I'm so excited to be part of the 2019 Ornament Exchange Link Party, where you’ll find tons of budget-friendly handmade ornament tutorials! This is my first year participating in this fun ornament exchange and I was partnered with Lynne from My Family Thyme, who like me, loves red and white Christmas decor. Since her ornament was shipped from my door to hers, I thought it fitting to make a festive Red Christmas Door Ornament from a repurposed jewelry box - I hope she likes it!

Repurposed Jewelry Box Red Christmas Door Ornament

The idea was inspired by this vintage jewelry box where I had already repurposed one of the doors for my granddaughter's DIY dollhouse bookcase.


Some of the cherished ornaments on my Christmas tree are festive holiday door ornaments that were given to us by friends and family during annual ornament exchanges. I figured wouldn't it be fun to make a DIY version of a red Christmas door ornament.

Instead of using the original floral etched glass, it was replaced with a sheet of regular glass that I turned into an antiqued mirror that resembles mercury glass. It's super easy to do and I show you how further down in the post.

Here's how I made it

You can find links to most of the products I used to make it in the supply list towards the bottom of the post.

While there may appear to be a heck of a lot of steps below that at a glance seem overwhelming, trust me when I say they are very quick and easy. I wanted to make sure I provided you with detailed instructions for every step of the process.

Step 1 - Paint the jewelry box door

• First, I removed the metal handle on the jewelry box door and put it aside for later.
• The door was sanded lightly with 150-grit sandpaper to give the paint some bite.
• Using paint that I had on hand, it was painted with three coats of Red Barchetta, a chalk-style paint. Any red chalky paint, multi-surface paint, or acrylic craft paint works for painting the door. 
• To deepen the color and give the door a time-worn appearance, I applied dark wax with a lint-free rag and buffed to remove the excess. 

Step 2 - Cut new glass for the door

• Salvaging glass from a thrift store picture frame and using the original etched glass as a template, trace the outline with a black marker. 
• With a straight edge and glass cutter tool, score the glass on the marks. It's important you only score the glass once. 
• I should note here that it's important to exercise caution in this step by wearing protective gloves and goggles.
• With the ball-shaped tapping tool on the opposite end of the glass cutter, lightly tap the glass along the score lines.
• Place the straight edge under the glass to raise it slightly under the positive side (the glass you'll be using) and apply light pressure on the negative side of the glass (the part you won't be using). 
• Be prepared to have one or two failed attempts unless you're a seasoned glass cutter, so have another pane of glass at the ready just in case. 
• Another option is getting a piece cut to fit OR finding a vintage jewelry box that has clear glass in the doors.

Step 3 - Turn clear glass into a mirror

The first thing we have to do is turn the clear glass into a reflective mirror and it's so quick and easy with mirrored effects spray paint. You watch the magic happen in minutes with just four coats.

• Do this step in a well-ventilated area.
• Spray the glass with a light coat of mirrored effects spray paint.
• Wait about a minute until it dries and spray a second coat.
• Repeat the step above another two or three times until you get the mirror effect you like.

Step 4 - How to antique the DIY mirrored glass

In this step, we're going to make the mirror look aged but also get the look of mercury glass. Just like the previous step, it's super easy to do. We're essentially removing the reflective spray paint in areas after the mirrored paint is dry.

• Fill a small spray bottle (I saved an eyeglass cleaner bottle for this purpose) fill it with a 50:50 ratio of water and bleach.
• Lightly spray along the edges of the mirrored glass and spritz a few small areas in the center. 
• Shake the bottle a little so drops of the solution hit the glass in random areas. 
• To help the process along lightly dab a shop rag over those areas. Don't worry if you remove too much paint in some areas because you can always spray over them again with more reflective spray paint.
• Play with it until you get an effect you like and let the glass dry before moving onto the next step.

Now we're going to add some color to the backside of the glass so it shows through the front. You can do it with colorful patterned scrapbook paper like I did in my Aged Fall Mirror or make it look like mercury glass like I did with this ornament.

• Spray two light coats of metallic gold spray paint onto the back of the glass (the unpainted side).  
• It's the combination of the silver reflective paint and the gold underneath that gives it the look of mercury glass which is so pretty.

Step 5 - Add a festive message to the front of the antique mirrored door

Once the door is completely dry, it's time to make it look more festive with a holiday message.

• I used parts of two stencils (link in the supply list) to add the holiday greeting and the swirly Christmas tree to the front of the mirrored glass.
• With a foam stencil brush and vintage white multi-surface paint, I stenciled the front of the glass. 

Now that we've made the glass all pretty it's time to slip it inside the door and add a back to the ornament.

Step 6 - Add a back to the ornament

• For the back of the ornament, simply trace the door onto a sheet of thin hardboard.
• Clamp a straight edge onto the hardboard and the work surface with spring clamps to hold it in place while carefully cutting it with a retractable utility knife.
• Paint the backside of the hardboard with three coats of the same red chalk-style paint on the door.  
• While the paint is drying, insert a small gold eye hook to the center of the top of the painted door.
• Once the paint is dry on the back, glue it onto the back of the door with strong permanent bond glue. 
• Clamp it in place with spring clamps while the glue sets but be sure to use something beneath the clamps to protect the paint (I used wood tongue depressors).  
• Once the glue has cured, age the back with dark wax just like you did the front.  

Step 7 - Embellish the jewelry box door ornament 

This is the final step of the DIY Christmas ornament to make it look festive.

• Gently hammer the metal door handle back onto the jewelry box. 
• Glue two sprigs of faux evergreen to the top of the door with a hot glue gun.
• Slip a 14-inch piece of 3/8" plaid holiday ribbon into the eye hook and tie it in a bow.
• Dab a little hot glue to the backside of the bow to hold it in place. 

This next step is totally optional but I decoupaged the front of a holiday greeting card onto the back of the ornament. Another option if giving this ornament as a gift is inscribing the back with a metallic pen so they always remember who made the ornament.

That's it - seven quick and easy steps and voila, we have an adorable red Christmas door ornament! It really is quick to make and the most time-consuming part is waiting for paint and glue to dry.

What you'll need to make it

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.


If you have any questions about this DIY Christmas ornament, please leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

I'd be so thankful if you pinned this idea or shared it with a friend. With gratitude! -Marie



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