Wednesday, December 18, 2013

How to Make Clay Tag Christmas Ornaments and Decorations

how to make clay tag christmas decorations
These little white heart clay tag ornaments are really simple and easy to make and you definitely don’t need to go searching tutorial after tutorial to get it right.
I have just used white, air drying clay which makes it easier to fix if you make any mistakes because it’s slow drying. It said on the packet that it takes about 24 hours to dry but I made mine in particularly cold, wet weather (yes it’s Summer in Australia but that’s what it was like for a while) and they took about 5 days for all of them to go completely white and hard.
I have seen some people roll out their entire batch of clay with a rolling pin and then cut out all of their shapes.. well I definitely couldn’t do that the clay really needed to be worked and rolled by hand to warm up a little before it became really malleable so I did mine one heart at a time. It wasn’t too much extra work and it still didn’t take very long.
stamped clay tags christmas decorations
The smoother the surface you do it on the better. I just made mine on the dinner table without anything underneath and clean up was simply a wipe down with a wet cloth so I wouldn’t worry too much about the clean up process. You could of course use baking paper to make it easier but I didn’t have any on hand. I also used cling wrap to dry the tags on.
red ribbon bows christmas decorations
What you’ll need:
  1. Air drying clay
  2. Shape cutters (cookie cutter/s)
  3. Hard plastic straw (or other)
  4. String or ribbon
How to Make Clay Tag Christmas Ornaments and Decorations:
  • First grab a handful of clay and roll it out to the desired size and cut out with your cookie cutter
  • With a hard drinking straw make a hole in the top, then with a pin scoop out the clay from the straw so you’re ready for your next one.
  • With about half of my batch I wet my hands and smoothed around the sides, this will make the sides super nice and smooth but may screw up the shape if you’re not really careful. I found it better to leave the rough edges and sand them smooth after drying.
  • Optional: get creative with stamps, lace doilies or other materials. I used some leaves off a fir to roll into the clay and stamped Andi and Kirsty into a heart each with metal stamps.
  • Now wait for the tags to dry and turn white, then loop some string through the holes and use as Christmas tree ornaments like I have, gift tags or decorations.
how to make clay tag christmas decorations 4
Linking up with: 504 Main, A Delightsome Life, A Diamond in the Stuff, Alderberry Hill, A Night Owl, A Stroll Thru Life, Be Different, Act Normal, Cheerios & Lattes, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Claire Justine oxox, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, Cozy Little House, Crafts a La Mode, Create with Joy, Cupcake ‘n’ Bake, DIY by Design, DIY Dreamer, Domesblissity, Ducks ‘n a Row, Elizabeth & Co, Feeding Big, Green Willow Pond, Happy Go Lucky, Hickory Trail, Home Maker on a Dime, Ivy & Elephants, Katherines Corner, Kathe with an E, Lil Luna, Live Laugh Rowe, Liz Marie, Lolly Jane, Mop it Up, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Milk & Cuddles, Mostly Homemade Mom, No Minimalist Here, Our Delightful Home, Petals to Picots, Pursuit of Functional Home, Salt Tree, Say G’Day Saturday, Savvy Southern Style, Serenity Now, Shabby Creek Cottage, Share Your Cup, Sincerely, Paula, Six Sisters Stuff, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, Sugar & Dots, The Best Blog Recipes, The Trendy Treehouse, This Gal Cooks, Too Much Time, Weekly Creative, We Like to Learn as We Go, While he was Napping, Charm of Home, French Country Cottage, House on the Way, Primp Junktion, Romantic Home, Diana Rambles, Dukes & Duchesses, Ginger Snap Crafts, Katie’s Nesting Spot, Life we Live 4, Redoux, Say Not Sweet, Sunday Showcase Party, Tatertots & Jello,Time Washed

7 comments:

  1. I love air dry clay :) Lovely ornament! Have a Happy Holiday!

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  2. They look great when they're all over the tree and sound pretty simple to make! Popping over from Clairejustine.

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  3. lovely! Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. Wishing you a lovely weekend and a very Merry Christmas♥

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  4. I love the rustic charm of the clay hearts! Your cabinet in the background is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing with SYC. Have a very Merry Christmas.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  5. Love your red and white tree it's gorgeous. I haven't tried those clay tags yet yet. Thanks for all your visits to Desire Empire this year. Have a fabulous Christmas and New Year in 2014.
    Carolyn

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  6. What a beautiful idea and the whole tree looks stunning. Happy New Year, darling.

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  7. Hi Kirsty
    Just wanted you to know, I nominated you for the KIdspot Voices of 2014 campaign. Thanks for all the support you constantly give me and my blog. Best of luck.
    Carolyn

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I love you for commenting!