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I love the look of frosted or crystalized holiday decor, but I hate the chemicals and sometimes unsavory ingredients used to create that look. The good news is that you can easily create frosted decor at home with just 2 ingredients, one of which is water!
You can use this technique on almost any item, from pipe cleaners to plastic ornaments, but I love how it looks on natural ingredients like pine boughs, sticks, and orange slices. Plus, Borax (which is what makes the crystals) is safe for composting, unlike plastic coatings.
What Do You Need to Make Crystalized Natural Holiday Decor?
The good news is you’ll only need one ingredient, Borax, which can be found in the laundry detergent aisle of most stores. As for supplies, you will need a large glass jar or bowl, a whisk, gloves, a long stick or dowel, string, boiling water, and the items you wish to crystalize.
How to Make Crystalized Holiday Decor
This simple project is easy enough to do with the kids and makes a great science experiment. There are only a few minutes of hands-on time, though the crystals do take some time to form.
Equipment:
Large Mason jars or a glass bowl
Whisk
Large glass measuring cup
String or thin ribbon
Popsicle sticks (if using mason jars), wood dowel (If using a bowl)
Materials:
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup Borax
Instructions:
Tie one end of the string or thin ribbon around each piece you wish to crystalize. Tie the other end of the string around your wood dowel or popsicle stick to suspend your piece. Ensure the pieces don’t touch each other or the sides/bottom of the jar or bowl.
Pour 2 cups of boiling water into a glass measuring cup. Add the borax and whisk until dissolved and the water is clear. If the borax doesn't dissolve, microwave the mixture at 30-second intervals, stirring each time until the water is clear.
Carefully pour the hot borax mixture into your mason jar(s) or bowl. Filling the container to the top of the piece, but no higher. (Crystals will form on the ribbon/string if it's below the liquid)
Leave them to crystalize for 2 to 24 hours until your desired level of crystalization is reached.
Wearing latex gloves, carefully remove the crystalized pieces from the borax solution and place them on a paper towel lined screen to finish drying.
A Few Notes:
If you spill any of the Borax solution, be sure to clean it up quickly, or you’ll grow crystals on your countertop. Remember, borax is abrasive, so gently wipe it up to avoid scratches.
Make sure your kids are old enough to know NOT to eat these glittering ornaments, and don’t leave kids unattended during this project.
Be sure to wear latex gloves to avoid skin irritation.
May Your Holiday be Filled With Crystals!
If you’re anything like me, once you start this project, you’ll be trying to crystalize everything that stands still, and I fully support that plan! If you try this project, we’d love to hear all about it in the comments below or tag @thisunboundlife.blog in your social posts. May your holiday be merry and bright, and until next time,
