How I Made Jadeite Christmas Ornaments

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Jadeite Christmas ornaments are a real thing, aren’t they? Well, I have never seen jadeite ornaments, and I am certain there is no such thing. However, after buying an old liquor bottle turned lamp that someone had painted to look like jadeite, I got to thinking! How can I replicate this and make Christmas ornaments? Follow along and I will share what I learned. What to do, and what not to do.

What I Learned

This project was a total experiment, including the type of paint, the best way to apply it, and what ornament styles I wanted to use. I learned some do’s and don’ts along the way and think I figured out some tips and tricks for you.

Pictured below is the liquor bottle lamp I bought at a flea market that became my inspiration piece for these jadeite Christmas ornaments.

When I took this lamp apart to replace the old worn out electrical cord and socket, I learned someone had added paint to the inside of the bottle, making it appear to look like jadeite. Brilliant! So thought, why couldn’t I do the same thing with these clear ornaments?

Like the lamp, I tried dumping some paint inside the ornament attempting to swirl it around covering the entire inside of the ornament. This is MESSY I learned, and would take a LOT of paint. Adding a little water to the paint was also a bad idea. It only made the mess bigger.

I also tried to paint the outside of the ornament using a brush. As you can see above, the brush strokes are visible, and you definitely need to use glossy paint.

I ended up using fast drying glossy spray paint in the color sour apple. I think the color is perfect and the glossy finish makes any ornament look like glass.

How I Made Jadeite Ornaments

I used some ornaments I already had on hand to make my jadeite Christmas ornaments. Using ornaments that have a mix of pattern surfaces and smooth will provide extra interest to your new jadeite ornaments. I linked some here for you to use if you don’t have any on hand. TIP, do not use any ornaments that have glitter on them.

Start by removing the top of the ornament. I found that some ornaments have tops that break easily when you remove them. For these, I left them in place during the spray paint process.

Place a wooden kitchen skewer inside the ornament and spray paint them. I used some floral foam to poke the skewers into while the jadeite ornaments dried.

Paint the jadiete ornament tops using rub n buff. My favorite color is antique gold. If you haven’t used rub n buff, keep in mind, that a little goes a long way.

Once the tops and the ornaments are all dry add a ribbon. I love the contrast of this beautiful red velvet ribbon and the whimsical look of the red gingham check ribbon.