I am always looking for fun, creative, and inexpensive gift giving ideas. Especially this time of year, when my list seems to get just a little bit larger each time I look at it.
I came up with this polymer clay ornament idea and it can be personalized, which is always a bonus.
I picked up some polymer clay at my local craft store. I bought Sculpey brand clay, but there are several other brands available. I find that Sculpey is easy to work with and the consistency is great.
I chose my first color (green) and kneaded it on my kitchen table. You really just need to warm up the clay so it becomes pliable. I took a rolling pin and flattened the clay to about 1/8 inch. Then I chose a cookie cutter (tree) and cut into the clay. I set the tree aside and began creating a snowman to assemble on the tree.
What you need to do is break the snowman down into parts. I choose a white colored clay for the body. I rolled the clay into a ball and then flattened with the palm of my hand. Then I did the same for the head of the snowman, using a smaller ball of clay. To make the hat and the scarf, I used light blue clay. I rolled out some clay with a rolling pin and then used a kitchen knife to make some details. For the hat, I just molded it with my hands; shaping it until it looked right to me. I also added small eyes and a nose using similar techniques. Just play around with it and have fun.
Finally, assembly begins. I applied bake and bond glue to the back of the snowman components and put all the pieces onto the tree. I used some stamps that I had on hand and put the year at the base. You could also personalize by putting a name. I put two small holes at the top of the tree so I could create a hanger once the creation was baked.
Bake the ornament at 275 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Once the ornament is baked and cooled, you can begin to use acrylic paint to highlight. I used a metallic green, metallic silver, and some black.
I really love how this ornament turned out and I think I will make more of these to tie onto presents this year!
Happy Holiday Creating!
Carrie Grabowicz is the owner/designer of Hammi Jammi Jewelry. She creates handcrafted jewelry for that special day and beyond. You can read more about her musings at her blog athttp://www.hammijammijewelry.blogspot.com.
