WHAT TO MAKE WITH BROKEN CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS
Let’s make broken glass ornaments! These are gorgeous, glittery, “recycled” ornaments that are unique to you and can have wonderful Christmas memories already in them! You don’t have to be crafty to make them and they might just be the most special ornaments hanging on your Christmas tree!
What do you do when you are decorating the tree and a beautiful ornament slips out of your hand or fall off the tree?
CRASH they go and SMASH on the floor. And what if this ornament is old or has sentimental value or is a family heirloom?
I hope you scoop up the broken pieces and save them.
Because out of those fragmented shards comes the most beautiful one of a kind glass glitter! You can make your own glitter to sparkle up your Christmas decorations!
You can make your own new broken glass ornaments!
I’m taking a different spin on this idea and purposefully breaking red glass ornaments to make new ornaments for my tree. This is a must-read for all of us who have ever dropped an ornament we loved. Take heart, you can give your broken ornament a second life by making new ones!
One of the best things about being a blogger is the friends I make. I found this wonderful idea at Shabbyfufu! Janet’s blog is so ethereal and beautiful. Her images are like “pink whipped cream”… gorgeous! Make sure to stop by and say “hi” to Janet! She is the one who gave me the idea of glass glitter!
HOW TO MAKE BROKEN GLASS ORNAMENTS
MATERIALS
Here’s what you will need…
- glass ornaments, broken or ones to break
- clear glass ornaments, to glue the broken pieces to
- clear glue like Elmer’s Clear School Glue
- paper towels
- zip type freezer bags
- something to smash with like a mallet or rolling pin etc
- spoon
- ribbon
BROKEN GLASS PROCEDURE
- Collect materials.
- Remove the tops from the ornaments. Save them for ornaments in your stash that have lost their tops, Yes, that happens!!
- Wrap a couple glass ornaments at a time in a paper towel and put it into a zip-type freezer bag.
4. Crush the ornament. I have a craft mallet and it worked great! You can also use a rolling pin.
5. Don’t crush the ornaments into dust. I liked to have larger pieces. My camera did not pick up how sparkly it is! So pretty!
6. Apply glue liberally onto the clear ornament where you want the glitter to stick. I tried rolling the glued ornament into the glitter but did not get great coverage. I ended up spooning the glitter on the clear ornament. Do not use your hands, the glitter is sharp!
7. Set the new ornaments aside until the glue has totally dried.
8. Thread a ribbon through the ornament top
9. Tie a bow and hang!
Now you have new beautiful ornaments. Broken glass ornaments!
You might also like these other Christmas ideas…
CHRISTMAS HOME TOURS
A WALK IN THE WOOD’S CHRISTMAS MANTEL
SILVER AND GOLD CHRISTMAS TOUR PART 1
SILVER AND GOLD CHRISTMAS TOUR PART 2
CHRISTMAS TREE IDEAS…
HOW TO DECORATE A TABLETOP TREE
HOW TO DECORATE A WHITE CHRISTMAS TREE
CHRISTMAS DIY’S
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS BOW
What do you do when you are decorating the tree and a beautiful ornament slips out of your hand or fall off the tree and… CRASH… smashes on the floor. I hope you scoop up the broken pieces and save them. Because out of those fragmented shards comes the most beautiful one of a kind glass glitter! You can make your own glitter to sparkle up your Christmas decorations! I’m taking a different spin on this idea and purposefully breaking red glass ornaments to make new ornaments for my tree. This is a must read for all of us who have every dropped an ornament they loved. Take heart, you can give your broken ornament a second life!
One of the best things about being a blogger is the friends I make. I found this wonderful idea at Shabbyfufu! Janet’s blog is so ethereal and beautiful. Her images are like “pink whipped cream”… gorgeous! Make sure to stop by and say “hi” to Janet! She is the one who gave me the idea of glass glitter
Let’s make Broken Glass Glitter Ornaments!
Materials: glass ornaments (colored), clear ornaments, clear glue (I used Elmer’s clear school glue), paper towels, zip-type freezer bag, mallet or rolling pin, spoon, ribbon
- Collect materials.
- Remove the tops from the ornaments.
- Wrap a couple glass ornaments at a time in a paper towel and put it into a zip-type freezer bag.
4. Crush the ornament. I have a craft mallet and it worked great! You can also use a rolling pin.
5. Don’t crush the ornaments into dust. I liked to have larger pieces. My camera did not pick up how sparkly it is! So pretty!
6. Apply glue liberally onto the clear ornament where you want the glitter to stick. I tried rolling the glued ornament into the glitter but did not get great coverage. I ended up spooning the glitter on the clear ornament. Do not use your hands, the glitter is sharp!
7, Set the new ornaments aside until the glue has totally dried.
