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I recently saw a marbleized nail technique on Pinterest and was so inspired to try it. After several attempts I finally got the nail technique down and decided to do something more unique with it. Taking the glass ornaments that I purchased from Michael's Craft Supply, I created a water marble ornament. You can check out my video tutorials on how to marbleize an ornament and how to water marble nails.

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Step 1:

Materials:
1 glass ornament
2 bottles of nail polish
1 vase/cup (large enough to fit half the ornament, but not too big) filled half way with filtered tap water

I used Orly French White and OPI All Lacquered Up for these images. These nail polish brands seem to work the best for this technique. Do experiment with different nail polishes as all of them do not work the same for this.

1. Prepare your workspace. Place a towel or newspaper underneath for easier cleanup.
2. First shake both bottles of nail polish so the nail polish is nicely mixed.
3. Unscrew the tops of both bottles. This will help you work fast.
4. Drip one color of the nail polish into the cup of water.
5. Drip the other color into the water and keep alternating. (It is ok if the tip of the nail brush touches the water, but it is better if you can get a big glob to drip off the wand and drop onto the surface of the water.)
6. Working quickly alternate for 4-6 times. If you are just starting off I would start with 4 -5 drips or rings. When you get better you can do more.
7. Taking a toothpick start from the center of the nail polish and pull outwards to make a pattern.
8. It is easier to work from the inside out because the inside nail polish was just dripped so it is still wet.
Once you get the pattern you want dip your ornament in slowly for 10 seconds. Remove and let dry ( i put it on top of a smaller cup).

Step 2: Monogrammed Ornament Instructions

For a monogrammed ornament cut the initial with tape. Paint on clear nail polish first to seal the sticker seams (this will help with seeping). If you want a more opaque monogram you can paint another base color over the monogram. Follow the same instructions for water marbling.

Step 3:

Some tips for water marbling with nail polish.

1. Use the smallest cup possible that will fit your ornament
2. Experiment with different brands and colors of nail polish
3. Use clean filtered room temperature water every time.
4. if your polish seems to dry too fast, where when you drag the pattern it pulls the whole surface up, then try only swirling a pattern in the inner most rings
5. To help reduce water spots, dip ornament in slowly and blow off any water drops once ornament is lifted. Avoid shaking the water too much also
6. Work fast!