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
