Clay Christmas Tree Decoration DIY

Hello everyone,

Clay is a thing that I never had any interest in using for craft projects as I always imagined that it had to be baked and that it was just a whole lot of hard work......until I came across air drying clay - this stuff is great!  It comes ready to use in small or large packs so if you are just doing a few decorations like I was, you don't have to go buying a great big bag full.  I would recommend visiting CottageChicInteriors for great craft supplies from Stamperia.  You will be able to get your moulds and pre-cut decoration papers there including a multitude of other craft supplies.

To make your decorations, you just have to break off a piece of clay that's big enough for the project you have in mind and soften it up in your hands for a while.  When soft enough you just press it into the mould that you want to use (you can get moulds especially for making decorations), scrape off the excess and while still wet, remove it from the mould to dry on a non-porous, flat surface.  At this stage it is important to add a hole for your ribbon/string using an orange stick or something similar.  Folks, this is the correct way to do it, however, I did not do this.  Why?  One, I didn't have a mould and two, I was impatient.  Result = very rustic, rough and ready clay decorations!!

Using moulds means you obtain the correct clay thickness for the decorations you are making, whereby, when you are rolling it out yourself and using a cookie cutter or a glass to shape it (like I did), it can result in a more uneven finish or if it is rolled out too thin it can cause the clay to curl up when drying (like mine did).....lesson learned!

So, they weren't perfect, but I'd come this far so I decided to go ahead and decorate them anyway.  For the decorating I used napkins and découpage paper which I cut to size and stuck on to the dried clay decorations (mine took 48 hrs. to dry out completely).  I darkened the edges to give an aged look and coated them with varnish.  Finally, I fed some ribbon through the holes that I had made earlier for hanging and also added some bows for the final touch......and that's it, easy DIY clay Christmas tree decorations.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my Christmas tree decorations, as always, if you have any questions please email me (on the right) or use the comment box below.  I am always glad to help.

Bye for now

Gift Tag Tutorial

Happy Saturday Everyone!
I hope you are all having a fabulous Saturday and as I promised in my previous post that I would do a tutorial on how I made my Christmas Gift Tags I have posted the instructions underneath along with some photos and I hope you all give it a go.  Please do send me some photos of your finished tags and you can comment below to ask any questions or send me an email through the link on the right hand side of this page.

Hand Made Gift Tags

Gift Tags - What you need:
Ready made gift tags or some craft card (don't use copy paper)
One hole paper punch
Scissors
Découpage glue
Small flat brush
Ricepaper, Napkins or other thin paper scraps left over from other projects
Acrylic paints - I used gold, black and green
Glitter (optional)
Ribbon or twine (for hanging and adding to tags)

Gift Tags - What you need to make your own

Firstly, let me say that I used coloured ready-made tags as that's what I had to hand when I decided to make mine.  Plain white card is probably better though as you wouldn't have to match up the colours like I did so that the colour of the tag doesn't take away from the napkin colour by showing through it.  If this is the way you are going, use the scissors  to cut out the tag shape from your card and use the punch to make the hole.

Gather up all of your scraps and decide what you are going to use on each tag and place them roughly on the tag.  You can mix scraps that match for a more interesting look and don't forget you can add pieces of lace or ribbon to add to the finish.

Glue them on folks - go ahead and stick those scraps onto the tags using the découpage glue in whatever order appeals to you and then leave them to dry.  When completely dry, use your acrylic paints watered down to dab around the tag wherever you think needs tidying up for example if there are any white edges showing around one of your stuck on scaps, use paint the same colour to camouflage it.

Green Gift Tag by Funky-Junk

Using some gold or silver or black or any other dark colour paint, you can dab around the edges of the tag (using your finger) for a more aged look and to finish it off.  Next, stick on whatever embellishments you want, ribbon, a bow, crystals or lace and if required add some glitter by adding some glue here and there first.  Then add your twine or ribbon for hanging and you're done! 

Snowflake Gift Tag

Now you have your own unique Christmas Gift Tags to add a more personal touch to your gifts.  I hope you enjoyed reading my tutorial and that you will give it a go and don't forget to send me on some photos!  You can sign up to receive my posts quicker by adding your email address in the top left of this page.

Pink Gift Tag

Bye for now

Handmade Gift Tags

Hi Guys,

Today I'm going to show you the first of this year's Christmas Gift Tags - yep, I know, Halloween is just over and already we're taking Christmas!  Better to be organised early though as the weeks just fly in from now.

These were super-easy to make and this time I made them using left over scraps of rice paper and napkins from other projects which quite honestly I had never thought of until I watched a tutorial from Erica over at CottageChicClub recently.  I thought this was a great idea and more interesting than just using one paper or napkin for the job - so don't throw away those scraps people, keep them for your small projects!

