This is a great activity to do with kids in the run up to Christmas. If you're looking for Christmas clay ideas, try making these easy tree decorations. You can make them as simple or extravagant as you like! Here's how to make them...
What you'll need to make clay ornaments:
- Self-Hardening Clay
- Rolling Pin
- Biscuit cutters
- Baker's twine or ribbon for hanging
- Acrylic paints
- Paint brushes
- Stamps (optional)
Warm up the clay and roll it out
Take out a large ball of clay from the packet. I used about half of a 1kg bag for these. Warm up your clay in your hands, kneading it onto your mat or table and then start rolling the clay out with a rolling pin.
Try to keep your slab about 5mm thick. If the clay ornaments are too thin, they'll curl up slightly as they dry.
Cut out the shapes
Once your slab is nice and smooth, use a biscuit cutter to make your shapes. I used a selection of stars, circles, flowers, shooting stars and hearts. Circles are so versatile... think Christmas puddings, slabs for painting motifs on later, wreaths too...
Punch a hole for hanging
Use a small dowel/pen/straw/stick... you get the idea (sorry, not very technical around here but anything that will poke a nice hole!) to poke a hole at the top of your ornaments. On some, I also added a hole at the bottom so that I could add pom poms, tassels and beads once the clay Christmas tree decorations have been painted.
Place the clay ornaments on a piece of baking parchment to dry.
OPTIONAL: Use stamps to write a message
If you have a set of alphabet stamps, use them to print a message into your ornaments! Or add your initials to the back or the year that you made them.
Personalised and stamped clay ornaments would make such a lovely gift for someone (ahem, grandparents!)
Let them dry
Drying time depends on how thick the ornaments are. I'd leave them 2-3 days minimum to completely dry out and harden. If they feel cool to the touch, they're still drying out.
Decorate!
Once dry, let the creativity begin! Use acrylic paints to decorate your clay tree ornaments. Add gold leaf too if you like. There are so many options for decorating but you could also leave them plain for simple, white ornaments.
String up with a bit of baker's twine or ribbon and they're ready to be hung on the Christmas tree.
