 inches and insert it through the hole in the ornament. Tie the ends into a knot, creating an ornament hanger.Repeat for the other two ornaments.
- Your resin Christmas ornaments are complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Do your resin pours in a well ventilated area and protect your working surface. Wear basic PPE: nitrile gloves, eye protection, and long sleeves. Some resin also requires wearing a respirator.
- Instead of a Christmas message, personalize your resin ornament with a name or date on the front.
- You can pour a thin layer of clear resin on top of the Cricut vinyl to seal it in. This also adds another layer of dimension to the ornament.
Download our free resin Christmas ornaments template:
Click on the link or image below to download our free, printable resin ornament templates to use in a Cricut or other cutting machine! Save the file to your computer or device. Depending on your device, it might automatically save the ZIP file to your default downloads folder, or it might open a window that asks you where you’d like to save the file.
The ZIP file contains 2 SVG files: 1 with circles around the words, and 1 without the circles. Unzip the files and open one of them in your Cricut Design Space app. You’ll need to adjust the templates to be the correct size for your ornaments.
>>> SVG Files for Resin Christmas Ornaments <<<
What type of resin is used to make a resin ornament?
We used epoxy casting resin to make our DIY Christmas ornaments. Deep pour resin is recommended for any objects thicker than 1/2 inch, so if you’re going to buy one type of resin, casting resin is the one to choose. Even though these ornaments are thinner (about 3/16 inch), the casting resin works well.
Since the resin ornaments are fairly thin, you can also use a tabletop resin. Tabletop resin cures a bit harder than casting resin, which is nice, but it can also take longer to cure.
What kind of glitter is used in these resin Christmas ornaments?
We used several different types of glitter in making these ornaments. Try using different shades of glitter to add dimension to your ornament (eg. light blue and dark blue). Use the most glitter of whatever colour you want as the dominant shade.
We also used different sizes and shapes of glitter. Use fine glitter, chunky glitter, and holographic glitter. You can even use glitter flakes or gold flakes in your ornament.
What type of mold is used to make a resin ornament?
We highly recommend using silicone molds to make resin Christmas ornaments. Resin doesn’t stick to silicone, and silicone is nice and flexible, making the ornaments very easy to unmold.
We used a flat silicone ornament mold that creates ornaments 2-1/2 inches in diameter. You can also buy Christmas ornament molds with text built into the silicone.
Can I add lettering to my resin ornament without a Cricut?
We love the neat and consistent look of the lettering made with a vinyl cutting machine, but you can definitely make these ornaments without a Cricut.
We recommend using an oil based paint marker to write on the resin ornaments. Or you can also tape a stencil on top of the ornament and use acrylic paint.
What else can I use to colour a resin ornament?
We used glitter to add colour and sparkle to our resin Christmas ornaments, but there are so many other options. Try using:
- mica powder
- acrylic paint
- alcohol ink
- food coloring
- liquid or powder resin dyes
Keep in mind that you can add as much glitter as you’d like, but the pigments listed above must make up only 6% of the volume, maximum.
Add a one of a kind, handcrafted resin ornament to your Christmas tree this year! These custom resin Christmas ornaments are such cute decorations, and they’re the perfect way to add a little sparkle to your holiday season.
Here’s even more DIY ornament ideas:
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
