Air Dry Clay Christmas Ornaments: Stars, Trees and Circles

Plain white clay ornaments on a green branch need very little decoration, which makes them a forgiving first holiday project. One rolled slab gives you a dozen or more stars, trees and circles, and most of the work is waiting for them to dry flat.

Plan to start at least a week before you want them on the tree. The hands-on part fits into an afternoon, but drying, painting and sealing each need their own time.

What You Need

• Air dry clay, about an orange-sized lump for 12 to 15 ornaments
• A rolling pin and two guide sticks about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
• Parchment paper or a canvas mat to roll on
• Star, tree and round cutters, or paper templates and a craft knife
• A drinking straw for hanging holes
• Texture: a fresh evergreen sprig or a piece of chunky knit fabric
• A wire rack, fine sandpaper and a damp cloth
• Twine or narrow ribbon, plus optional acrylic craft paint and water-based acrylic varnish

Roll an Even Slab

Even thickness matters more for flat ornaments than for almost any other project. A slab that is thin on one side dries faster there and is more likely to curl.

1. Knead the clay for a minute until it is smooth, then flatten it into a thick pancake with your palm.
2. Set it on parchment between the two guide sticks.
3. Roll from the center outward, turning the parchment a quarter turn every few passes, until the rolling pin rides on both sticks.

About 1/4 inch (6 mm) is a good thickness: sturdy enough to survive handling and storage, light enough for a branch. The step-by-step method is in how to roll air dry clay into an even slab.

Add Texture Before You Cut

Texture goes on first. Pressing a pattern into a shape that is already cut tends to stretch it out of true.

• Evergreen sprig: lay a small sprig on the slab and roll over it once with firm, even pressure. Lift it by the stem. The needles leave a fine branching print.
• Sweater knit: lay a clean piece of chunky knit, such as the cuff of an old sweater, on the slab and roll once. The stitches leave a cable or rib pattern.
• Plain: leave part of the slab smooth. A mix of textured and plain ornaments looks better on a tree than a full set of one kind.

Roll only once over any texture; a second pass usually blurs the print. For more ideas, including improvised stamps, see adding texture to air dry clay.

Cut Stars, Trees and Circles

1. Press each cutter straight down through the slab and give it a tiny wiggle before lifting.
2. Place shapes close together to waste less clay, but leave a small gap so edges stay crisp.
3. Peel the scrap clay away from around the shapes and leave the shapes lying on the parchment. Lifting soft stars by hand bends their points.
4. Punch a hanging hole with the straw at least 1/4 inch (6 mm) in from the edge. On a star, put it in the body just below one point, not in the tip.
5. Run a barely damp fingertip around each edge to soften burrs.
6. Gather the scraps, knead them together and roll again.

No cutters? Draw your own simple star and triangle tree on paper, cut them out, lay them on the slab and trace around them with a craft knife. An adult should do the knife work.

Dry Flat and Turn Often

Flat pieces curl when the top face dries faster than the face lying on the table. Turning them evens that out.

• Leave the shapes on the parchment for the first few hours, until they are firm enough to lift without flexing.
• Move them to a wire rack and flip them every few hours on the first day, then once or twice a day.
• Keep them at room temperature with gentle airflow, out of direct sun. Do not use heat to speed up drying.

Ornaments of this thickness are often dry in one to three days, depending on the clay and the humidity in the room; follow the instructions on your clay’s package. If one starts to lift at the edges while still slightly flexible, flip it and rest a light book on top with parchment in between.

Sand, Decorate and Seal

When the ornaments are fully dry, smooth the edges with fine sandpaper. Sanding makes fine dust, so do it outdoors or in a well-ventilated spot and wipe everything down with a damp cloth.

From here you have three easy options:

• Leave them white. Textured ornaments often look best with no paint at all.
• Add a wash. Brush thinned acrylic paint over a sprig print, then wipe the surface with a cloth so color stays only in the impression.
• Paint details. A painted edge, a few dots or one solid color on the plain shapes.

Seal both faces and the edges with one or two thin coats of water-based acrylic varnish, letting each side dry before turning. Sealing adds some resistance to dust, fingerprints and light moisture; it does not make the ornaments waterproof. Details on finishes are in how to seal air dry clay.

Hang Them and Store Them

Thread about 8 inches (20 cm) of twine or ribbon through each hole and knot the ends into a loop. The same shapes also work tied onto presents; air dry clay gift tags shows how to stamp initials into them.

After the holidays, wrap each ornament in tissue paper and store them in a rigid box in a dry place, not in a damp basement or garage. Kept dry and padded, they can come back out for many seasons.