8. Thread a ribbon through the ornament top
9. Tie a bow and hang!
You might like to follow me on Pinterest and see all the great things I am finding to pin every day HERE!
These ornaments remind me of life. All of our brokenness becoming beautiful when we give all the pieces to Christ!!
Very truthful and beautiful!
Love this! I may quote you!
Yes! Using this for a ladies retreat in the spring. I love how you explained it
What a great idea. Just be careful. The glass chards will cut you. So tell your ladies not to touch.
There are some pinecones that I want to try that with. Then place them in an arrangement with artificial greens in a wooden trough.
Maybe gold ornaments?
Sounds beautiful!
Yes! Pine cones… great idea!
Very pretty!! I’d do it a bit differently and use a funnel to put the broken ornaments inside the clear ornaments. I have a few clear ornaments stuffed with tinsel. One even has a pick of my daughter inside.
Beautiful! Ornaments often have memories attached to it.
Broken glass ornaments are preftier than original ornaments
I think so too!
Very pretty but are sharp to touch, I have a two year old granddaughter?
Yes, they might have some sharp edges. Best kept way up high on the tree!
What a fantastic idea. Thanks for sharing.
What a great idea! Going to give it a try! I also like the idea of putting the pieces inside the ornament. Maybe with some fake snow.
Yes to this great idea.
Great idea.
I love our broken glass ornaments.
What a great idea! Wish I had thought of this when a friend knocked a beautiful glass ornament that my grandmother brought from Italy decades ago! You have the best imagination! Happy Thanksgiving. Please show your Thanksgiving table!
Love them… looks like they are fun to make as well.
I need to plan a fun afternoon with my nieces! Thanks.
Sharon
Great idea. I thought your directions were going to be: as you did, crush the ornament and then—-put the glass glitter—-INTO that clear glass ornament. I like either way, but yours will have larger pieces. Thank you
Love all your ideas……I saw that on Shabbyfufu also! Have a blessed Thanksgiving, especially with the new addition……how wonderful!
Anderson was a month old yesterday! He is doing fine! We have a whole lot to be thankful for!
Why keep this idea for Christmas…
Beautiful idea for a special occasion (wedding or baby showers – color schemed of course) in a Trifle Bowl with small battery lights and ribbon floating throughout.
Wow! You need to write a blog! Fabulous ideas!
Fabulous idea from both you and Shabbyfufu!
Awesome idea! I love glittery Christopher Radko ornaments! Love the sparkle and multi colors on the tree… I would hate to mutilate one of those ornaments… but it it was beyond hope; it would be best to recycle it… Thanks!
What a cute idea, makes you want to save all the old broken ones from year to year.
cute idea and this way you get to keep the sentimental value of the ornament.
I wish I would have known this years ago when I had broken some of my favorite ornaments. Great idea!! Thank you for sharing.
I wish I had this idea when our dog tipped over our tree a couple of years ago. Just threw out the pieces of several beloved ornaments. Kept the dog so may have use for the idea yet.
LOL! Sorry, not laughing at your tree accident, but your comment was adorabe!
Love this!!! I also wish I had known about this years ago I when I broke one of my mom’s ornaments and had to toss it — next ime —- I’ll know what to do! Might just make these as fabvors for a girls luncheon! Fun and easy and so festive!
What a great idea ! I always just throw mine away
Who would’ve thought! Great way to keep those ornaments that held a special place!
What a terrific idea! Thinking it might also be fun if poured into a clear ornament; sort of “snow-globe-y”.
Thankful for your blog and inspiration in my life, dear one! ??❤️
Hi Yvonne,
How cool! What an easy craft for Christmas! Thank you for posting this idea! Yes, I discovered Janet from Shabbyfufu this year!! I LOVE her style! She has jaw dropping ideas. Of course you know her because you have beautiful taste too! Happy Thanksgiving and God bless!
I was lucky enough to be with Janet from Shabbyfufu at Haven in August. She is amazing!
Well thanks for that tip, Yvonne. All my broken ornaments from years past have been put right in trash bin.
Thanks for tip. What a wonderful idea.
I should have read your post sooner. I was putting up my tree and dropped one of my vintage ornaments and it broke into so many pieces. I was so sad. I could have used the pieces to make one of these.
Thanks for the great idea,
Bev
Thank you! I just broke a vintage ornament that had been my mother in law’s and this is a great way to save it!
So cute!! Thanks for another fantastic craft!
Very pretty! Yvonne, you always have wonderful, easy ideas that you share. Happy thanksgiving!
I love it! Think how pretty my tree could’ve been years ago, when the children were little. ha!
What a great idea. Pure and simple! Now we can reuse treasured broken ornaments or design new ones. How Yvonne!
