How to Upcycle Christmas Ornaments with Baking Soda Paint

Breathe new life into those old, ugly ornaments hiding in storage and learn how easy it is to upcycle Christmas ornaments with baking soda paint.

I’ve been a huge fan of the look of baking soda paint on vases and other home decor items and thought it would work great to transform some old Christmas ornaments that I wasn’t in love with. If you’ve been here a while, I love upcycling items for my home, whether it’s something I find at the thrift store or something I planned on donating. Not only is it eco-friendly, but it’s also budget-friendly! Christmas and holiday decor can be really expensive and I don’t know about you, but I’m a frugal gal and not about to blow my budget on expensive decor. So whether you inherited some old ornaments from family members, you found some hiding in storage or you find some ugly ornaments at the thrift store, it’s easy to upcycle them for super cheap and make them fit your style!

What is baking soda paint?

Baking soda paint is simply a mixture of water-based paint, like acrylic paint, and baking soda. By mixing the two, it creates a faux ceramic type look on virtually any surface. Some common applications are on old vases and Christmas ornaments!

Can I use baking soda paint on plastic? What about baking soda paint on glass?

You can use baking soda paint on both plastic and glass surfaces. The Christmas ornaments I’m upcycling in this post are plastic, shatterproof ornaments, but this technique will work on glass ornaments as well. To ensure you get good coverage and little to no chipping on your upcycled ornaments, you can prime them first before painting with the baking soda paint. Alternatively, like I did, you can seal them with a spray sealant once they’re complete.

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TOOLS YOU MAY NEED

• Paint brushes
• Paper plate or bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Cardboard box
• Scissors

MATERIALS YOU MAY NEED

• Shatterproof plastic ornaments (see notes for glass ornaments)
• Water based paint (acrylic, house paint, etc.)
• Baking soda
• Metallic spray paint (optional)
• Matte sealant spray paint
• Twine

BEFORE & AFTER

HOW TO UPCYCLE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS WITH BAKING SODA PAINT

Remove the ornament cap and set aside for later.

Mix 1/2 cup water-based paint with 1/2 tsp of baking soda.

Poke holes in the bottom of a cardboard box and stick the ornaments in upside down.

Paint the old Christmas ornaments with the baking soda paint. Allow them to fully dry before applying subsequent layers.

In the meantime, spray paint the ornament tops to a color of your liking (optional) I used a metallic copper spray paint.

Once the ornaments are completely dry, spray them with a protective sealant.

Re-attach the ornament tops, then feed a piece of twine, about 8-9″ long, through the top of the ornament and tie in a knot.

NOTES

• Use 1 tsp baking soda for every 1 cup of paint. If you want a rougher texture, you can add more baking soda.
• I used both acrylic and interior paint and found the acrylic paint dried more matte and showed off the texture better.
• If you’re painting glass ornaments, I recommend first priming them with a primer that’s made to stick to glass and other surfaces. You can also do this with the plastic ornaments to ensure there’s no chipping.
• To make painting easier, you can place the ornaments on a wooden skewer, then stick the skewers into a cardboard box for drying.

Continue to Content

Baking Soda Paint Upcycled Ornaments

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Breathe new life into those old, ugly ornaments hiding in storage and learn how easy it is to upcycle Christmas ornaments with baking soda paint.

Print

Materials

• Shatterproof plastic ornaments (see notes for glass ornaments)
• Water based paint (acrylic, house paint, etc.)
• Baking soda
• Metallic spray paint (optional)
• Matte sealant spray paint
• Twine

Tools

• Paint brushes
• Paper plate or bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Cardboard box
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Remove the ornament cap and set aside for later.
2. Mix 1/2 cup water-based paint with 1/2 tsp of baking soda.
3. Poke holes in the bottom of a cardboard box and stick the ornaments in upside down.
4. Paint the old Christmas ornaments with the baking soda paint. Allow them to fully dry before applying subsequent layers.
5. In the meantime, spray paint the ornament tops to a color of your liking (optional) I used a metallic copper spray paint.
6. Once the ornaments are completely dry, spray them with a protective sealant.
7. Re-attach the ornament tops, then feed a piece of twine, about 8-9" long, through the top of the ornament and tie in a knot.

Notes

Use 1 tsp baking soda for every 1 cup of paint. If you want a rougher texture, you can add more baking soda.

I used both acrylic and interior paint and found the acrylic paint dried more matte and showed off the texture better.

If you're painting glass ornaments, I recommend first priming them with a primer that's made to stick to glass and other surfaces. You can also do this with the plastic ornaments to ensure there's no chipping.

To make painting easier, you can place the ornaments on a wooden skewer, then stick the skewers into a cardboard box for drying.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

LOOKING FOR MORE CHRISTMAS DIY PROJECT IDEAS?

• Easy Rustic Homemade Christmas Ornaments
• DIY Clothespin Snowflake Ornaments
• Rustic DIY Mason Jar Ring Ornaments
• DIY Fabric and Mod Podge Ornaments

Did you make these upcycled Christmas ornaments? If you did, I’d love to see how it turned out! Tag me on Instagram (@thesimplehomeplace) to show me your own recreation of these ornaments!