Frosted Christmas Ornament

Make a frosted Christmas ornament using epsom salt in this slightly messy diy craft for Day 8 of the 12 Crafts of Christmas.

Be prepared to get a little sticky and messy with this craft. It’s easy to do, but there’s some clean up involved after and it’s all in the name of fun. People of all ages will enjoy making and receiving this beautiful ornament. These frosted ornaments look so pretty hanging on Christmas trees. The salt crystals give it a glittery effect.

Day 7 was this Christmas Tiered Tray, check it out too.

A Frosted Christmas Ornament makes a beautiful decoration. It's the holiday craft for Day 8 of the 12 Crafts of Christmas series. - the Inspired Decorator

Supplies for Frosted Christmas Ornament

Clear Ball/ Bauble

Mod Podge (clear drying)

Sponge Brush

Epsom Salt

A Bowl or Dish

Decorative Accessories

String/Twine/Ribbon

Hot Glue

The supplies for the frosted Christmas ornament are easy to find. It uses epsom salts, a clear ornament, mod podge, and some Christmas accents.

Step 1: Prepare your Epsom Salt

This craft does need you to move a bit quicker through the first few steps. It’s going to be easier if you have a bowl or plate with Epsom salt poured on it already. In step 3 you’re going to roll the ornament in the salt crystals so you want to make sure you have a decent amount of crystals in your dish. I’d make it at least a half-inch thick layer. This way, as you roll your ornament in the salt, it’s not scraping the bottom of the dish and actually taking the salt back off in sections.

Using Epsom salt as frosting on the frosted Christmas ornament gives texture and sparkle to the decoration. It's easier to create this diy ornament with the salt pre-poured into a dish.

Step 2: Mod Podge

You can either leave it on or take the cap and hook off of your ornament and set them aside. You want to make sure you can get a good grip on the neck either way. Using a sponge brush, brush Mod Podge onto your ball. It’s a good idea to leave some space around the neck of your ornament so you have a place to grasp it without getting mod podge glue on you.

Fully coat the clear ornament with a layer of mod podge to get started on your frosted christmas ball.

A full coverage of mod podge will ensure the epsom salt sticks securely to the Christmas ornament.

Step 3: Roll Ornament in Salt

While the Mod Podge is still wet, start rolling your ornament in the bowl of epsom salt. You want to get a good coating of salt crystals on your ornament. As the adhesive dries, any crystals that aren’t directly attached to the Mod Podge will fall off. So roll it around a few times to get an even coverage of crystals all over your ball. I then set the ornament down in the bowl to dry on top of the leftover epsom salts. the salts help support it so that air can get to the bottom without rubbing the bottom salt crystals off.

Rolling the mod podge-coated Christmas ball in a dish of epsom salt is an easy and less messy way to create a frosted Christmas ornament.

Decorate your frosted Christmas all with springs of pine and berries. Be as creative as you wish.

Step 4: Fill Your Ornament

Now, this is a bit of an extra step that you don’t necessarily need to do. For some extra color, you can place items in your ornament. I put some epsom salt into the ornament too which made the bottom of the ornament look whiter and well covered. The decorative pieces placed inside are 2 bunches of pine needle stems, and a couple of berries for added color. They are loose and can move freely inside the ornament.

Since the Christmas ball is clear, even after a layer of epsom salt, you will still get a glimpse of the colors you fill the inside of the ball with.

Step 5: Decorate The Ornament

Make sure the cap and hook are back on your ornament. Now that it’s dry, it’s time to garnish your frosted Christmas ornament. Using hot glue, attach a pine needle stem to the top of your frosted bauble. Then glue on a few berries around it.

Add a sprig of pine to the top of your frosted Christmas decoration for some extra charm.

Alongside the sprig of pine, a few berries add some color to the epsom salt Christmas ornament

Step 6: Add A Hanger

The string you use to hang your ornament can change the style of your frosted decoration. Use a ribbon for an embellished look, twine for a rustic vibe, or a metal hook to make the hanger less noticeable and keep all the attention on the frosted Christmas ball itself. Cut your string and double knot it to keep it secure. You could even add a drop of hot glue to the knot to really hold it in place.

Step 7: Hang Up Your Ornament

Before I hung up the ornament, I lightly shook and rubbed off any loose salt crystals. This helps to prevent a mess of under your tree from any crystals that may fall off. This frosted Christmas ornament really should be hung near some lights so you can see the lights twinkle on the salt crystals.

Hang your frosted Christmas ball near some twinkling lights to see it glisten. The epsom salts add sparkle to the white decoration. It's a beautiful diy Christmas ornament.

Finished Result

Did you mind the mess of this craft for the end result? It’s a stunning piece and doesn’t look handmade at all. There are extras steps you could take to dress it up more, such as filling the inside of the ornament with a colored paint to give it a colorful hue, dyeing the salt beforehand, or using different types of salt. Have fun playing around with this project and making your unique frosted Christmas ornaments.

Please share this tutorial with your friends and check out the other Christmas diy projects in the 12 Crafts of Christmas series.