Do you like high-end Christmas ornaments but can’t justify the price? If you answered yes then you’ll want to follow my tutorial on how to make Chinoiserie ornaments a DIY designer knockoff!
I recently received my Ballard Designs catalog which showed 3 beautiful Chinoiserie ornaments that were priced on the high side.
I decided that I would reproduce a budget-friendly version of these blue and white Christmas ornaments and they turned out beautifully!
Keep in mind that Chinoiserie Asian inspired patterns are loosely painted and are not perfect, so there’s no need to be an experienced artist. Just copy and sketch the outline of a pattern and then fill it in with paint.
CHINOISERIE ORNAMENTS DIY DESIGNER KNOCKOFF
THE DEFINITION AND HISTORY OF CHINOISERIE:
Chinoiserie is the European interpretation of Asian culture and decorative arts that originated in the 17th century and was popularized in the 18th century due to the rise in trade with China and the rest of East Asia. The Chinoiserie art style and patterns reflect Chinese qualities that often feature sprawling floral motifs, butterflies, birds, pagodas, and pastoral landscapes.
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SUPPLIES NEEDED:
- 3 round plastic ornaments
- paint brushes
- Waverly/Folk Art white chalk paint
- Apple Barrel navy blue craft paint
- heat gun or hairdryer
- pencil
DIFFERENT WAYS CHINOISERIE ORNAMENTS CAN BE MADE
- Decoupaged with Chinoiserie patterned napkins
- Color with a blue Sharpie marker or paint pen
- Hand paint with acrylic paint
One popular way to make designer knockoff ornaments is to decoupage Chinoiserie patterned napkins onto smooth, clear or white plastic ball ornaments. If you use clear ones, they will need to be painted white so the napkin colors will show correctly. Use basic instructions for decoupaging with Mod Podge and a foam brush.
The second way is to use a blue Sharpie marker or paint pen to draw and fill in designs on white ornaments, and of course the last alternative to making blue and white ornaments is to use acrylic paint like in this tutorial.
SEE THE ORNAMENT DESIGNS I USED AT Ballard Designs
FIND ADDITIONAL PATTERNS TO PAINT –> Chinoiserie pattern images
HOW TO HAND PAINT CHINOISERIE ORNAMENTS
STEP 1: PREP AND PAINT THE ORNAMENTS
Take off the silver ornament toppers and clean the outside of the balls with windex.
Paint the plastic ornaments with white chalk paint.
I used one large silver ball from the Dollar Tree ($1.25) and two clear medium balls from Walmart (98 cents each.)
Use an artist brush or foam brush to paint 2 light coats of chalk paint. Use a heat gun or hairdryer to speed up the drying time.
STEP 2: HAND PAINT THE LARGEST ORNAMENT
Lightly sketch a Chinoiserie pattern of your choice using a pencil. Fill in the design with your navy blue craft paint.
You can paint one or two coats of blue. If I were to paint these again, I would only paint one coat so it would look more like my floral ornament.
I painted the largest ball in 3 sections. The photo below is the 1st and 2nd section.
STEP 2: SKETCH AND PAINT DESIGNS ON THE 2 SMALLER ORNAMENTS
Two designs completed so far. Now, it’s time to sketch and hand paint the floral motif Christmas ornament.
The last design is a floral Asian inspired motif.
This floral ornament was painted with only one coat.
There are more Christmas projects to see! Each month, a group of talented bloggers join together to share our monthly themed crafts, projects, and home decor with our readers. You’ll find 7 more Christmas projects below. Be sure to click and visit each blogger’s project for lots of festive Christmas inspiration!
Niki | Life as as LEO Wife
Marci | Stone Cottage Adventures
Gail | Purple Hues and Me
Michele | Coastal Bohemian
Julie | Sum of Their Stories
T’onna | Sew Crafty Crochet
Allyson | Southern Sunflowers
Niki @ Life as a LEO Wife ~ Farmhouse Christmas Stocking Holders
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures ~ For Cocoa Lovers
Gail @ Purple Hues and Me ~ Glitter Foam Circles Christmas Tree
Michele @ Coastal Bohemian ~ Shabby Chic Door Hangers
T’onna @ Sew Crafty Crochet ~ Christmas Gnome Scarf
Julie @ The Sum of Their Stories ~ Easy Watercolour Christmas Cards
Allyson @ Southern Sunflowers.com ~ Chinoiserie Ornaments DIY Designer Knock Off
Sharing my Designer Knockoff Chinoiserie Ornaments at these fabulous blogs!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AllysonAllyson is the founder and content creator of Southern Sunflowers, which shares tutorials for DIY crafts and decor on a budget.
These are so pretty! The floral ones are my favorite. Paint intimidates me a bit, but I like the Sharpie idea.
Thank you, Alexandra! Jenna, at The Painted Apron let me know about a *paint pen* so that’s another option, too.
These are just beautiful Allyson! Great job!! You could use a paint pen too, love this idea!
Thank you, Jenna. I didn’t even think about a paint pen. I need to add that as an option in my post. Thanks for that info!
These are so beautiful , such artisan pieces. What a treasure to put on the tree. I’m not into the blue and white but in your pics it’s lovely. I feel like hand painting some ornaments now.
Michele, thank you! I wish I had time to paint more of the ornaments to make a bigger display, but that’s it for this year.
These ornaments are so beautiful! You did a wonderful job painting them! I hadn’t heard of Chinoiserie ornaments before, but now I want some! Pinning!
Thanks, T’onna! Next year I want to paint more with different designs to add to my set of 3.
These ornaments are gorgeous! I love the patterns you chose to paint! ‘Sharing on FB and pinning for later -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Thank you Marci! Glad you like my designs. I’ll be sharing our hop on social media soon, also.
You did an amazing job! They look just like the originals! Pinned.
Niki, thanks for the compliments on my ornaments, and thanks for pinning, too!
These are SO pretty, what a lovely way to create such expensive looking baubles.
Thank you, Julie. Those ornaments are definitely not in my price range since I’m a Dollar Tree kind of girl ~ LOL!
Your hand painted chinoiserie ornaments are quite beautiful, Allyson! You make painting them look so easy, but you definitely have to have talent and creativity to make these lovelies happen – which you surely have! Great job!
Gail, I’m so happy you like my ornaments! Just color in between the lines and you’re good to go, no perfect outlines needed.