I was super excited to have my nieces spend a week with me over Christmas break. Together we made home-made ornaments for the tree.
The week before they arrived I made a batch of Air Dry Clay (see the recipe below). I used an assortment of cookie cutters that I had in my collection to cut the different shapes. When they arrived, I pulled out my acrylic craft paint and some brushes. Each one is as unique as they are, and it worked at the various skill level of the girls. After the paint was dry, I hot glued an ornament hook to the back and they were ready to hang.
I absolutely love this recipe!!! Because all of the ingredients are safe for humans, I am comfortable using my cookie cutters and rolling-pin on them. When I am done I rinse the clay off and wash as usual (no strange chemicals on my kitchen utensils). It also uses everyday kitchen ingredients so no special trip to the store for supplies or wasted ingredients. And it is affordable to make.
AIR DRY CLAY
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2/3 cup cool water
In a small pot, mix together baking soda and cornstarch. Slowly add the water and mix (the mixture will be very soupy at this stage). Cook the mixture over low heat until it thickens, stirring constantly. The mixture will quickly go from a liquid to a solid as it cooks.
Remove the clay from the pan and place in a heat proof bowl and cover with a damp paper towel. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Then roll the clay into 1/4 inch layer and cut the ornaments. Allow the ornaments to dry for 24-48 hours on a cooling rack.
TIPS: The dry time is dependent upon the thickness of the clay, the size of the ornaments and the weather (hot and dry vs. cold and rainy).
very cute!!