30 Creative Ways to Fill Clear Ornaments

One of the easiest ways to make gorgeous homemade ornaments is to use clear plastic ornaments or clear glass ornaments that are fillable ornaments. This list contains our favorite ways to fill clear ornaments to make homemade Christmas ornaments at home or in the classroom with kids of all ages. Filled ornaments also make great handmade gifts.

Fillable ornaments with snow and a snowman, red paint elmo ornament with a mouth, orange nose, and eyes. Neon swirl ornaments, and a clear glass ornament filled with colorful pom poms. — Let’s fill clear ornaments will all sorts of fun stuff!

This article contains affiliate links.

Favorite Ways to Fill Clear Ornaments

If you want to make homemade ornaments, filling clear plastic balls is easy enough for kids to help and the results are a stunning Christmas ornament to hang on your Christmas tree or give as a handmade gift.

Related: More DIY Christmas ornaments, Picasso-Inspired Homemade Tree Ornaments Art Project, and Christmas Dough Ornaments – Based on a Coloring Page

When we first wrote about using clear ornaments as the foundation of an ornament craft, only clear glass ornaments were available. Thankfully, many versions of clear plastic ornaments have come to market making these ways to fill clear ornaments perfect for even younger kids.

DIY Clear Ornaments Ideas

1. DIY North Pole Ornament

Create a Scene-scape inside a clear ornament. Use a straw and a snowman charm to re-create the North Pole with this sweet idea from Tatertots and Jello!

2. Clear Ornament Painted on the Inside Craft

Paint the inside of your clear plastic ornament red, and then add Elmo’s face to create a fun Elmo Ornament with this tutorial from Crazy Little Projects!

3. Neon Swirl Idea for Clear Glass Ornament

The VSCO girl on your list will adore I Love to Create‘s fun Neon Glitter Ornament! You can use glow in the dark paint behind the glitter to add a glow.

4. Disco Ball Ornament Craft for Older Kids

Make a Disco Ball Ornament by gluing bits of a broken CD to the outside of clear glass ornament balls. This idea, from Creme de la Craft, isn’t just for Christmas! They can also be used to create a stunning centerpiece to leave out, year-round!

5. Photo Inside a Clear Ornament Craft

Create a time capsule of sorts by filling clear ornaments with a current family photo, along with a couple items to remember the year. What a fun craft from Fynes Designs!

6. Fillable Ornaments That Look Like Marbles

This was the original idea for using clear glass ornaments for crafts many years ago here at Kids Activities Blog! We used a marble and some paint to create the coolest clear Christmas ornaments.

7. Beach in a Clear Ornament Idea

Grab your favorite shape of a clear plastic ornament and fill it with kinetic sand. Your kids will love to fill ornaments with the sand, and then dump it out and play with it after the holidays! This is also a cute way to “gift wrap” kinetic sand to the kiddos on your list!

8. DIY Clear Ornaments Using Rubber Band Bracelets

My daughter loves wearing these rainbow loom bracelets. What a fun way to decorate the tree, and then Christmas morning, kids can dig the bracelets out of the ornament to wear, with this creative idea from Dobleufa.

9. Eye Spy Clear Ornament Idea

Use glue dots to affix googly eyes on clear plastic ornaments–kids will love making these! You can also pour glow in the dark paint inside of them, coating the interior, for these playful ornaments.

10. Water Color Paints Transform Clear Ornaments

We are loving this idea from By Stephanie Lynn! Use alcohol ink to dye ornaments into a gorgeous mottled look. (Link unavailable)

11. Neon Puffy Paint Ornament Crafts

Grab neon puffy paint and scribble over an ornament and make a fun statement with this idea from I Love to Create!

12. Make Your Clear Ornament a Terrarium

Make a mock terrarium with this educational ornament craft from Brit + Co! Fill ornaments with bits of moss and greenery.

Related: How to make a terrarium

13. Oil Diffusing Ornament Crafts

Add drops of your favorite essential oil, along with a tablespoon of kitchen oil to an ornament, with some dried spices, to make a DIY Oil Diffuser Ornament.

14. Make Your Own Ornament That Smells Good

Give the gift of a soak in the tub this Christmas! Fill an ornament with Epsom Salt , and add a touch of your favorite essential oils. If you really want to get fancy, add a drop of food dye to color the ball!

