Vintage Inspired Air Dry Clay Ornaments

With the holidays right around the corner, we’re sharing how to make vintage inspired air dry clay ornaments with you today!

Thanksgiving and Christmas are two holidays we look forward to celebrating every year and I know so many of you do too.  Yes, it’s crazy hot outside, but all the hustle and bustle will be here before we know it!

Besides, there are a lot of simple ways we can prepare now for the holiday season. 

We’ve already started looking through books, magazines and Pinterest for everything from new recipes to Christmas decorating inspiration. 

In one of the magazines, I found a picture of a gorgeous bowl.  The bowl was a creamy white with an edge that looked as if it had been made from a delicate piece of antique lace.  Of course, I was smitten immediately.  

I thought about how I could use a similar concept to make Christmas ornaments and that’s when air clay ornaments came to mind.  While I don’t have any antique lace in my stash, I do have a piece of crochet from my late grandmother’s sewing basket. 

This is the first time I’ve ever worked with air clay before, but it was so easy, I can’t to try it again.  

Here’s a look at everything you’ll need to make some vintage inspired air clay ornaments of your own…

Vintage Inspired Air Clay Ornaments Supplies:

• Air Dry Clay in White
• Circle Cookie Cutter or Christmas Cookie Cutters
• Piece of Crochet
• Rolling Pin
• Baking or Pie Crust Mat
• Baking Sheets
• Straw (plastic or lightly colored paper straw)
• Parchment Paper (optional)
• Ribbon or Jute String (optional)

Vintage Inspired Air Clay Ornament Steps:

Prep your work surface area by gathering your supplies and laying out your baking or pie crust mat on a flat smooth surface.  Tear off a chunk of clay and knead it several times until it warms up in your hand.

Place the clay on the mat and begin to roll out the piece of clay with a rolling pin like you would roll out pastry or sugar cookie dough.  Make sure to roll the clay out evenly, leaving it slightly thicker than the consistency of a sugar cookie.

Use a circular shaped cookie cutter to cut out a circle or use a Christmas cookie cutter to make whatever shape you want.  

Remove any excess clay, gently pulling it away from the sides of the ornament.

Lay a piece of lace or crochet directly on top of the clay ornament.

Carefully, roll over the piece of crochet with a rolling pin several times.

Once you’re finished, gently remove the piece of crochet from the ornament revealing the imprint of the crochet piece on the ornament.

Use a straw to create a hole in the top for ribbon or jute so you can hang the clay ornament from the tree or use it as a gift tag. 

Smooth the edges of the ornament, then carefully place on a baking sheet. Place the ornaments so that they are laying as flat as possible. 

Flip ornaments over every 30 minutes to allow each side to dry evenly.  Air dry clay ornaments should dry a minimum of 24 hours.   

Keep in Mind:

• These vintage inspired air dry clay ornaments are far from perfect. They have a few cracks and imperfections but that’s part of their vintage inspired charm.
• If you mess up, no worries, just mold the clay back into a ball and roll it out again. You can even reuse the clay you’ve pulled off from the sides of your ornaments.
• These clay ornaments can be easily customized to with stamps.
• If you don’t have a piece of vintage lace, dry a salt or pepper shaker that has a pretty design like we used with this cut glass shaker
• You can use a nail file to gently smooth down the edges of the clay ornaments once they are dry.
• Make sure your ornaments are completely dry before you try to paint them. I know some of you like to plan early and already have your color palettes chosen.

I know Christmas is still a few months away, but we’re bound and determined to enjoy every ounce of holiday cheer we possibly can this year.

So, while we’re appreciating the lazy days of this season, we’re excited to be planning for the next one. 

When do you guys start planning for the holidays? Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo