How to bedazzle Christmas ornaments

What to know first

A bauble is the one project here with no flat surface at all: it rolls, so every patch has to be small and supported, and it is a sphere, so rows of stones that start neatly drift out of line as the circumference changes. Plastic blanks solve two problems at once — they don’t shatter when a half-finished one rolls off the table, and they are light enough that a covered ornament still hangs straight. The two-part seam and the metal cap are the giveaways on a finished piece, so plan a row of stones along the seam rather than trying to hide it.

What you need

• Clear plastic fillable baubles (not glass)
• 3 mm resin rhinestones, one or two colors
• E6000-type adhesive
• Wax pick-up pen
• A cup or egg carton to rest the bauble in
• Ribbon for hanging

Step by step

1. Wipe the bauble with isopropyl alcohol and let it dry.
2. Rest it in a cup so only the working area faces up.
3. Start with a ring of stones just under the cap and work down.
4. Follow the seam with a deliberate row rather than crossing it randomly.
5. Rotate as each patch sets, doing the base last.
6. Cure fully, then tie the ribbon and store flat until the tree goes up.

Avoid

• Glass baubles, which shatter mid-project
• Heavy glass stones, which unbalance a light bauble
• Hanging them against hot fairy lights, which softens glue