Crafting Geometric Holiday Ornaments: A Faux Fused Glass Guide

Get into the holiday spirit with a unique and stylish DIY project! This guide will walk you through creating a beautiful faux fused glass geometric ornament, perfect for adding a handmade touch to your Christmas tree or as a thoughtful gift. Let’s dive into the Curbly Ornament Challenge spirit and craft something special!

Geometric designs are timeless and versatile, making them a great choice for holiday crafts. This project combines the clean lines of geometric art with the classic look of fused glass, all achieved using the magic of Shrinky Dink plastic! The result is a stunning ornament that captures the essence of the season with a modern twist.

Materials You’ll Need for Your Faux Fused Glass Ornament

Before you begin, gather the following materials:

• Geometric Design: Choose an art piece you love, sized to fit an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. Remember that Shrinky Dink paper is 8″ x 10″, so adjust accordingly. A simple animal shape or abstract pattern works perfectly.
• Shrinky Dink Paper: Frosted Ruff n’ Ready Shrinky Dinks Creative Pack. The frosted surface allows for better adhesion of markers.
• Tape: To secure your design to the Shrinky Dink paper.
• Ruler: For precise tracing.
• Fine-Tip Black Marker: A Black Pigma Graphic 1 pigment ink marker is recommended. Copic black marker will also work. Avoid Sharpies, as they tend to smudge in this project due to the UTEE application later.
• Light-Colored Marker: A Robin’s Egg Blue Copic Marker adds a subtle dimensional element. Choose a light color, as it will intensify significantly during the shrinking process. Other light pastel shades can also give a nice effect.
• Paper Towel: For cleaning up any smudges.
• Hole Punch: A standard 1/4″ size for creating the ornament hanging hole.
• Scissors: For cutting out the ornament and dimensional pieces.
• Parchment Paper: Or aluminum foil, to line your baking sheet.
• Baking Sheet: To bake the Shrinky Dink pieces.
• Oven Mitt: For safe handling of hot items.
• Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE): This is the key to achieving the fused glass look. It also acts as a glue to hold the dimensional pieces in place.
• Round Toothpick: For adjusting the dimensional pieces and reaming out the hanging hole.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Geometric Ornament

Step 1: Design and Preparation

Start by selecting or creating your geometric design. You can draw directly onto a sheet of paper or print an image from the internet. Once you have your design ready, tape it to the shiny underside of a sheet of Shrinky Dink paper. This will serve as your template for tracing. Consider looking to sources like animal illustrations or simple shape compositions for initial ideas to trace. Ensure you have an idea that will transfer nicely into this art form.

Step 2: Tracing the Design

Using a ruler and your black pigment ink marker, carefully trace all the lines of your chosen design onto the Shrinky Dink paper. Precision is key here, as these lines will define the final look of your ornament.

Step 3: Cutting and Hole Punching

Using sharp scissors, carefully cut out the traced image. Be sure to cut on the OUTSIDE of the black outer lines. To prevent tearing the plastic, cut from the outside in rather than pivoting the scissors at inside corners. Once the image is cut out, use the hole punch to create a hole at the center top of the artwork. This will be used for hanging your ornament.

Step 4: Creating Dimensional Elements

To give your ornament a fused glass quality, add dimensional elements. Select parts of your design, such as the tip of an animal’s tail or its nose, to create separate pieces. Use scrap Shrinky Dink plastic to outline these sections and then carefully cut them out.

Step 5: Coloring the Dimensional Pieces

Color in each of the dimensional sections using your light-colored marker. If the black border around the colorful piece gets smudged during coloring, retrace the outside perimeter with the black pigment ink marker to sharpen the lines.

Step 6: Baking the Plastic Pieces

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place all the plastic pieces – the outline and the colored sections – on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until the plastic shrinks to about 50% of its original size and lies completely flat. Don’t be alarmed if the plastic curls up during the melting process. This is normal, and it should flatten out on its own. Keep a close eye on them though!

If the pieces don’t flatten out completely on their own, carefully rescue them by reaching into the oven (with oven mitts, of course!) and gently pulling them apart. Chopsticks or pencils can help with manipulation, but fingers can also work, just be careful not to burn yourself.

Step 7: Flattening the Baked Pieces

After removing the pieces from the oven, quickly place another piece of clean parchment paper on top of them and press down lightly to flatten them further. This must be done quickly, as the plastic cools rapidly.

Compare the size of the shrunken pieces to your original pattern to see the dramatic transformation. Note how the color intensity of the robin’s egg blue has deepened considerably.

Step 8: Applying the First Layer of UTEE

After the pieces have cooled, position the colored accent pieces on top of the larger image, arranging them as desired.

Carefully sprinkle a light to medium coating of UTEE over the entire arrangement and place it back in the oven on the lined baking sheet.

Keep a close watch on the ornament. You’ll notice the UTEE melts around the perimeter first and slowly fills in the center. Do not remove the ornament from the oven until ALL of the UTEE has melted completely. It’s normal for the UTEE to melt over the edges of the image; this will be addressed in a later step.

Step 9: Adjusting Dimensional Pieces

As soon as you take the ornament out of the oven, quickly check that all the dimensional pieces are aligned properly on top of the larger piece. If they are not, use a toothpick to gently realign them before the UTEE sets.

Step 10: Applying the Second Layer of UTEE

After the UTEE has set up a bit, inspect the ornament for any inconsistencies or areas that didn’t get embossed evenly. If you find any, sprinkle another layer of UTEE over the entire image and place it back in the oven. Continue to monitor the ornament until this second layer of UTEE has melted completely.

Step 11: Reaming the Hanging Hole

After the UTEE has melted, remove the parchment paper with the ornament from the baking sheet. The UTEE will set quickly. While it’s still warm, use the round toothpick to ream out the hanging hole from the center. (The hole size shrinks during the melting process.)

Step 12: Trimming Excess UTEE

Once the UTEE has cooled, trim off any excess UTEE that has melted over the edges of the ornament. While you can use scissors, breaking the excess UTEE off from front to back often works best.

After removing the larger bits of excess UTEE, you may be left with some jagged edges. Use a straight craft blade to carefully shave these off, or even your fingernail, if preferred.

Step 13: Smoothing Rough Spots

After trimming the excess UTEE, you may find some rough spots on the front of the ornament. To smooth these out, pop the ornament back into the oven and let the UTEE melt ever so slightly. This will fill in the rough spots and create a smooth, even surface. It works similarly to “flooding” a cookie with icing. When you take the ornament out of the oven this time, you’ll need to re-ream the hole at the top—again, do this when the UTEE has set but is still slightly warm.

Step 14: Display and Admire!

Add a hook or string to the hole and proudly display your faux fused glass geometric ornament! Let everyone admire your crafting skills and enjoy the unique touch it brings to your holiday decorations.