These air dry clay Christmas ornaments are a super fun activity that you can do with the kids. They also make great gifts to send to your friends and family with a handmade Christmas card. They're super simple and quick to make, using supplies you probably already have on hand. We love to go outside and collect leaves and flowers to press in to the clay to make gorgeous patterns.
They have become a yearly tradition adding some of these to our tree every year. The kids absolutely shine with pride when we hang their creations on the tree, and they love to show them to everyone who visits over the holidays.
Materials Needed
Air dry clay (this can be found at most craft stores).
Rolling pin, or you can even use a glass jar
Cookie cutters or a knife to cut out shapes
Stamps or flowers or leaves to make patterns
Skewer or straw to make a hole in ornaments
String or ribbon to hang the ornaments
Directions
Cut off a piece of the air dry clay and roll out to around 1/4 inch thick (0.5cm), and lightly smooth any creases with your fingers.
Select your stamp or whatever item you have collected to make an impression/pattern and gently but firmly press in to the clay, for flowers and leaves I gave it a light go over with a rolling pin, then remove to reveal the pattern.
Next take your cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Then place a hole in the top of the shape and place on a baking rack to air dry.
I've found that placing a piece of baking paper and then an oven tray gently on top of the ornaments helps them to stay flat while they dry. Otherwise they can tend to curl up slightly as they dry.
Once your ornaments are dry, simple thread ribbon or string through the hole and hang on your christmas tree.
These can also be used as gift tags for presents. We love stamping peoples names and attaching to their gifts for a beautiful keepsake.
Have fun and use whatever you have lying around your whare to make each ornament unique. You could even do little hand prints of your tamariki to help document their growth every year, and these make cute gifts for grandparents.
