How to Make Christmas Tree Ornaments With Cookie Cutters

My kids treasure our Christmas cookie cutters, from the ones handed down by their great grandmother, to the new ones we choose almost every year. Making Christmas tree ornaments with those cookie cutters brings a double pleasure: the fun of creating homemade ornaments, and the warmth in our hearts and memories that come flooding back every time we look at the ornaments with such familiar, beloved shapes. With some clay and a little paint, you can use your cookie cutters to make very special decorations for your tree.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Holiday cookie cutters Air-drying white craft clay Tooth pick Parchment paper Rolling pin Acrylic craft paints, assorted colors Assorted craft paint brushes Spray-on acrylic sealer (clear) Cookie sheets (optional)

1. Prepare clay as packaging instructs. Take a baseball-sized lump of clay, and work it for a while with your hands to make it softer and more pliable. Put it on a sheet of parchment paper. If you want to be able to transport the project as it dries, put the parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

2. Roll out the clay with the rolling pin to approximately 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Make sure the clay's surface is smooth and without cracks. If necessary, ball it up, and roll it out again for a smoother surface.

3. Dip the cookie cutters in flower or powder. Press them straight down into the clay. Don't wiggle them, just apply direct, downward pressure to all sides of the cookie cutter. Remove the cookie cutter. Fit as many cuts as you can onto the sheet of clay.

4. Remove all of the excess clay, leaving the cutout shapes on the parchment. Use a toothpick, if necessary, to remove stubborn clay close to the edges of shapes. The clay you removed can be reworked, rolled out on another sheet of parchment, and used again.

5. Use a toothpick to make a small hole about 1/4 inch from the top edge of the cutout. This is so you can put an ornament hook on the figure when it's dry.

6. Set the cutout pieces somewhere to dry for at least as long as the manufacturer recommends. Paint the ornaments when dry with acrylic paints to make them colorful and attractive. Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours.

7. Take the ornaments outdoors for ventilation, and put them on some newspaper. Spray them with clear acrylic sealer. Wait 1 hour, then spray another coat. Allow them to dry according to the manufacturer's instructions. This will help protect the paint and give them a lustrous shine.

8. Turn the ornaments over when they are completely dry. Spray the back with acrylic sealer as well, and let it dry.

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