Simple DIY Ornament Ideas Using Clear Balls

15. Clear Plastic Ornament Snowman Craft

Add a styrofoam head, and your clear glass ornaments can become a snow man with this cute idea from Whatever…! Fill it with fake snow, and use a marker to create buttons and a face.

16. Hot Cocoa Glass Fillable Ornaments

Looking for the perfect gift idea for a neighbor? Try out Sprinkle Some Fun‘s idea to fill a clear glass ornament with hot chocolate! Layer hot chocolate mix, sprinkles, crushed candy canes, and mini-marshmallows for a fun treat. Be sure to seal it and drink before the season is over, though!

17. DIY Washi Tape on Clear Ornaments

Wrap Washi tape around your ornament! The easiest ornament your kids will ever make!

18. Glitter Glass Ornament Balls

All you need is glue and glitter to make Brittany Makes’ Zentangle Scribbled Ornament. (Link unavailable)

Ideas to Fill Plastic Ornaments

19. Rainbow Loom Fillable Ornaments

Fill your ornament with rubber band bracelets, and gift it to a kiddo! Extra points if they glow in the dark! Include a kit so your kids can make their own band bracelets and rubber band charms over winter break!

20. Sprinkle Filled Plastic Christmas Ornaments

Ice cream is fun, but ice cream with toppings is even better. Gift an ornament filled with ice cream topping treats for your kiddos! This is such a cute thing for the family elf to bring!

21. Custom Letter Clear Ornament Ideas

Use vinyl letters to write a message on your ornament, and then fill it with glitter with this cute idea from Let It Snow and Brit + Co! How cute would it be to use this method to make a Mr. & Mrs. 1st Christmas ornament for the newlyweds on your list?!

22. Santas Belly Clear Ornament Decoration

Stuff an ornament with red ribbon, wrap a belt around it, and then add a buckle made of glitter to create Santa ornaments, from Happiness is Homemade!

Related: Homemade ornaments

lots of different ways to fill clear ornaments - four plastic clear ornament ideas including glitter succulent, paint inside the ornament, glitter polka dots and colorful greenery — What am I going to choose to fill clear ornaments?

Clear Ornaments We Love

Here are some of the most popular (and fun!) fill ornaments in both glass and plastic form. If you have little ones that aren’t ready for glass, there are several great plastic options to use!

1. Flattened Clear Round Ornament

These clear glass ornaments that were turned into snowflakes, filled with glitter, with ribbons and snowmen, are just such a class look and I love them!

Buy here on Amazon

I am loving the snowflakes and even LED candles in these ornaments. These plastic ornaments are still clear ornaments, but they open up from the side allowing bigger things inside them.

2. Clear Christmas Light Ornaments

These clear glass ornaments look like Christmas lights! I think it would be fun to just add paint to them, especially neon paint, or even a lot of glitter!

Buy here on Amazon

3. Clear Star Ornaments

Clear Plastic Acrylic Fill-Able Snap-On Star

I love these star ones. They’re so cute and kids will love them. Plus, I think it would be so much fun to fill them with: pink, purple, blue, and black paint and add lots of sparkles. Then they’ll have a galaxy feel to them.

Buy Here on Amazon

What Can I Fill Ornaments With?

The possibilities are endless when it comes to fillable clear ornaments.

Keepsake Clear Ornament Ball

My favorite ornament are clear plastic balls that I filled with the knit hat my daughter wore home from the hospital, and her little hospital bracelet. This keepsake ornament always goes close to the top of the tree, because she is the most precious gift I have ever received.

Time Capsule Clear Ornament

Think about making a clear ornament time capsule each Christmas that includes the year and some memories about that year. What fun it is each year to unpack the Christmas ornaments when trimming the tree to find these little capsules of time.

More Ideas to Fill Clear Ornaments

Fold a silk flower, and stuff it into an ornament. These look really cool on the tree!
Add glitter to a glass ornament to add some glam!
Fill an ornament fit for a seamstress or sewing fan with buttons, thread, ribbon, and cute pins! (Make sure to seal this one really well so that it remains safe and unopened).
Cover an ornament with lots and lots of tiny bows with this idea from All Thing G&D. This is easy enough that your kids can create it, and it looks cool!