Glittered Holiday Crafts That'll Add Sparkle to Your Home

At this time of year, everything seems to gleam. Echo this holiday luster at home with decorations bedecked with glitter. A sprinkling of it does everything to help you deck the halls—garlands, ornaments, and toppers for the tree, reindeer and merry miniature figurines for the mantel, and tabletop centerpieces for your Christmas Day brunch. And if you celebrate Hanukkah, it lends a special shine to your family's menorah, the candles, dreidels, and decorations all befitting the Festival of Lights.

Glitter comes in many eye-catching guises: glass-shard glitter is coarse and flake-like; powder has a daintier look; fine glass glitter adds an even sheen; medium glass is bright and textured. For most glittering projects, you will need a few additional supplies: white glue can be thinned out to a barely-there consistency with water, and then coated with glitter. Meanwhile, adhesive spray does the same task with a single spritz. Acrylic craft paint gives a pop of color. And the right sealant will preserve your handiwork for the years to come. Mixing hues, such as reds with pinks, adds depth, as does blending textures. Glitter can be added to almost any surface. With a small brush, cover a section of an item with white craft glue, then sprinkle glitter atop it with a spoon. Once the glue has dried, shake off any excess.

As you work, you'll find that these materials add instant glamour to almost anything they touch. What are you waiting for? It's time to shine.

This box of handmade ornaments is so delectable, it's bound to conjure visions of sugarplums. Inspired by Old World Christmases of the past, all of these charming ones here are crafted from shatterproof spun cotton, coated in craft paint, then glittered to a magical effect.

Whether you're lighting up eight nights or counting down 24 days, half the fun of the holidays is the anticipation. Extend the excitement with a twinkling treeline full of hidden presents. We covered paper cones in spray adhesive and metallic glitter, slipped a treat under each, and attached a paper tag with a number sticker to create a free-form calendar.

Shop Now: Papier-Mâché Cones, 10 1/2", $12 for 12, amazon.com. Krylon High Strength Spray Adhesive, $11.49, michaels.com. Meyer Imports German Glass Glitter, starting from $6 for a 1-oz. jar, meyerimports.com.

These snug houses sit nestled together, mixing whatever shapes or colors please the builder, without anyone worrying what the neighbors will think. Their glitter snow will never be tracked indoors. Their holiday trimmings won't fade or wilt. And every year, the village will come out of storage looking exactly as everyone remembers it.

Festoon your living room in garlands of shimmering snowflakes. To make flakes sparkle, apply spray adhesive (parents only) or dab gently with a sponge-tipped glue applicator, then sprinkle with glitter. Shake off excess; let dry; thread onto satin ribbon. Affix to mantelpiece or walls with poster putty.

Glittered birds have made their nests on top. Wooden disks on the ends of the logs keep the treats—Champagne-bubble gumdrops—inside. Use 1 3/4-inch-diameter toilet paper tubes or trimmed paper towel tubes. For each, you'll need two 3/4-inch-wide strips from an extra tube. Glue strips in tube ends 3/16 inch from openings. First, paint the tube brown and let dry. Trim clip-art to wrap around tube, leaving 1/16 inch of tube showing at the ends. Glue in place with a glue stick. Use craft glue to secure a 1 3/4-inch-diameter wooden disk in one end of the tube to close it. Glue a wooden knob to a second disk. Glue a 3/4-inch disk to the bottom of the tube for balance. Brush craft glue over the top of the tube; sprinkle with clear shard-glass glitter. Brush glue on a pine sprig; sprinkle with clear fine glitter.  Mix white paint with more glue; brush on a grapevine nest, and sprinkle with clear shard-glass glitter. Brush glue on an artificial bird, avoiding beak and eyes; sprinkle with colored glass glitter. Hot-glue the bird into its nest, and nest and the sprig onto the tube. Tuck favors inside; close the end with another disk.

Shop Now: Ashland Assorted Mushroom Birds, $16 for 6, michaels.com. Martha Stewart Fine Glitter, $19.47 for 24, amazon.com. Fun Express Craft Rolls, $8.90 for 24, amazon.com. Craft Parts Direct Natural Unfinished Round Wood Circle Cutouts,  3/4", $16 for 100, amazon.com.

At this time of year, everything seems to sparkle. Echo this holiday luster at home with decorations like this wreath bedecked with tinsel and glitter.

Make a pair of plain candlesticks sparkle with a coat of shimmery glitter. Buy inexpensive wooden candlesticks, or use a weathered pair you already own. Working in sections, brush craft glue onto the candlesticks. Dust with fine glitter and shake off excess. Let glue dry overnight. With a paintbrush, apply a thin layer of clear shellac over glitter; let dry.

Shop Now: Rust-Oleum 316 Bulls Eye Clear Shellac, $9.15 for 1/2 pint, amazon.com.

Glitter in an ombré pattern—with one color blending gradually into another—makes simple bells sparkle with sophistication. Prime the bells, inside and out, with white acrylic paint; let dry. Add a little water to white craft glue to thin it slightly. Glitter the inside of the bell with silver glitter by brushing the thinned glue inside the bell and using a spoon to sprinkle silver glitter generously over the glue; roll the glitter inside the bell to coat. Gently shake off excess and let dry, about one hour. For the ombré pattern, select two colors of glitter. Mix them in varying proportions to form several gradations; we used pink and silver and made four blends, for a range of six colors. Brush the thinned glue onto the top of the bell, "feathering" it at the bottom of the glued area so you don't have a straight line; this will allow for a more gradual transition between colors. Use a spoon to sprinkle the glued area with glitter, starting with a shade at one end of your color range. Gently shake off excess. Continue applying glue and glitter in sections (no drying time is required), applying the final color in your range to the bottom of the bell. Let dry, about one hour.

