Make Your Own Faux Mercury Glass Ornaments: A Simple DIY Guide

Don’t you love the look of those beautiful mercury glass ornaments you see in all the expensive catalogs?? I certainly do! I will show you how to make mercury glass ornaments that are shatterproof and look like the real thing!! Plus, they cost a fraction of the price of real mercury glass ornaments!!

DIY Mercury Glass Ornaments

One of my absolute favorite kinds of DIYs is to try and recreate something that I spotted in a high-end catalog. I love sharing how to get that expensive look for less. This holiday season I have a list of ornaments that I’m going to make that are inspired by Pottery Barn, Arhaus, and Anthropologie.

The faux mercury glass ornaments that I’m going to make are my take on this beautiful set from Pottery Barn. ( 5 ornaments for $39.50).

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Supplies for Faux Mercury Glass Ornaments

• To make a set of the DIY mercury glass ornaments you will need to get Krylon Looking Glass Paint or Rustoleum Mirror Paint (it has to be looking glass paint, a silver metallic paint will not have the same effect)
• Clear plastic ornaments ( I got mine from Hobby Lobby)
• A spray bottle filled with a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar
• Gold metallic paint
• Hairdryer

Steps to Make Mercury Glass Ornaments

Step 1

This project should be done in a well-ventilated area. I’m in my workshop with an open window next to me. The fumes aren’t bad because you are spraying right into the ornament and not into the air.

Take the cap off of the ornaments and put them aside somewhere safe.

I did 5 short bursts of the looking glass paint right into the opening of the ornament.

Then I rolled the ornament to spread the paint throughout the entire thing for about 20 seconds.

Take a hairdryer and while you are rolling the ornament aim the warm air over the surface of the ornament…you will see the paint transform as it starts to dry.

Only do this for about 20-30 seconds (you don’t want the paint completely dry).

Step 2

Take your spray bottle with the 50/50 vinegar and water solution and do a couple of quick squirts inside the ornament…cover the end with a paper towel and shake the heck out of it!!

I tapped out the excess vinegar before hitting the opening with the hairdryer. (it doesn’t have to be on super hot either) until it looked dry.

For some of the ornaments, I needed to repeat the paint & vinegar step because the coverage didn’t look great.

Step 3

• Add a squirt of antique gold acrylic paint into the ornament
• Cover the end and shake the ornament until the paint is dispersed
• Turn on the hairdryer and roll the ornament while hitting it with warm air on both the outside and inside the ornament

Put the ornaments aside to dry completely. The paint will develop more as it dries.

While I waited for the paint to dry I spray painted the ornament tops with dark metallic spray paint.

review of the steps:

• 5 QUICK SQUIRTS OF LOOKING GLASS PAINT, ROLL ORNAMENT TO SPREAD PAINT
• AIM HAIRDRYER OVER THE ORNAMENT FOR 20-30 SECONDS AS YOU ROLL THE ORNAMENT
• A COUPLE OF SQUIRTS OF THE 50/50 VINEGAR & WATER MIXTURE
• COVER END AND SHAKE ORNAMENT TO DISPERSE, TAP OUT EXCESS
• HIT IT WITH THE HAIRDRYER FOR 30 SECONDS
• REPEAT IF NECESSARY
• ADD A SQUIRT OF ANTIQUE GOLD ACRYLIC PAINT INSIDE THE ORNAMENT. COVER END AND SHAKE
• HIT IT WITH THE HAIRDRYER TO DRY PAINT FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS.
• LET DRY COMPLETELY

After you make a couple and get the hang of it it only takes 2 minutes to make them and you can get a bunch done quickly!

Variation to Try

I made a few ornaments using black acrylic paint instead of the gold arylic and they came out so cool looking too! They looked antique.

Finished DIY Mercury Glass Ornaments

Here’s one of the ornaments that I made using the black acrylic paint.

Here are a few of the ornaments using the antique gold paint. Aren’t they pretty??!!

I used a vintage round silver tray to make this quick Christmas display and popped on a small grapevine wreath. I surrounded the tray with a few faux greenery picks before adding the faux mercury glass ornaments into the center.

I have it on the top of a bookcase with the DIY Jingle Bell Wreath that I made the other day hanging on the wall.

The faux mercury glass ornaments are a pretty addition to any Christmas tree especially with the tree lights reflecting off of them.

Learn how I decorated this natural & neutral woodland themed Christmas tree including the DIY mercury glass ornaments that I crafted.

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