How to Make Clay Rainbow Ornaments

How to Make Clay Rainbow Ornaments
Photo by Lindsay Ponta

These adorable rainbow ornaments are a fun craft that does double duty as a treasured keepsake to bring out year after year. They’re the perfect decorations to add to your Christmas tree or to hang up in your windows. Consider making and giving them as a year-end gift to all of your neighbors!

SUPPLIES

You can find all the supplies to make this project at your local craft store or on Amazon. Polymer clay comes in blocks divided into sections. You can make three large ornaments from one block of white clay.

  • Polymer clay in white and three other colors
  • Rolling pin and optional silicone rolling pin guide rings to shape clay into an even thickness
  • Clay extruder tool (optional)
  • X-Acto knife
  • Pen or pencil
  • Oven or toaster oven and optional oven thermometer
  • Flat-back pearls in mixed sizes
  • Glue
  • Twine or ribbon, for hanging the ornament

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Condition white polymer clay by kneading it with your hands until it becomes soft and flexible. Tip: Make sure your work surface is as clean as possible to avoid having debris stick to the clay while you’re working with it.
  2. Once your clay is conditioned to the point that it no longer crumbles, use a rolling pin to roll the entire block of white clay to an approximate ¼-inch thickness. Tip: You can use silicone guide rings to help you. Slide one ring onto each end of your rolling pin to make the final thickness as perfectly uniform as possible.
  3. Roll three additional colors into long, thin “snakes.” A clay extruder can help you create perfectly smooth, even stripes, tubes and more.
  4. Beginning with the innermost color of your rainbow, cut a small piece off the colored clay snake using an X-Acto knife. Note: Do not allow children to use the X-Acto knife to do the cutting. Adults should perform all cutting required. Gently lay the colored piece of clay onto the white clay and bend it into an arch. Bend another arch around the first, leaving a bit of space in between. Repeat with the third color.
  5. Use the rolling pin to gently roll over the stripes, pressing them lightly into the clay. The colored stripes don’t need to be completely flat against the surface of the white clay, but they shouldn’t poke up too much when you’re done.
  6. Cut around the rainbow with the X-Acto knife, leaving a generous white border. Use the end of a pen or pencil to poke a hole at the top.
  7. Preheat the oven to the temperature indicated on the package for your clay. This temperature can vary based on the variety of clay you are using. Tip: Using an oven thermometer is highly recommended. If you bake the clay at too low a temperature, it won’t fuse properly. Instead of being strong and flexible, your ornament will be brittle, breaking off with the slightest pressure.
  8. Bake the ornaments in an ovenproof glass dish or a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and tented with aluminum foil to prevent the ornaments from burning. Bake for 15 minutes longer than the package suggests to make sure your clay is completely fused. Remove ornaments from the oven and allow to cool completely. Note: The clay doesn’t set until it has completely cooled.
  9. Apply a generous amount of glue to the bottoms of each rainbow. Press the flat-backed pearls in a random arrangement simulating clouds. Let the ornaments dry overnight.
  10. Thread a length of twine or ribbon through the hole at the top of the rainbow ornaments. Hang them in a window or on your tree.

Lindsay Ponta created the DIY and lifestyle website Shrimp Salad Circus in 2009 to inspire busy women to live perfectly imperfect creative lives. Find easy DIYs and recipes at shrimpsaladcircus.com.

About Lindsay Ponta

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *