Over 100 handmade UV reactive ornaments for a blacklight Christmas tree — six weeks of work, a Cricut machine, UV paints, UV reactive vinyl, and UV resin. The whole process in 15 minutes.
The Build
The project started with a simple problem: a blacklight tree needs ornaments that actually react under UV, and store-bought options either don’t glow well or don’t look right. So Rob made them.
The materials:
- UV reactive vinyl — cut on the Cricut for precise shapes and lettering that glow clean under the lamp
- UV resin — for cast and dimensional pieces
- UV paints — for hand-painted details and fills
Over 100 ornaments. Six weeks of evenings and weekends. This is the same all-or-nothing build approach that shows up in the N64 work and the LED projects: if something is worth making, it gets made until it’s done.
What You’d Need to Replicate This
- Cricut Maker or Explore for vinyl cutting
- UV reactive vinyl (most craft vinyl suppliers carry it)
- UV resin kit with a curing lamp
- UV reactive acrylic paints
- A blacklight tree or UV flood lamp for the display
This is a build showcase, not a step-by-step tutorial — it covers the scope and finished result, not sourcing and exact products. The material categories above are where to start.
The Music
All music in this video is original, by Rob — from the Trance Around the Tree album.
Rob streams live builds and maker projects every Tuesday and Saturday at 7pm Eastern on Twitch. The Bonus Life N64 build — a complete custom Nintendo 64 being rebuilt from scratch and given away July 3rd, 2026 — is the current main series.