Tried and Tested Tip Number 21 [Clay Ornaments]

I recently came across this impressions in clay tutorial over on Garden Mama. Whilst I didn't follow the tutorial, I was inspired by it to create my own clay ornaments!

I used white air drying clay, and rolled it out between two layers of greaseproof paper, like you might with biscuit dough!

I experimented added different items between the greaseproof and the clay to create impressions - some were more successful than others! Here are the different items I tried:

 The only impression I really liked is the plant to the right of the stars - it was thick and dense, so gave a really deep impression. The other plants and the stars simply did not give a deep enough impression to look effective - not for this project, anyway! (And have you ever tried picking star confetti out of clay? Not fun!)

I cut the shapes out with biscuit/cookie cutters, and threaded some with string and some with ribbon.

This was a really fun project to do, with some effective results (some more so than others!) It would look great with different coloured Sculpey/Fimo too.

Why not have a look at the other crafts in my Christmas category...

Felt Heart Ornaments

I think the lovely thing about these little felt hearts, is that not only do they look lovely on the Christmas tree, but they can be hung up all year round too :)

They are quick, simple, and satisfying to make - who doesn't love working with felt?! And I really enjoy delicate stitches and beading.

These would work lovely without the ribbon too, just to pile up in bowls around the house, and to cradle in your palm when you need reassurance.

When adding the stuffing, other items such as lavender and cinnamon can also be added, creating lovely fragrant decorations.

The beading in the blanket stitch around the edge of this one was inspired by this brooch. I love the way the beads catch the lights on the Christmas tree.

Why not have a look at the other crafts in my Christmas category...

The Younger Years X

Let me begin by apologising for the quiet week round here. I have a lot of photos of Christmas projects just sat on my laptop willing me to write them up into posts, but I have had such a hectic week! Hopefully things will be a bit quieter for a while, and I will catch up...

Whilst decorating the Christmas tree this week, I noticed just how many decorations I had are ones that I made as a child, and I thought it would be fun to share!

I'm not sure how old I was when I made this, but I remember realy enjoying the bead work.

I cross stitched this little teddy bear angel when I was 10, and she is probably one of my favourite pieces!

These are cross stitched on to plastic. They took me a long time to do as a child, and I never even completed all the reindeer!

I cross stitched these when I was 12. They came from little kits, and were supposed to be small enough to fit in little frames. However, the kit supplied the wrong aida, so my Mum helped me mount them like this.

Wow, that was a lot of cross stitching! I love filling the Christmas tree with homemade decorations, no matter how old they are! Do you have many decorations from your childhood that you still use?

Inspire: The Fairy-Tale Princess

For me, I never know when inspiration will strike. Where I will be, or what I will be doing. Whilst waiting for my husband in a shop this week, I picked up this book, and fell in love with the imagery.

Can you imagine how long it will have taken to illustrate a book full of fairy tales by creating these models? Amazing.

And just look at the detail! It feels so whimsical and textural. So delicate yet structrual.

I love the strongly coloured backdrops, they help to bring it to life. I also like the glimpses of colouring within the sculptures, such as pieces of clothing highlighted.

I think this is a project I will save for when I have children. Pick a fairy tale and at least recreate one scene, bring the story to life for them. Although, I could also see it working with Star Wars for my husband!

You can see more of Su Blackwell's stunning artwork on her website.