Hanging Pomegranates Decoration (from ornaments!)

Craft these gorgeous hanging pomegranates… from ornaments! These are super fun Sukkah decorations that anyone can make. When you’re done, check out this full list of DIY Sukkah Decorations This post contains affiliate links.

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A few months ago, I was shopping at Michaels when I saw something I had never seen before: $10 mystery boxes. By that, I mean large grocery-delivery-sized boxes stuffed with stuff for $10.

I knew it was most likely seasonal clearance (yes, Christmas), but I figured I’d spring for one. Sometimes you have things that are more generic (like felt garlands or solid green or red vase fillers that I can use for resin) – I’ve picked up all sorts of “Christmas” clearance in the past that wasn’t REALLY Christmas, it was just tagged as Christmas lines.

And maybe I’d even find a Hanukkah thing or two!

But no, it was full of REAL Christmas things, including LOADS of ornaments. But guess what? We can make something from everything (yes, I’ve seen people pack mishloach manot into ornaments), and when I took a closer look, all I could see were pomegranates. So I figured I’d use them to make some hanging pomegranates for the Sukkah.

Now, I will preface this by saying that this craft might not be for everyone – and that’s okay. If it’s not for you, go ahead and move on. I personally believe that if something isn’t explicitly religious (I’m not turning a cross into a Menorah), there can be many ways to use it. While we all know that ornaments are for Christmas trees, they are technically just decorations. So I’m okay with using them – styled tastefully – and especially turned into a Judaica-themed craft!

There are also different ways to craft this so that it looks more or less like an ornament, as I’ll explore below.

Different ways to craft hanging pomegranates from ornaments

To add a crown – or not?

One of the first things that struck me was how much the cap of the ornament looked like the crown of a pomegranate if you flip it over. So I thought I’d just stick with using it like that.

But as I polled people on Instagram as to how much it looks like an ornament vs. a pomegranate, responses were mixed.

So while I still prefer it without the added crown, I DO show you how to add one in case you prefer it that way. I used translucent dividers as an affordable water-resistant material (you can also go with something opaque like, you know, opaque dividers).

I simply hot-glued them on around the cap. It’s really forgiving, and the neck of the ornament gives you a surface to work with. And I do believe it makes all the difference.

Different ways to paint or color it

I played around with different ways to color it. My first instinct was to use alcohol inks – to pour them on the inside.

To really make this work, you do need to heat the inside so that it sets. This shrinks the neck of the ornament a bit, but as long as you’re careful not to overdo it, it’ll still work.

I added fillings to it as well – but more on that in a bit.

On the next one, I used alcohol inks but mixed in metallic color. Due to the iridescent look it creates, it might look even more like an ornament – but do what feels right for you!

I like to make crafts as accessible as possible for as many people as possible. It’s not always doable. I decided to try a version with acrylic paint. Since it can be quite thick, I mixed it with some pouring medium to let it flow a bit more.

This one is turned upside down for excess to drip out and then air dried.

On all of these, I colored them by sliding the paint or ink around the inside since the ornament is a very slick surface and won’t hold paint well. A tiny nick can cause the paint to peel. Keeping it on the inside really helps. The ink absorbs more into the plastic, but it can still have a scratchable coat on the outside.

Additional fillings

If you’re using alcohol inks, you can add fun finishes inside your ornament!

I had some crushed glass vase filler hanging around, so I filled one of my alcohol ink hanging pomegranates with that. You can of course also use glitter, sequins, or anything decorative! Just make sure it’s not too heavy – you want to keep things lightweight.

Tips for using your Hanging Pomegranates in the Sukkah

Weatherproofing it

I intentionally used plastic ornaments for my hanging pomegranates (I got both plastic and glass in my box!) It’s more durable, even if the wind knocks it around a bit.

Painting the inside DOES help waterproof it – you don’t need to add additional sealers. I do recommend sealing around the cover well with hot glue so that it doesn’t get water on the inside if it rains.

The strings and other accents were all kept water-friendly. The beads I used are acrylic, and the string is synthetic enough to hold up well.

Hanging them up

The ornaments have a little hanging mechanism that just pops right out and can be flipped upside down so that they can still be hung! I took some scrap trim I had handy and strung it up. You can use any outdoor-friendly string.

I also added large acrylic faceted beads to them for an additional decorative touch.

Hang singles or clusters at different heights. You can hang them from the wall as well.

How to make hanging pomegranate decorations

Materials needed

• Round, clear plastic ornaments
• Red alcohol ink OR acrylic paint with pouring medium
• Heat gun or hair dryer (if using alcohol ink)
• Optional glitter or crushed glass filler
• Hot glue gun – check out my best hot glue guns for crafts
• String for hanging
• Large hole beads as accents
• Scissors

Process

Prepare the ornament

1. Pull off the metal cap from your ornament.

2. Pinch together the two ends of the hanging mechanism and poke it out.

Coloring it with alcohol inks

3. Drop a few drops of alcohol ink OR paint mixed with medium into your ornament and swirl it around to coat the inside.

4. Once it’s generally coated, blow a heat gun or hair dryer into the inside, moving it around constantly and watching that you’re not melting the opening too much. It may shrink a bit – that’s fine.

5. Pour some of your “filler” in if using. If it’s glitter, you can try and really swirl it around and see how much sticks.

6. Paint your cap with alcohol ink too and zap it dry.

Repeat on the other side.

Finishing it off

7. Pop the hanging mechanism back into the lid – only backward (so the loop is inside the cap).

8. Pop it into the opening of the ornament.

It’ll look like it holds but it’s not strong enough – you want to glue it in place. I recommend gluing it around the rim to seal it.

Acrylic paint variation

If you want to avoid using alcohol inks, you can use acrylic paint mixed with pouring medium. Coat the inside and prop it upside down on a paper towel to allow excess to drip out.

Paint the cap as well. Allow both to air dry totally before trying to continue. Totally. Don’t make the same sad, sad mistakes I did…

Adding a hanging string

9. To make your hanging mechanism, cut a length of string double plus a couple of inches the length you want. I recommend hanging a few at different lengths.

10. String it through the hanging mechanism.

11. String your bead on one side. If it fits over both, that can look great too – mine didn’t.

12. Knot the tips of the strings together.

Adding an optional crown

13. Cut a crown shape from a plastic divider. I did this on a whim to show you that it’s doable, so I didn’t make a template. Start by cutting a rectangle to fit around the neck of the ornament plus a bit, and as high as you want the crown to be. Cut out triangle notches.

14. Hot glue it around the neck and lid of your hanging pomegranates.

That’s it! Your hanging pomegranates are ready to hang and decorate your Sukkah. What’s your take on this? Yay or nay?