I’ve seen some ideas for gorgeous ornaments on Pinterest lately, but when I go to the links there is no information- not what the ornaments were made from, or how they were made. I found one that I really like, but it was made from salt dough, and I’ve just not had amazing luck with salt dough ornaments– it seems like they turn out so heavy and lumpy, and the color isn’t all that nice. So finally, I came across one small piece of information: Air Dry Clay
These are really ease, and I love how much fun they were to customize! And these keepsake ornaments would also be a unique reusable gift tag to use on presents!
Directions:
Pull off a small amount of dough and roll it into a ball. I made balls about 2″. I recommend making these on parchment paper or wax paper.
Flatten with the palm of your hand, or using a rolling pin (but I found that it worked better for me to use my hands)
Use stamps, a stylus and your own handwriting, or whatever you’d like, to decorate the ornaments. I even found some small snowflake buttons that I used to make snowflake impressions on one of the ornaments.
This is the fun part- make them however you want. For a great keepsake ornament, you can use your kid’s fingerprints or a baby’s foot, even! You can do the decorating with ink if you’d like, or without. I did both ways, and liked both ways.
To make a hole for the string to go through, use a straw. Push down on the straw, and then twist, and the little piece of clay should pop right out.
Let dry for several days. It took about 2 days for mine to dry.
As they dry, the ornaments will become a bit thinner and smaller, so take that into consideration when you’re making them. They will also dry to a white color, even though the wet clay has a bit of a tannish hue.
Once they’re dry, feel free to paint them if you like, or just leave them plain. Tie a piece of ribbon through the hole, and you’re done!
This post is part of our Christmas Crafts & Decor Series. Be sure to check out the rest and keep coming back this month for more crafts! Also you can find all our Christmas posts in ONE PLACE! Check out our Homemade Christmas page for all our Christmas goodies.
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I’ve worked with the air dry clay and i love it. It’s so light and easy to form. I love wht you did also. PINNING. Linda
I agree, Linda- it was so fun and easy to work with. I’m already dreaming up other projects to do!
How cute! I am pinning for later! 🙂
Thanks for pinning, Ciara! We really appreciate it!
I love these… and going to try and make some this week. I have so many stamps that it would be perfect. Thanks for sharing on DBB and pinning this.
Have fun- I’d love if you’d share your finished product with us! Feel free to share on our facebook page!
Love the idea. Thanks for sharing and Pinning.
Thank you, Kenneth! We love pins and shares!
We made some salt dough ornaments last year and we loved how they turned out. It always bums me out when I find something I love on Pinterest and there is no information. How brilliant is stamps….I am putting it on my do soon list! <3 Thanks for linking up with us on Mom's Monday Mingle!
Amy, did your salt dough turn out heavy? And was it yellowish? I would love to find a good salt dough recipe, if you don’t mind sharing.
This is great! I’had been wanting to do little handprint ornaments with my LO this year but now it’s close to Christmas and it sounded like a ton of work, Perfect solution! I’ll have to go find some of this stuff soon!
Elizabeth, if you order from Amazon they have free 2-day shipping with a Prime membership. I linked to the clay at the top of the post. I love Amazon for being able to get things without having to go to the store! 🙂
And if you get a chance, I’d love to see your finished project- feel free to share on our facebook page or over here.
Amy, I checked them out. Thanks for letting me see them- super cute!
These ornaments are so cute, Jamie! I love that you can be creative and make any design you want. Thanks so much for linking up to Frugal Crafty Home and I hope to see you back on Sunday night!
Thanks, Carrie! I had so much fun with these. I did one for each of the kids with their full name on it, I did one for my husband and I, and I did a bunch that were just random. I love that you can make different shapes, or do whatever you want!
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