Make An Impression: Easy Pinecone-Stamped Ornaments
Nature makes its mark in this simple, fun project that turns air-dry clay into festive ornaments. They’ll make a great addition to your holiday décor, whether hanging from a Christmas tree or a garland above the fireplace! They also make great gifts for grandparents, favorite babysitters, and best buds.
What You Will Need:
- Pinecones and other natural items that can make a print in clay when pressed, like acorns, sticks, leaves, pine needles, etc. Gather whatever strikes your fancies while on an expedition through your neighborhood. We highly recommend wearing rain boots for puddle stomping and leaf kicking.
- Air-Dry Clay
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutters
- A small dowel or pencil
- String or ribbon
- Colored paint (optional)
Directions:
- Spread out all your supplies on a table. Feel free to use a large cutting board or piece of butcher or parchment paper as the work surface. Invite your child to roll out a piece of clay to a thickness of approximately ¼ to ½ inch. If the portion of clay you used is small enough and he likes the resulting amoeba shape, just go with it; otherwise, he can use the cookie cutters to cut out wide shapes like circles, stars, or snowmen.
- Have your child press pinecones (and any other items) into the clay like a stamp and then check out the patterns they leave behind. He’s also welcome to make prints with his hands, toy trucks, little figurines, rubber stamps, etc.
- Use a dowel or pencil to poke a hole through the top of the shape, about ¼ to ½ an inch from an edge, and then let the piece air dry.
- Once the ornaments are hard, leave them plain or paint them with wintry colors. He can also sprinkle glitter on the wet paint if he likes. Thread a length of ribbon or string through the hole and tie off the loop with a pretty bow.
We love air-dry clay because great results are a sure thing every time (plus it’s ready to go for busy parents!), but if you’re feeling extra crafty, you and your kiddos can make your own salt dough together with these easy tips from Mommypotamus.
