HOLIDAY DIY: Watercolor Wood Tree Ornaments

I've been making several new ornaments, exploring painting techniques. I bought this large wood circles with laser cut tree designs, at Hobby Lobby, with the intention of making them into ornaments. One night recently, I was playing around with paint and several of the ornament blanks. For these trees, I wanted something that mimicked leaves in an abstract manner. I chose a watercolor effect using DecoArt Americana acrylic paint that was slightly watered down, and a small flat paintbrush. This technique blends the colors together, while still leaving a paint stroke look. DecoArt sent me a bunch of paint, per my request. Thank them by making something awesome.

SUPPLIES:

These are Amazon Affiliate links, unless otherwise noted. Any purchases made using the Amazon links, will result in Amazon paying me a small commision. This money normally goes to pay for more craft projects and things for my family.

• Round Wooden Discs with Laser Engraved Trees (from Hobby Lobby)
• Acrylic paint in various colors and shades
• Metallic acrylic paint
• Paper plate - Disposable paint palette
• Ornament hooks
• Flat and detail paintbrushes
• Cup of water and paper towels - To clean the brushes in between colors

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Add a little of each paint color to your paper plate, for one ornament.

2) Wet your brush and dip it into one paint color.

3) Paint strokes in various places on the wood disc front. 

Repeat steps 2 and 3, with different colors, until the ornament is covered with paint. You can paint both sides if desired, but I just painted one side.

4) Add a metallic color to your paper plate.

5) Using a detail brush, add little accent paint strokes in top of the color, resembling flying leaves. Let the ornaments dry completely.

6) Insert one end of an ornament hook into a hole at the top of the tree. Squeeze the hook closed over the hole. Twist the hook top to the side. Hang the hook top on a tree branch. Squeeze hook over branch to secure.

While I used this watercolor with acrylic paint technique on these trees, you could use any wood shapes you want. The trick is that damp brush, as the bit of water helps thin out the paint and make it flow better on the wood. You can mist the wood with water before painting, if you want a more blended look. However, if the wood is thin, too much moisture can cause the wood to warp. You can use any colors that you like. I used a Autumn, Spring, and apple themes for my trees. Check back for more ornament tutorials. If you need more inspiration for festive decor, check out my Holiday Tutorials. There's more than Christmas in there, but you'll quickly find the correct section for this month. Whatever you make, have fun with it! Happy Makery!