DIY Minion Ball Ornament

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Photo of minion ball ornament

My experience with decorating for Christmas is borderline storybook, by which I mean my mom craved Kodak moments—we nicknamed her Kodak, much to her dismay, because she was always snapping photos—and making moments look like storybook moments. Thus, when the time came for decorating the Christmas tree, it was mandatory for everyone to participate and look like we were having fun.

Four years ago, I enjoyed decorating a Christmas tree, but I’ve not put one up since—it didn’t feel like me. However, I have since learned miniature trees come in different colors(!) and have thus put a white one one my wish list because I like the idea of decorating it with color?? Splashes of color amuse me. This year, I have orange lights from my dad that didn’t sell in the garage sale I decided to use[1. SORRY NOT SORRY Ruby and Ezra. I call dibs because #oldest. Boom.~] in my room because I want those cute lights people have in rooms. Orange isn’t perfect, but it kinda works.

Anyway, another thing I have since learned is possible is creating my own ball ornaments. I love ball ornaments, ’cause I do enjoy some traditional lifestyle aspects, but also because I never know how I’m supposed to put wooden stick ornaments or miniature buggies on a branch. Mimi ties bows to hers—it’s a great rural-inspired display—but I’m not that creative (and also I don’t care and am too lazy for that ish and can never tie bows just right).

I have a list of ball ornaments I want to make for my own ornament collection—I think I’d rather make them and have them gifted to me instead of buying them from the store. DIY and gifted ornaments feel more personal and hold more meaning, and I appreciate them more than the ones I’ve just bought. (That’s not to say I wouldn’t buy a Toothless Night Fury ornament, because I would if I could find a kawaii one. If I wasn’t so raw in terms of sketching, I would make one, but I fear I would screw it all up and don’t want to taint the lovely Toothless with my lost sketch talent.)

Conveniently, I found clear plastic ball ornaments at Dollar Tree (and a plethora of other DIY project materials I will soon go back for. I am currently trying to figure out how I could made a seedling ornament, because I think that would be super cool. I like that they’re plastic, because 1) I don’t trust myself with glass, to be honest, and 2) I plan to have another cat eventually (and I don’t know if you know what cats + glass ornaments are like, but what I know is that I prefer to a) be barefoot at home and b) not have to pick shards of glass out of my feet with tweezers).

Materials

Photo of materials

  • Clear ball ornament ($1 for two @ Dollar Tree)
  • Acrylic paint[2. Can be found at Walmart for $1-2. I prefer acrylic paint because it’s so versatile, dries quick, and washes off skin and clothes easy. Alternatively, you could use googly eyes if you don’t want to use a lot of paint.] in yellow, white
  • Paint palettes (optional)
  • A small plastic cup (to hold the ornament while it drains; I used a bath cup)
  • Acrylic brushes[3. I used a brush I got a long time ago. Expensive brushes are too fancy for acrylics.]
  • Black and silver/grey permanent markers[4. Alternatively, you could us black and light grey paint.]

Instructions

  1. Remove the lid of the ornament. Rinse with water and allow to fully air-dry upside down, in the plastic cup.
  2. Squirt some yellow paint into the ornament and turn gently until all sides are coated. If you need more paint, squirt more into it—you just need enough so the entire ball is covered.
  3. Wipe the mouth of the ornament with a paper towel. Let the ornament fully air-dry upside down in the plastic cup.
  4. If you see some spots or weird lines without paint, repeat steps 2 and 3.
  5. Wipe the mouth of the ornament again. Put the lid back onto the ornament.
  6. Decide on which minion face you wish to create or make your own. Use the black permanent marker (or paint) for the glasses band, and the silver/grey for the frames.

Two of my friends are cracking up over this guy. “It just looks like it KNOWS what you did. Like, it’s SMIRKING, EFFY.”

Photo of minion ball ornament

This guy could do great things. 🤔😏

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