Cheap n' Easy Chalkboard Ornaments

I showed you my DIY chalkboard ornaments yesterday on a DOUBLE whammy Mantel Monday and now I'm going to show you how it's done!

I started this project with a set of 6 silver, cheap-o, Ikea ornaments that cost me a whopping $2.99. I like cheap-o ornaments because they're, well, cheap (duh), but also because they're typically shatterproof (oh, the beauty of plastic!). If you've ever had an active and curious 10 month old lurking around your Christmas tree, you can totally appreciate shatterproof ornaments. 

Cheap-o plastic ornaments usually have a very annoying seam running plum down the middle. But, I'm here to tell you that the annoying little line becomes your best buddy for this project. 

I used that seam as a handy guide for placing my tape just so. I decided to chalkboard paint the entire front half and leave the back half silver. I like silver and chalkboard together. 

Last week I had a friend stay the night (too old for slumber parties?? Hardly!) and I enlisted her with the job of painting these babies after I'd removed their tops and taped them off. Don't worry, I bribed my friend with wine.

Wine and crafting? Slumber parties have come a long way.

We used champagne flutes to hold our ornaments as they dried.

See? The wine helped our ability to problem-solve.

The ornaments took two coats of chalkboard paint, applied with many hours of drying time between. 

After they were dry, I removed the tape, popped the top back on and tied a length of thin, gold tinsel to them.

Ta-Da! Your very own set of Cheap & Easy Chalkboard Ornaments! 

They spent some time on my mantel, spelling out PEACE, before making their way to my tree. 

Ahh, I just love Christmas!