Want to turn plain thrift store ornaments into something that sparkles like it's covered in frost? All it takes is borax and hot water. It's one of my favourite Christmas DIYs, and every time I do it I'm blown away by the results.
I picked up some poinsettias, star ornaments and plastic icicles at the thrift store, and after one night in a borax solution they were covered in glittery crystals. I even made coffee filter snowflakes the same way. They look so much better than plain plastic, and they cost next to nothing.
What You'll Need
Borax (the laundry booster)
Boiling water
A large measuring cup or glass jar (an old pickle jar works great)
A 1/3 cup measure
Wooden skewers
Thrift store ornaments, faux poinsettias, icicles or other decorations
Coffee filters and scissors (for snowflakes)
A baking sheet
Paper towel
Polycrylic sealer
How to Do It
Mix 1/3 cup of borax into every 2 cups of boiling water. Make enough to fully cover your ornaments (I used 6 cups of water and 1 cup of borax). Stir until the borax is completely dissolved.
Pour the solution into your jar or large measuring cup.
Hang your ornaments from a wooden skewer laid across the top of the jar so they hang down into the solution. Make sure they're completely covered.
Leave them overnight. You'll see crystals start to form in a few hours, but overnight gives you the most sparkle.
For coffee filter snowflakes, fold a coffee filter three or four times and cut out little shapes, just like you did as a kid. Open it up, lay it on a baking sheet, pour a fresh batch of the borax solution over top and leave it overnight.
Take everything out and let it dry completely on paper towel.
Seal your ornaments with two or three coats of polycrylic so the crystals don't fall off.
My Best Tips
Choose heavier ornaments. Very light ornaments float on top and won't crystallize evenly. If they float, lay them on top and flip them over after about 6 hours so both sides sparkle.
Don't skip the sealer. The crystals are fragile and will drop off without it. Sealed, they'll last for years.
Use the snowflakes as doilies, or thread a string through them and hang them up.
Borax is a cleaning product, so keep it away from little ones and pets, and use a jar you won't be using for food.
Looking for Christmas graphics for your holiday crafts? Members of Our Upcycled Society get my whole graphics library, full of Christmas designs, with new ones added every week 💛
If you give it a try, I'd love to see how it turns out! Tag me @OurUpcycledLife on social media. I always enjoy seeing your beautiful creations. 💕 Until next time, happy crafting!
