Beautiful DIY Clay Angel Ornament for Christmas
This Beautiful DIY Clay Angel Ornament is a lovely addition to your Christmas tree! Also great as a gift tag, stocking stuffer, or Secret Santa gift!
It’s time to take out our holiday decorations from storage, and put them up! Which brings me to the question: when you decorate your Christmas tree, what do you put at the top of the tree?
Of course, if you were to go to a store, you’d find tree toppers of different kinds – gnomes, snowflakes, snowmen, Santa – even his reindeer! But if you want to stick to the actual tradition, there’s nothing like putting up an angel on your tree!
Apparently, the tradition began as a nod to Jesus’ birth story, where angels watched over the manger and announced his birth. Angels were also believed to drive evil spirits away from the home.
Well, there’s a lot of history when it comes to angels on Christmas trees, and today we’re going to make our own – not as a topper, but as a gorgeous clay angel ornament that you can hang on the tree. The best part is that this ornament is multipurpose and can be used in many ways – read on to find out how!
Beautiful DIY Clay Angel Ornament for Christmas
Supplies required:
- Air drying clay
- Clay cutting knife
- Rolling board or silicone sheet
- Rolling pin
- Acrylic paint
- Paintbrush
- Jute twine
How to make the Clay Angel Ornament:
1. Download and print the template for the clay angel ornament. The template includes all the parts of the angel, like the base, dress, wings, hair, head, and heart. Cut out all the pieces.
2. Let’s start by taking our air-drying clay. Since the clay angel ornament is white, we don’t have to add any color to it, so that’s one step saved! Lightly knead and roll the clay into a ball.
3. Place your clay ball on a rolling board or non-stick silicone sheet. If you don’t have either, you can place a sheet of wax paper underneath. Use a rolling pin to roll it out to about 1/8-inch thick.
4. Use the pieces cut from the clay angel ornament template as a guide to mark out the angel parts on the rolled-out clay. You may use a pencil or skewer to mark the outlines.
5. Use the clay cutting knife to cut out the pieces you’ve marked. Peel off the excess clay so you’re left with just the parts of the angel.
6. Fix the front hairpiece on the angel’s forehead. Then take the wings and use your knife to add some details like curved lines. Now they look more like wings!
7. Place the angel head on the base of the clay angel ornament and secure it in place.
8. Time to give our angel wings! Place the wings on either side, below the head. Use your knife to gently press the inner edges of the wings into the base so they lay flat.
9. Once the wings are securely in place, attach the dress on top of the wings, so the knife markings are now covered. Smooth down the edges of the dress so they appear to blend in seamlessly with the rest of the clay angel ornament.
10. Take a strip of clay and arrange it over the angel’s hair, curling it at the corners for a cute hairstyle. Using a dowel, skewer, or straw, make a hole at the top of the ornament.
11. Only final touches left! Take the heart and paint it pink or red. Stick the heart in the middle of the angel’s dress.
12. Thread a piece of twine through the hole on top and you’re done! Your clay angel ornament is ready!
Make sure you let the clay angel ornament dry for about 24 hours before you hang it. Since the clay is air-drying, we don’t need to bake the clay. If you notice any cracks, add a few drops of water. The same goes for any raw edges – just dip your fingers in water and smooth them out. You can also give your clay ornament a more ‘finished’ look with a coat of Mod Podge on top.
There you go – you have a custom, handmade clay ornament that will last several years, provided you store it properly. This makes a lovely little gift to hand out this festive season. You can make a bunch in one go, and use them as gift tags or as stocking stuffers. Don’t forget to check out our Popsicle Stick Angel and our Felt Angel Craft too!
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