Love this idea, Yvonne! I also think it would work great to put the “glass glitter” inside the ornament…… Thanks for the inspiration! Looking forward to seeing the rest of your Christmas decorating posts! Happy Thanksgiving…
What a great idea!
I recently saw an idea like this where glass tubes were used and hung as ornaments. Such great ideas that are easy to execute.
Wow, that sounds pretty and different! LOVE it!
What a great idea! These ornaments are really pretty!
I love this project. It’s a great way to get ornaments that are out of the ordinary in the color that I choose. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thanks for the shout out my dear friend…and I’m so happy that you were inspired by my project to create your own!
xoxo,
Janet
Janet, I’m thrilled and inspired by everything you do!
What a great idea to use up those broken ornaments. The red with the black bow is beautiful. Can’t wait to see your entire tree!
Love this idea!
what a great idea!
Very pretty idea.
I could never imagine using broken ornaments to make something so beautiful!I have a few ornaments that are damaged. I may just have to try this project. Thanks for sharing!
Very pretty,can’t wait to see your tree !
Love this idea! Like so many others, wish I had known this sooner or had been creative enough to figure it out! 🙂
What an ideal way to keep those beloved broken ornaments. Why is it that your favorite ones break. These would be great favors for a luncheon.
Creativity at its best! Thanks for a great idea that has multiple uses! Love the wedding idea!
Love this idea. I want to thank you for you wonderful and lovingly detailed blog. Have a blessed Thanksgiving and enjoy the
joy of the new darling grandson. It is all worth our time and love.
Rosalie
Love this idea. I love the idea for putting the glitter inside the ornament. I use glass glitter on my snowmen wreaths. I put clear or white on the nose and large chunks of black glitter on small black painted styrofoam balls. It adds avery nice sparkle! Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Beautiful! I have some old “plain-Jane” ornaments that I may just have to do this with. Thanks for the great idea.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Such a quick and easy craft. Saving this to do on a winter’s day.
Beautiful! I saved a box of red glass ornaments we put on our first tree (54 years ago). A great idea to make them “New” again! Thanks!
This such an awesome idea, specially if it’s a cherished memory ornament…you can still preserve it! Definitely will do this! Happy Thanksgiving
Very pretty, but could you put the glue and the glitter inside the ornament so they weren’t so dangerous?
Ugh! How I wish you gave us this great idea last year! Last year was my worst year for breaking ornaments! I must have had “butter fingers”, because I really was beginning to think something was wrong with me. I lost so many favorites! I literally stood there after carefully picking up the pieces and just stared at them, stunned. This is another one of your great ideas that makes me “hit my forehead and say,’Why didn’t I think of that’!” Now that I have a great plan in place for any mishaps this year, you just watch and see- I’ll have no casualties!
What a great idea not only for the ornaments but for the pine cone too. Thanks to Janet and to you for share with us.
Great idea for broken ornaments instead of throwing away. Also, a very easy craft project.
When my grandmother passed away I inherited a few of her beaded silk purses from the 1920s. Unfortunately, many of the threads, as well as the silk lining, had rotted and it would have been very expensive to have the purses restored. I carefully removed all the beads, washed the years of dust from them, and put them into clear glass ornaments. Each of my grandmother’s granddaughters and great-granddaughters got one for Christmas. We all cherish putting them on the tree each year!
What a beautiful idea!
Happy Thanksgiving, Yvonne. Pretty idea. Hope you have some cuddle time with that precious little pumpkin. So thankful that your blog always brightens my day.
Great idea! Who hasn’t broken a treasured ornament?
Very unique idea, I must say. 🙂 I like the idea of using it on pine cones! 🙂
Very pretty!
I must try these. They are beautiful
OMG!! I’m so trying this this weekend, love this idea, thank you so much and have a great Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Love it, great idea. Waste not, want not as my Grandmother use to say.
What a lot of beautiful ideas! I can’t wait to try them!
Great idea!! especially this year since we have broken several ornaments already. Thanks for sharing.
Great idea . Ornaments are a clever and a good use for broken ornaments.
Love this idea. Will give it a try.
What a beautiful ornament and such a great idea. Let the accident become something of beauty. Thanks Yvonne.
What a wonderful idea. Thank you. Happy thanksgiving to you and your family from your friends in Canada
I love the way you use Black and White! Adding Red at Christmastime makes it all the better! Great idea.
Great idea!
Makes me want to break some ornaments just so I can make these. Lovely idea!
With small grandchildren around, not sure about glueing to outside. But you inspired me to try to glue inside, wish me luck!
After following you on Pinterest…I finally subscribed to your blog. I just took your fall home tour — you have a very lovely home. Thank you for sharing. And thank you for the “5 ways to love your home.” That does make for good inspiration, and may inspire us to do something!
