Monday, December 07, 2009

Antiqued Clay Ornaments

I have made antiqued clay ornaments in the past, and since it's such a fun and easy project, I thought I'd share pictures of my creative process with you. If you have questions, please feel free to ask!

I was happy to finally find air-dry clay locally - I'm sure other kinds of clay would work, but I've heard that a slower drying time keeps the clay from warping. Oops...I dried mine outside in the tropical sunshine...so mine did warp a little. Not sure what brands would be available where you are...the brand of clay I used is DAS. I rolled the clay out to 1/4" thickness (note: use a craft-dedicated roller for this!). To ensure an even thickness, I put the clay between 2 rolls of 1/4" wide tape as a guide for my rolling pin.


I stamped the image into the clay with even pressure, then trimmed around each star with a craft knife. A note on cutting out images from clay - you don't want your first cut to be a 'pulling' cut - 'hop' your knife down each line first, then pull. Hope that make sense...

After trimming, poke a small hole using a stylus. Be sure to poke through from both sides so the hole is even all the way through. Allow time for your ornaments to dry thoroughly on a flat surface. You can turn them occasionally so they dry from both sides.


When the ornaments are dry, color in the raised areas with alcohol markers (any other non-waterbased medium should work). I used Neopiko markers on mine. No need to do any shading - keep it simple.



Next comes the fun and messy part. Using dark brown acrylic paint (I used Plaid Folk Art Enamels paint (4013 Coffee Bean) for glass and ceramics), cover the surface of your ornament, being sure to get paint in all the areas pressed in by your stamp. Quickly wipe off the excess paint, leaving just an outline of paint in the depressed areas. Paint and wipe the sides of the ornament as well. I have also used gel stain (not liquid stain) for this. This step gives the ornament a rustic, antiqued look.

I chose to use a simple wire hanger for my ornaments - I just looped it and stuck both ends in the hole, then bent the tips upward. That's it!

Here's my finished project...the image is part of a full sheet of images from Heartfelt Creations, found HERE. (Edited to add: If you're interested in just the single stamp, it is available via phone order, at $12 mounted or $6 unmounted. Online it can only be purchased in the full sheet.)


Thanks so much for stopping by!

5 comments:

  1. So beautiful Dini! Thanks for the tutorial!

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  2. VERY pretty! That would be a great project with kids!

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  3. wow, what a great idea!! I have a bunch of clay....wish I'd seen this before the weekend. I might have to get crafty tonight!!!

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  4. Very nice. Your tutorial is perfectly clear, too. My grandkids were here for Thanksgiving, and they REALLY got into making Christmas cards. It was decided that next year there would be a day dedicated to card making. This too would be a fun thing to do with them.

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  5. Beautiful...Really love that step where you add the stain to the ornament. That gives the ornament such a soft, pretty look! Thanks for sharing all of the steps on how to make these :)

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