Growing up I always LOVED putting the Christmas tree up as it meant pulling out all the sentimental decorations that had been collected over the years. There were always an assortment of both bought and handmade decorations. Some sparkly and new, others not so much. I thought I would start a wee collection of hand stamped clay tree decorations for us. In the future we’ll be able to add names and memories as our family expands.
You’ll need:
- air dry clay (I used this stuff)
- an assortment of cookie cutters
- rolling pin
- letter stamps
- skewer
- gold paint
- bakers twine
- glaze (optional)
Start by rolling the clay into a nice ball. Work it well and warm it in your hands before rolling it out. Roll it out to about 5mm thick, then use your cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
Use letter stamps to stamp a word or name onto the shape. You want to leave a decent imprint, but not deep enough that it leaves an indentation of the outline of the stamp. Use a skewer to poke a hole in the top.
Wet your finger with water and rub around the edge, making it nice and smooth. Place shapes on a sheet of baking paper and leave to dry as per packet instructions.
Use a paint brush to paint the letter indentations. Rub off the excess with a damp cloth. At this point you can seal the decorations with some acrylic glaze or watered down PVA glue. Just brush on and leave to dry.
Use bakers twine to thread through the holes, tying ends together.
Ta da! I hope you love them as much as me! I think these are also great for gift tags or a little something inside a Christmas card. Happy crafting!
