DIY Clay Christmas Ornaments

Today I am sharing one of my most favorite projects of the season! These DIY clay ornaments are the sweetest addition to my Christmas tree this year and I am excited to share them on the blog with you!

I started this project by heading to Joanns and buying some air dry clay. I opted to buy both a terracotta colored clay and a white clay.

OTHER SUPPLIES I USED TO MAKE THESE CLAY ORNAMENTS:

• SILICONE MAT TO ROLL CLAY OUT ON
• ROLLING PIN
• ROUND COOKIE CUTTER
• NAIL OR DRILL BIT TO MAKE HOLES IN THE CLAY
• COPPER WIRE (TO HANG ORNAMENTS)
• PINE BOUGH, OR OTHER TYPE OF PLANT TO IMPRINT ONTO THE CLAY

AIR DRY CLAY ORNAMENT INSTRUCTIONS

WATCH THE STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL BELOW!

FIRST STEP:

First, you want to roll out your clay nothe silicone mat. I prefer to use a silicone mat because it protects your countertop from the clay. Roll it until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

Use the cookies cutter to cut out as many circle ornaments as you can. You can also use any other shaped cookie cutters as well!

Carefully remove the discarded clay and move the cut ornaments to a sheet pan or onto some paper towels so that they can begin drying. I like to set mine by the fire where they dry a bit faster.

You can reuse the rest of the clay, roll it out and repeat until you have used all the clay.

If you want to make an imprint of a piece of foliage or leaves, this is the time to do it. Carefully lay the piece of foliage on the clay ornament and gently press it into the clay. You can also lightly roll the rolling pin over it, which will give a nice copy of the leaves. I used some pine needles for some of mine as well as some other greenery.

SECOND STEP:

Place all of your clay ornaments on paper towel to dry. The paper towel will draw out some of the moisture in the clay. I like to set mine on a sheet pan that I can move around and keep them protected. Let them air dry for a couple of hours and then flip them over so they can dry on the other side evenly.

If you plan to make holes in your ornaments you want to do it when the clay is leather hard. This is when the clay technically feels like “leather” it is firm and feels solid but still has a deeper color to it and when you poke your nail into it, it will still make an indent but it will not smash the clay.

I like to use a small drill bit to make the holes in my ornaments. I made foliage imprints on half of the ornaments and then added holes in a circle so that I could add string to them later to make a design.

I also made a hole for the wire to run through that you will hang the ornament on. You can use your fingers to smooth the edges around the holes as well as the edges of the ornaments.

Let them continue to dry until they are completely dry. You will be able to tell because the clay will lighten in color and have a maore chalky appearance.

THIRD STEP:

Now its time to finish up the ornaments. For the ones with the leaf imprints, you will just need to add a hanger to them. I used copper wire to hang them.

For the ornaments that have holes in them, I used a twine to create a design by feeding the string through the holes and rotating to make a star with the string. You can create and kind of design you want!

NOW ITS TIME TO HANG YOUR ORNAMENTS ON YOUR TREE! I ALSO ADDED SOME OT MY STOCKINGS ON THE MANTEL!

Arent they the sweetest? I love the way they look on the tree!

I am super happy with how these turned out! I love making a new set of ornaments each year and I think these are by far one of my favorites! Ornament crafts are a fun way to involve kids during the holidays. I am using my for decorating the tree as well as the mantel!

I also love that these are no bake. They do not need to be cooked in an oven. You can use rubber stamps to add designs to your ornaments as well. There are a ton of ways that you can customize clay ornaments. Add ribbon instead of copper wire to hang them or add a couple of wooden beads to the wire to add more to the ornament.

Air dry clay ornaments are a great way to decorate your tree! The organic feel and look of them is all I wanted this year.

Make these air dry clay Christmas ornaments as gifts for friends and family!

WANT MORE DIY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT IDEAS?