DIY Holiday Ornaments

Holidays are coming up and while we loveee shopping for gifts, we love making them even more! If you're looking for handmade gift ideas this holiday season, consider making something out of clay. 

Ornaments are an easy project for kids and beginners alike. They also don't have to be holiday specific! They can be made for your gallery wall, or as charms for your houseplants. We've even made our dog's paw-prints into beautiful wall decor. 

For this project you can use polymer, air dry, or oven bake clay, making it accessible for those that don't have a kiln. 

1. Roll out a slab

2. Gently but firmly press your cookie cutter into the clay slab.

If you don't have cookie cutters, you have two options: you can use a clean glass cup to cut out circles then decorate or glaze.

Draw a simple design on a sheet of paper, cut it out, and use that as a stencil.

Place the stencil on your slab, and using a pin tool, or a very sharp pencil, cut around your stencil. You can reuse the stencil a few times before it becomes wet. If you have access to cardboard (like a cereal box) you can make sturdier and longer-lasting stencils. 

3. Gently remove any excess clay and save for later. You can roll out more slabs with any extra clay, just like you would cookie dough!

4. Don't forget to add a small hole if you're going to be making this into an ornament or wall hanging. Remember that clay shrinks, so make it slightly bigger than the string or nail you'll be using. 

5.  Finish up by adding texture to create visual interest. Check out this blog post for ideas on how to add fun textures to your ornaments using everyday household items. 

You're done! Once your piece is fully dry, fire, and glaze. Alternatively you can use underglaze on the wet clay before firing.