Lovely Ornaments

This month we resurrected an activity that we did last year.  It's simple and fun and the residents were anxious to repeat this project which produces such lovely ornaments.

Supplies:
  Clear plastic ornaments
  Acrylic paint
  Small plastic cups

I purchased the clear, plastic ornaments at Michael's.   They were already on sale at mid-November which gave us plenty of time to fit the activity into our holiday schedule.

The acrylic paint we prefer for this project, although any craft paint will work, is the Prang metallic paint that comes in a variety of glowing colors.  For the ornament nestled on the stars above we used Prang red and gold metallic paint.

First remove the top from the ornament.  Next, simply pour about two teaspoons of any color you choose, letting it pour down the inside of the ornament in two or three different places.  Select a second color and repeat, allowing this color to flow in between the strips of the first color.  Finally, hold a finger or thumb over the opening in the ornament and shake.  We also found that tapping the ornament lightly on the palms of our hands got the paint to flow around and coat the inside of the ornament completely.

Tips - choose two contrasting colors, such as gold and red to get a nice effect.  Also, choose colors that will create a lovely third color when mixed.  This will help avoid the muddy look.  Also, don't be afraid to try three or more colors inside an ornament.

Besides decorating a tree in the facility the residents can use the ornaments to give as gifts to family and friends.   Happy Holidays!