One of my most favorite parts of Christmas time is the giving of gifts. Don’t get me wrong, I love
receiving them too, but giving someone something I just know they’ll love (or even make them cry happy tears) is what really excites me. To me, giving is what makes the season so magical. During this time of year, we aren’t so focused on ourselves, we’re focused on our loved ones and finding the perfect something to put a smile on their faces. What could be better than that?!
I think that homemade gifts can sometimes get a bad rep. I immediately picture lots of glitter, noodles, and glue. But they don’t have to be cheesy or tacky! I want to share with you how to make quick and easy homemade clay Christmas ornaments and gift tags. It’s a special and cute way to show someone you care and something they can keep for years to come! Plus, it’s affordable, quick, and not very messy. Win win win.
If you’re looking for a last minute gift to really pull at the heartstrings then these quick and easy homemade clay Christmas ornaments and gift tags are it! You can find everything that you need to make them quite easily and some you may already have! Here’s what you’ll need and how to do it:
Supplies you will need
- Modeling Clay
- Cookie Cutters
- Alphabet Stamp
- Ribbon
- Baking Sheet (Optional)
- Rolling Pin
- Nail File
How to make clay ornaments and gift tags
- Roll out the dough – should be about ¼ inch thick, if it’s too thin it’ll curl up and/or break easily
- Place cookie cutters as desired
- Peel away extra dough
- Stamp your sayings – be careful to not push too far in otherwise you’ll get the rectangle of the stamp on your design
- Put a little hole wherever you’d like the ribbon to go through – the alphabet stamp set that I used came with the perfect little tool for this
- Let dry for 24 hours – the clay will go from a light gray color to pure white when it’s totally dry
- You can put in the oven at 300 for 30 minutes to speed up the process
- Use a nail file to smoot the edges and any wrinkles that may have occurred while drying (this can get a little messy so hold over the sink or trash can)
- Tie the ribbon!
helpful hints
See! Easy peasy! You can also paint your clay ornaments and gift tags if you’d like, I chose not to because I preferred a minimalistic look. I thought I was going to love the Merry Christmas ones the most, but I actually love the Silent Night moons! I also made personalized stocking labels for our family and ornaments for a friend’s newborn baby and another friend who bought a new home. Get as creative as you like with your quick and easy homemade clay ornaments and gift tags.
Be careful not to roll out your dough too thin. I made this mistake and the dough sort of wilted up and the stamped lettering went all the way through the ornament. Also, don’t skip the filing step, this made all of my ornaments look so much crisper and nicer. I was originally only going to file the edges, but I used the file to smooth out the top of the ornament for any fingerprints or wrinkles and it worked like a charm. Then I used a rollerball ink pen to sign the back.
merry christmas and happy holidays!
There’s just a few days left until Christmas, but these quick and easy homemade clay ornaments and gift tags only took me about an hour to make! If you don’t have modeling clay on hand and it’s too late to order then try this easy three ingredient homemade dough recipe that I found! And if you’re too crunched for time then definitely bookmark this how-to for next year.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Xx Ashley