I will say however that I found it a little bit more challenging using the scraps rather than using just one paper or napkin, I actually had to think about colour, placement, background, matching etc. so it does bring out your crafty side in a big way - and in a good way, ideas kept coming as I kept working.

I've made a short video of the first few tags to give you a more clear view of how they look.  I will be posting a tutorial on this later for anyone who's interested in trying to do their own, as I said, they're easy to do and will give your gifts a more unique and stylish look for Christmas.  See video below:

Thanks for watching, and remember you can contact me by email by using the form on the right or here at Funky-Junk Email  if you have any questions at all, I'm always happy to help.

Bye for now

On the Tree

Thought you'd all like to see how my hand painted decorations look on the tree.  I think they look great and I will definitely be making more of them next year.  Here they are...

Christmas Tree Decorations

Well, it's been a while since I posted - it's been so crazy trying to get everything sorted for Christmas and I have been  using every spare minute in between to finish a large plaquette which was commissioned for a wedding.  I finally handed it over today to to the happy couple so I will have lots of time free to blog over the Christmas and I will be off work for 10 whole days for the holiday season yay!  I will be posting about this lovely plaquette after the new year so keep in touch if you would like to see it.

My last post presented some Christmas decorations that I made and I was so happy with them on my tree that I decided to make a few more.  They are simple and fun to make, I added some more sparkle to these ones but it's difficult to see in the photos.  Hope you like them.  Double click to make the picture bigger.

Christmas Decorations

Making your own christmas decorations isn't difficult and those of you that follow my blog will know that I do a little something every year.  Last year it was the mini christmas trees which you can see by clicking here.  This year though, I have painted up some little wooden hearts and fireflies that I got as a gift but you can buy them at any good A&C store, I then just added some glitter and hanging ribbon. Simple.  Even the kids could help with this one.  You could also make your own by cutting out some shapes from cardboard - stars, christmas trees, Santas, angels and then paint on some designs or even découpage them.  Why not try a few and have something designed by you this Christmas!

Click to make bigger

Before

New Floral Serviettes

I pinched these two lovely napkins from my sis while visiting recently.  Can't wait to use them for some new plaquettes that are in the pipeline.  Don't forget Funky-Junk plaquettes make great gifts for birthdays and other occasions and of course there is no harm in getting organised for Christmas a little early - I have already received the first Christmas orders so don't miss out!!!  A lead time of at least 10 days is required for orders by contacting me either on the blog (see form on the right of this page) or on the Funky-Junky Facebook page (click on the FB tab at the top of the blog page).

Festive Swing Tags

I love swing tags - don't ask me why but I just have a liking for them.  You may remember my post last month on the Découpaged Swing Tags that I decorated.  Today though I am going to show you my idea for some smaller sized Christmas themed swing tags which are very easy to do and are a novel way to present your Christmas gifts.

You will need some small swing tags, glue, a small short bristle paint brush, a pencil, and some glitter in a few different colours.

Draw a picture or design on your swing tag, nothing too complicated, the more simple the better.  As you can see from the photo, I drew Christmas trees, baubles and a star on mine - all simple designs. Paint the shape carefully with the glue using the paint brush, making sure to get right to the edges and keeping the outline even.  Sprinkle with the glitter of your choice gently tapping off any excess and leave to dry.  For more precise shapes use a template such as a coin for the bauble outline or you may prefer the more natural look of freehand.  I think they're cute and will look great on this year's Christmas presents!

Mini Christmas Trees

Lace and Pearl Christmas Tree

Gift Ribbon Christmas Tree

Feather Christmas Tree

It wouldn't be Christmas without a few home made decorations and this year I have a no-cost idea to share with you that I came across online and that is totally simple to make and looks cute.  As you can see from the photos, different look Christmas trees can be achieved according to the materials that you choose.  I used what I already had in my craft cupboard and you can do the same, try using buttons, scrap fabric, snippets of paper -  almost anything that you have will work.

You will need is a cereal box along with a scissors, some glue, paint (whatever colour matches your materials) and of course the material that you want to use.  Just cut out a square of the cardboard and make a cone shape rolling it so that the print is on the inside. Trim it and then glue it to keep it together.  Let the glue dry and give it a coat of paint. When the paint has dried, just stick on the material of your choice layer by layer until it's completely covered and again leave to it to dry.  If you wish you can then add extras like beads or other embellishments to finish it off. That's it - there's nothing more to it.

For my first tree I used gift ribbon and then stuck on little gems.  The second one is made from feathers - this would have been fab if the feathers were gold, white or silver but I didn't have any and just went with what was in my craft box.  For my third tree I found a piece of curtain lace which I cut into small pieces and glued on.  This one is my favourite.  I'd love to know what you think so don't forget to leave a comment.