Every Christmas my parents would pull out the boxes of much loved, slightly abused, ornaments that decorated out trees. There was no rhyme or reason to the collection other than each ornament was something that someone loved at the moment that they were chosen. Which meant there was everything from sentimental baby’s first Christmas balls to the plastic owls I loved when I was 6 to the folded paper stars that my parents made when they were first married. And among this collection is a strange assortment of walnut themed ornaments. We have walnut slices with googly eyes and plastic walnut that open to reveal a Christmas scene inside, a walnut mouse and a walnut cradle, and, my favorite, some pretty pink glass walnuts from the 1950’s that my mother picked up at an antique shop.

These glitter walnuts are the closest thing I can manage to those blown glass walnuts. Their bright, glittery finish adds a whimsical touch to the tree with out being hokey. They would also look great piled up in a bowl together with some standard nuts as a winter centerpiece.

Things you need:
Whole walnuts
Craft glue
4″ pieces of thin ribbon
Foam Brush
Newspaper
Fine glitter
Matte Sealer Spray

Things to do:
1. Wash the walnuts in warm soapy water to remove any dust and debris, and then lay them out in a single layer to dry thoroughly.
2. Spread the newspaper over your work area. Form the ribbon lengths into loops and glue them securely onto the top of the walnuts to create hangers. Allow them to dry.
3. Working one at a time, coat each walnut in a thin coat of glue, making sure to work some into the crevices along the length of the shell.
4. Sprinkle glitter lightly over the shell, turning to coat the entire nut.
5. Set to the side and gather up the excess glitter, pouring it back into the container to use on the next nut.
6. Continue until all of your walnuts are coated and dry, check for missed spots and touch up as needed.

7. Spray the nuts with polyurethane to seal.