This is a great idea. I thought you were going to say to put the broken pieces inside of the ornament. I guess I should stop getting ahead of myself. 🙂
I love glittery sparkly things at Christmas, so this will fit right in! Thanks Yvonne
I wish all of you, friends of StoneGable, a very Happy Thanksgiving! I have loved reading through these many posts and inspiring ideas! Love, love your creativity, Yvonne! A God given talent which you, in turn, use to bless us! Thank you!
What a wonderful idea. If only I could go back and collect all of the ornaments I have broken through the years. Well from now on I will be keeping them.
It seems that every year I open my ornament box, there is at least one broken no matter how carefully i wrap them up for storage. This is such a great idea. Thank you!
So cleaver & original – thanks for the demo!!!???
I also had the idea when reading this to put the glitter inside of the ornament rather than glue it on. I have a tiny funnel that would do the trick. A lovely way to “make do” as folks did years ago. Thanks Yvonne. Happy Thanksgiving
glad you posted this early enough so I can make a few for gifts. love the black & white ribbon also.
These ornaments are beautiful!
Love these ornaments!
So pretty! Thank you for the great suggestion!
I love this idea! I have mint green glass ornaments I can’t replace wish I had this idea last year! I am prepared now for whatever falls and shatters!
I never would have dreamed recycling my broken glass ornaments. TFS
This is brilliant! Wish I had known about this years ago.
Very clever. I broke one of my favorite ornaments last year. It boke my heart to just throw it away. I will remember this idea for future breaks!
What a great idea! Wish I could retrieve all the broken ornaments I’ve tossed out over the years.
Yvonne what a beautiful idea.It just so happens that I have some old ornaments that I wanted to get rid of.Now I know what to do with them [they’re red] thank you for the wonderful idea will definitely make them.
This is wonderful. Love how it looks.
Yvonne, I absolutely love this innovative and “memory-saving” idea! Thanks for sharing Janet’s (ShabbyFuFu!) ornament project with us. (I certainly want to visit her blog now, too!).
I also like the idea of putting the glass glitter inside for safety, however, it will all settle to the bottom, covering layers of the shimmering pieces with others. So perhaps I’ll try the suggestion of putting a little clear-drying glue inside, swirling it (tho’ not covering all areas) then adding glitter so it dries in a very thin layer, visible from all around.
I think these look really fun … and are especially eye-catching and sparkly! Thanks again for passing on such a great quick and easy idea ~ one that I can hardly wait to do!
Love this idea…..if only I’d saved all my ornaments the last 50+ years.
As always Yvonne, so, so pretty.
Karen
Who knew?
Thanks for sharing this grand idea!!
I love love this blog. It is personable, fun,and elegant. Keep given us such wonderful delightful designs
WOW! Wonderful touch of inspiration. Thank you.
My granddaughter and I make ornaments each year. Love the broken ornament idea, we will try it this year.
Great idea and they look so cute! Thanks!
You could also try putting the broken shards inside the clear ornament. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about cutting yourself when you hang them. Just a thought!
Great thought Nelda!
I had an ornament break which was extremely special to me. It was painted by my grandniece, a very talented you woman and given to me at Christmastime. She was tragically killed in a head on traffic accident a few years later, just before he 18th birthday. I dropped the ornament while decorating the tree and was heartbroken beyond words. I decided to take the broken pieces and put it inside a clear glass ornament so I could continue to use it. Although I would much rather have it in one piece, the broken pieces remind me that although her death broke my heart, I must still pick up the pieces and continue. Yvonne, your idea is beautiful! Accidents happen, pieces get broken, but we can take those pieces and make something lovely.
Hi Sally, Oh my friend! I am so sorry for your great loss. Through all that you still have shared with us and encouraged us to pick up our broken pieces and make something new out of the old. God bless you and your family! And thank you so much!!!
Why not put the glitter INSIDE the clear glass ornament?
Sounds pretty, Dianne!
Of all the Blogs I follow yours is one of my favorites! You cover everything…decorating, holidays, cooking, DIY ideas, organization and many more. You are such an inspiration and I love your decorating style. I also like that you share places where you buy special items. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful ideas and the sharing of your skills. I a looking forward to getting ready for Christmas with your lists!
Victoria, how kind of you to let me know you are enjoying StoneGable! xo
Hello, My name is Jennifer. I love your site. My friend and I started a business for design and professional organizing. You have wonderful ideas.
Congratulations and much success!
Was looking for a simple yet beautiful idea for our ladies church retreat this spring. I had an Ornament of Grace theme. How we may be broken but we are still valuable. This will work and I’m sure the ladies will love them. Thanks
What a wonderful theme.