Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make DIY Rhinestone and Pearl Bling Ornaments
I love blinging things up and when I bought a huge bag of clear ornaments recently, I got super inspired. You can swirl paint inside them, you can add tinsel inside them, you can add dried flowers inside them, and you can bling them up!
I made the cotton candy inspired ornament on a rainy day at home
Due to traveling recently, I knew adding some pearls and rhinestones to a couple of ornaments would be a perfect car craft. Read on to learn how to make DIY rhinestone and pearl bling ornaments.
I love the colors of this DIY ornament
Car Crafting
More car crafting with Carolyn! I wrote an article (see many of my car crafts with a supply list and my car crafting methods in this article here) in the summer of 2024 with all the easy car crafts I created while visiting a neighborhood we will move to. We are moving from Florida to Georgia, so to pass the time while traveling, I create in the car.
Displaying the ornaments by mistletoe
I choose easy crafts that most anyone could do. It’s about a 10-hour drive, so I can create a couple of crafts each time we drive from Sanibel Island to Georgia. I always travel with a tray lined with drawer liner.
You can hang ornaments on coat hangers
My travel craft setup:
Plastic Fast Food Serving Trays (I use these for so many crafting projects and my husband loves them for taking food out to the grill)
Gorilla Grip Premium Drawer and Shelf Liner (I use this in my kitchen on shelves, in drawers and more)
My blue and pink finished ornament
Adding pearls and rhinestones to plain ornaments seemed like the perfect car craft idea. I grabbed some of my chiffon and tulle ribbon and my car crafting kit and set to work. I love crafting ornaments and have created quite a few.
I buy many of my craft supplies currently from Temu (see my discount link below) because they have some of the lowest prices. Their craft supply quality is great too.
A bridal inspired ornament
More Ornament Tutorials + Inspiration
Here are some of my other ornament tutorials here on my website:
See my easy angel feather ornament below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
See my dried flower ornament tutorial below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
I’ve seen a huge trend in people creating paint filled ornaments. I am wanting to use my jadeite green paint to try one and probably will since I have quite a few clear ornaments that are “blank canvases” right now. I made a faux jadeite jar vase and pumpkins with the DecoArt jadeite paint and love them.
The ornaments glitter in the sun
I like to visit the Martha Stewart website and get some inspiration if needed for Christmas ornaments. I like her silver seed-pod ornaments in this article. These Christmas Card Ornaments from Better Homes & Gardens are a great way to recycle Christmas cards!
Bling Ornament Supplies with Links to Buy + Discount Code
Rhinestones and pearl sets in various colors (I order bulk packs from Amazon and from Temu, if ordering from Temu, use my code afe55197 or use this link to get 30% off for new users)
Clear Fillable Ornaments (mine were 2.36 inches and I got them on Amazon, but Walmart has them and Temu does too)
1.5” Chiffon Silk Ribbon (I got mine on Temu, but Amazon has a great kit here)
Spool of tulle (I got mine at Hobby Lobby, but Amazon has it too)
Various ribbons
Rhinestone trays in various sizes for holding the charms, rhinestones and pearls while crafting
Small towel to lay projects on as needed
Pointy cotton swabs for wiping away excess glue
Optional: Dual temp hot glue gun
Optional: Bowdabra bow maker
I get many of my DIY crafting supplies on Temu
Bridal Inspired Ornament
For this project, I simply added a bit of glue to the ornament and used my wax pencil (I had to use my fingers for some of the larger one) to pick up the rhinestones and pearl mix and added them one at a time until it was completely filled.
I love the iridescent colors of this bling ornament
Watch me make the Bridal Inspired Bling Ornament in my 1-minute “Car Crafting with Carolyn” video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden
Crafting in the car with this bridal inspired ornament
I used a soft creamy pearl and iridescent rhinestone mixture, which reminded me of a romantic bridal ornament.
I crafted this ornament on the way to visit my mom in the St. Pete area in Florida
For all rhinestones and pearl projects, be sure to add a thin layer of glue and if any oozes out, you can use a cotton swab to wipe the excess away.
I worked around the top of the ornament first, and by the time I was ready for the bottom, the glue had cured enough for me to flip it over gently and work on the other side.
This is a “romantic” looking ornament
I threaded some glittery creamy colored tulle and beige chiffon ribbon through the top of the ornament and tied it in a bow. I trimmed it with my scissors as needed.
I always give my crafts 24 hours to fully dry before using them fully.
The Cotton Candy Inspired DIY Ornament
Cotton Candy Inspired Bling Ornament
I following the same process for making my bridal inspired ornament except, I added some small pink and blue jelly rhinestones to the cotton candy colored mixture I got on Temu.
Working from top to bottom
I added the rhinestones and pearls starting at the top, and then held onto the top to complete the bottom.
Holding it upside down to finish blinging
I actually made this ornament at home on a rainy day, so I decided to use my Bowdabra to craft a small layered bow to attach to the ornament instead of tying it on the top.
I layered 3 ribbons for this bow
I used three ribbons to do this and then used my hot glue gun on a low temperature to glue the bow to the front of the ornament.
Making the bow for the ornament
If you loved this article, we know you’ll love this one too: How to Make a Seashell Christmas Tree
Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.