To add a jingle-bell clapper to the bell: Use 200-grit sandpaper to roughen the surface of a 1 3/8-size metal jingle bell (this will help the glitter adhere). Thread a length of wire through the hanging loop at the top of the jingle bell, and hold the wire while you brush the bell with the thinned glue; then spoon glitter over it. Gently shake off excess, and suspend the bell to dry, about one hour. Remove it from wire.

To hang the clapper, cut 1/4-inch-wide metallic ribbon a few inches longer than twice the height of your ombre bell. Fold the ribbon in half at its midpoint; slip the folded end through the hanger on the jingle bell, and slip the loose ends through the loop formed by the folded end. Pull the ribbon snug. Tie the loose ends to the hanger on the inside of the ombre bell so the clapper hangs about an inch higher than the bottom of the bell and the knot is hidden inside.

To hang the bell, we used a 2-inch-wide metallic ribbon: Fold the ribbon in half at its midpoint, slip the folded end through the hanger on the bell, and slip the loose ends through the loop formed by the folded end. Pull the ribbon snug. Hang as desired.

Shop Now: Martha Stewart Mixed Texture Glitter, $19.47 for 24, amazon.com.

Although these containers resemble snowballs, they're not for throwing, but for packaging small presents. Start with wooden globe boxes from crafts stores. With pinking shears, cut a circle of card stock for the base. Cut leaves out of felt using pinking shears. Working over a paper plate and in sections, paint the ball halves with craft glue; sprinkle with clear glass glitter. Apply glue and glitter to base and leaves. Glue base to ball. String a jingle bell onto a ribbon; tie a bow. Glue leaves and bow to snowball. Fill the inside with loose tinsel to support your gift.

Shop Now: Smile Mercantile Craft Company Clear German Glass Glitter, $8.50 for 2 oz., etsy.com.

These "snowcapped" birch stumps turn your holiday table into a forest floor. Gently tear off roughly circular shapes of batting, and stack them on the stump until you've reached the desired height. Use a paintbrush to generously coat each layer of the batting with a mixture of equal parts glue and water, working to form the mound shape as you brush. While glue is wet, cover top of batting with glitter. Let dry overnight.

Shop Now: Quilter's Dream Pure Cotton Batting, starting from $9.80, purlsoho.com. Spirit of the Woods Birch Stump, $48, birchbarkstore.com. Martha Stewart Mixed Texture Glitter, $23.44 for 24, amazon.com.

We all know what good-for-nothings get in their stockings: coal. But something is different this year. These sparkling nuggets are no ordinary lumps but gift boxes embellished with paint, paper, and lots of glitter. The faux-coal pieces are just the right size to package earrings, a rolled-up tie, and other small gifts. Looks like landing on the Naughty List isn't so terrible after all.

Shop Now: Paper-Mache Hexagonal Boxes, $24 for 24, faactorydirectcraft.com. Cocoboo Black Crepe Paper Masking Tape, $15 for 2 rolls, amazon.com. Mod Podge Stiffy Fabric Stiffener, $16 for 9 oz., michaels.com. Ice Resin Vintage Black Shards Glass Glitter, $6, etsy.com. Martha Stewart Super Fine Glitter, in Obsidian, $7, michaels.com.

In Kevin Sharkey's dining room, glittered reindeer sparkle in soft candlelight against two silver-tone Chinese panels. It's easy to make a glittering figurine. Use a craft brush to cover with glue. Apply glitter, let dry, and spray with a fixative. This snowy scene looks festive on a console, coffee table, or sideboard; you can change the placement each year so that it feels new every December.

Shop Now: Martha Stewart Super Fine Glitter, in Florentine Gold and Sterling Silver, $7, michaels.com.

These place cards will make your table twinkle in candlelight. They're crafted with our clip-art designs and printed on card stock. The pop-up parts are easy: Cut around the top of the design with a craft knife, and fold the card in half. Add glitter, matching the hues to your other table decorations.

Shop Now: Paper Source Super Fine White Paper, 25" by 19", $1.50 for 6, papersource.com.

Glitter looks like a dusting of snow in this three-dimensional display made by layering photos. Coarse tinsel glitter is used in addition to fine glitter. A shadow box has the depth to showcase the scene.

Upload a photo to your computer, using a photo-conversion tool to convert the image. Print three copies onto card stock using an ink-jet printer. Trim printouts to fit shadow box. Trim one photo (for the middle layer) around sides and roof of house; cut along door so it opens. Trim another photo (for the front layer) along the snowbank. Glitter-paint the middle and front layers; also add clear tinsel glitter to the roof and snowbank for texture. On third photo (back layer), coat the trees with a blend of clear and blue fine glitter; coat door area with gold glitter (which will be seen through open door). Assemble pieces: Cut small squares of adhesive foam. Place foam (double-stacked for more depth) on the back layer; add the middle layer. Repeat with the top layer. Insert the house into your shadow box.

Shop Now: IKEA Kasseby Display Box, $15, ikea.com. Martha Stewart Craft Knife, $8.49, michaels.com. Recollections Signature Tinsel Glitter, $13.49, michaels.com.