How to Make Decoupage Christmas Ornaments With Rocks

How to Make Christmas Decorations With Rocks

Making your own Christmas decorations is fun and can be done as a holiday activity with the children. The rocks can be bought at a garden center quite cheaply. The Christmas napkins can be expensive so if you plan making them every year why not pick them up in the stores once the holiday season is over and they are on sale. It is amazing how many bargains there are.

Easy Christmas Craft

If you want to make them now to sell at this year's Christmas fairs and shows then they can be bought online now. They have a special pack of decoupage paper which I am using. There are brilliant photos of Santa Claus with children and gifts.

This is quite an easy craft to make, but it does require some patience. Here are some of my Santa decoupage rocks and how I made them. There are step-by-step instructions with photos.

Materials Needed

• Napkins with Christmas themes
• Thin wrapping paper with holiday greetings
• Rocks or large stones
• Glue
• Two paintbrushes
• Tray
• Scissors
• White acrylic paint
• Black acrylic paint
• A spray can of clear varnish

Preparing and Painting the Rocks

1. Pick the rocks you want to use and place them on a tray.
2. Brush them clean, and wash if necessary.
3. Once they are completely dry you can paint the top side with the white acrylic.
4. When dry, apply the second coat.
5. Leave overnight to dry.

Preparing the Napkins

All paper napkins have three layers.

1. Remove the two layers from the back of the picture.
2. You will be left with a very thin sheet.

How to Make the Large Santa Rocks

1. Place the photos directly onto the rocks for size, as in the waving Santa. I have used large rocks for this creation because I want to show the whole image.
2. These do not have to be smooth, they can have jagged edges or uneven shapes.
3. You want the picture to go all the way down and around the part that can be seen.
4. Apply glue to the rock with a paint brush on the top and around the edges
5. Carefully place the napkin on top of the glue.
6. Starting from the middle smooth it gently onto the surface. This takes time and practice.
7. If there are too many crinkles lift the picture and try again. The napkin usually stays intact for a few goes.

Smoothing the Edges

1. When you are satisfied with the picture on top then smooth the edges around the rock too using the paintbrush with some more glue on it.
2. You will have to put a few cuts in the napkin when doing this so that it fits around the edges. These will not be seen once it all dries.
3. Leave to dry for about four hours.

Adding The Christmas Greetings

1. Remove the excess layers from the napkin sheet.
2. Cut around each photo roughly. I do a whole sheet because I can spread them on the rocks and see which ones fit best.
3. Cut around the sheet of greetings a little more carefully. Because this is paper it will show the edges when glued so go as close as you can to the words.

Arranging the Pieces

1. Each rock is unique in size and shape so place different photos and letters on each one until you are satisfied you like them.
2. Play around with them and have fun. This is where you can get the kids involved. They will enjoy creating their own ones.
3. Remove the pictures from a rock and add the glue with a paintbrush.
4. Place the greetings and photos onto the rock. You can move these around a little bit while it is still wet.
5. When you like the creation leave it to dry and move onto the next one.
6. Glue one rock at a time as they will dry out too fast.

Using the Glue

1. At this stage do not panic when you see the rocks once they have dried out. They look terrible because the pictures have not been cemented enough with the glue.
2. Each rock will need to be covered in five layers of glue in order for the pictures to appear to be part of the rocks.
3. Leave to dry for about five hours in between each stage.

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Painting the Back of the Rocks

1. Now it is time to tidy them up.
2. Turn each one over and paint the underside with black acrylic paint.
3. Be careful not to overlap the paint onto the picture underneath.
4. Leave to dry for twenty four hours.

Making the Christmas Stones Waterproof

1. Spray the rocks with clear varnish on one side.
2. Leave to dry for twenty-four hours.
3. Spray them on the other side the following day.
4. By doing this you are giving them protection from water and they look better too.

Homemade Christmas Decorations

I use the Santa stones around the bottom of my Christmas Tree to anchor the end into the containers. The smaller ones with the greetings on them can be put anywhere you are decorating for the holidays. I have some in my front garden and on the driveway too.

Related Christmas Crafts

• How to Make Christmas Tree Decorations With Clay
• How to Make a Homemade Christmas Tree With Branches
• My Traditional Christmas Cake Recipe
• Recipe for Turkey Legs With Stuffing
• How to Make a Christmas Plum Pudding Recipe

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on October 06, 2017:

They are really quite easy to make and the sky is the limit for ideas because you can buy some great Christmas napkins. Enjoy it Donna

Donna Turner on September 30, 2017:

Wonderful idea can't wait to try

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on September 28, 2017:

Hello Athlyn, thanks for dropping by. Yes I find it is best to use the varnish for the last sealer

Athlyn Green from West Kootenays on September 25, 2017:

What another great idea. I saw your article about ladybugs, checked your profile, then saw this article. Very interesting.

I've used Mod Podge for decoupaging a variety of craft items but I like your idea of using a clear varnish for sealing in the napkins.

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on September 19, 2017:

Hello Peggy, yes it is a very enjoyable craft and the Santa rocks look great around the tree

Peggy Woods on September 18, 2017:

What a great way to decorate rocks with mostly time and patience and just a little money for the holidays. Decorating rocks drew my attention to this post because I was curious.

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on September 17, 2017:

Yes Nadine the kids would love doing these Christmas Stones

Nadine May from Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa on September 16, 2017:

Very creative ideas for hardly any money to do at home with kids or grandchildren.