Monogrammed Glass Tile Ornament Tutorial

I love making handmade ornaments to hang on the tree, to use as gift decorations… but I never seem to make enough time to do many. A year ago, I came across an etched glass ornament and thought there could be a less messy option… rub-on letters makes this possible!

Glass tile comes in sheets, and if you’re lucky, you can find a bunch in the clearance section. One sheet can cost about $4 which is inexpensive considering you can make 16-18 ornaments. But I recently found some tile going for under $2! Now a few pieces were chipped, so you have to make sure you check the sheet before you purchase.

What you need
• Glass tile from the home improvement store
• Glass cleaner of choice
• Scissors
• Rub-on letters
• Burnishing tool (popsicle stick will do)
• Ribbon (I used 1/8” and cut into 4”-5” segments)
• Glue (appropriate for glass)
• Optional: decoupage glaze (like Mod Podge or clear acrylic medium), fine-tipped brush

Before you begin, dust off and clean your glass tile. (Materials from the store always come home with a nice layer of dust.)

The tiles are bound together by a mesh and it’s not difficult to cut with a regular pair of scissors. I wouldn’t necessarily use a fancy pair – any office pair will do. The cool part is you can just cut apart what you need and store the rest if you aren’t making a big batch of ornaments.

Cut a pair of matching tiles, or unmatching. I like a matching “sandwich”. After cutting, you’ll need to peel off the mesh. Thankfully, it comes off easily.

Prepare your rub-on letter. I centered the monogram on the very bottom of the tile then when I was happy with the placement, I rubbed (burnished) the letter onto the tile.

No need for drying time at all… you’re done. However, if you’d like, this is when you would use a fine-tipped brush to go over the rub-on letter with a little clear sealer to prevent scratches and “erasing” the letter.

For the hanger take your ribbon, and fold in half. Center it at the top of the tile, and stick in place with a dab of glue. Spread more glue, like you’re dressing a sandwich, then top with another glass tile. Gently press (so you don’t get glue smooshing out) together for a few seconds. Let the glue set at the manufacturers recommended time.

Hang on your tree! Or adorn someone’s gift!

Would love to know about your favorite handmade ornaments… want to share? Two of you will be randomly chosen to receive some fun Jolee’s stickers (the top group and bottom group). Leave a story, a comment (and a link, if you have one) by Tuesday, Dec. 4, 10 PM (central time). Thanks!!!

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5 thoughts on “Monogrammed Glass Tile Ornament Tutorial

  1. Thanks Emma and Alexa for checking out the website! You guys are too funny… was hoping you might leave a story about one of your favorite homemade gifts. I’ll let you know about the stickers…it’s random, okay?

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