As Holidays are approaching you are probably thinking about fun and creative decoration ideas. I love decorating for Christmas and every year I like to make my own decorations. It's fun, creative and a great activity to do with your family during the Holidays. These decorations I made with my sister and brother two years ago and we were all thrilled how they turned out. If you have kids you can include them as well, this is a safe way of making decorations, just keep an eye on them because there is clay included and younger kids may want to eat it.
You'll need:
-modeling clay from a crafts store (I like the one that air dries so I don't have to bake it, you can use any type of clay you like)
-water
-rolling pin
-newspapers to protect your table
-plastic bag
-cookie cutter in any shape you want your ornaments to be (I got these from Accessorize and I had some old ones my Mum bought a while ago)
-toothpick
-tempera paint and brushes
-clear nail polish
-thicker thread or yarn
Before you start spread newspapers all over your work area and put a plastic bag over it.
To get clay ready to use you'll first need to wedge it. I do it in the same way I knead the dough. This way you'll get read of all the air bubbles inside the clay and make it softer and easy to use. If your clay starts to get hard add a bit of water to it.
When you are happy with the texture of the clay start roiling it with the rolling pin. First pour a small amount of water on the plastic bag so the clay won't stick to it, then roll it. Once the clay is thin enough (not too thin or the ornaments might break) start cutting out shapes with the cookie cutter. There will be some clay left and I like to create random shapes with it so I don't throw away any clay. You don't have to do this only if you want some ornaments that are different from the others.
Don't forget to make a hole on top of every ornament, that's where the thread will go. Best way to do this is using a toothpick.
When you are done bake them or let them dry, depending on the clay type. If you are air drying it will take two to three days for them to be completely dry.
Paint the ornaments any way you want and when the paint is dry go over with clear nail polish. Once the nail polish is dry pull the thread through the holes and tie it.
And there you go, you'll have your unique decorations you can use for many years to come!
P.S. Here's my favourite Christmas song to get you in christmassy mood!
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