Tutorial: Thumbprint Ornament

Every year, I like to involve my daughter as much in the gift making process as possible. It gives us something to do together and gifts always seem to mean a little more when she is involved in making them. This year we decided to take the Thumbprint Necklace from Rae Gun Ramblings and turn it into a simple ornament. These ornaments were easy to pull together and look even better in person.

You will need:
Clay
Parchment Paper
Plastic knife
disposable straw
Ribbon
Metal Stamps
Non-food rolling pin

 Start by taking a small section of clay and warming it up it your hands. Work with the clay until you can roll it into a ball.

 Roll the ball out until you have a flat disc shape. Yes, I am rolling with an old bubble wand. I don’t have a dedicated clay rolling pin yet and once you use something on clay, it can never be used on food again, so I went with the bubble wand.

 Press the thumbprints into the clay at a slight angle to each other, so they form a heart. If you have more than one child, you can use a thumbprint from each one. Since we have only one, both thumbprints are hers. After I pressing her thumbs into the clay, I used a plastic knife to draw the outline of a heart around the prints to give them more shape.

 Using your metal stamps (you can find a similar set here,), stamp your message into the clay. Try to press hard enough for the letter to make an impression, but not so hard that the circle of the stamp itself leaves an impression.

 I went with a simple name and year, but Merry Christmas or other holiday saying would work great too.

 Using the straw, make a hole in the clay big enough for a ribbon to be threaded through. Bake your clay on parchment paper according to package directions. It is always best to bake your clay in a dedicated toaster oven.

 After the clay is baked, allow it to cool completely and then thread ribbon through the hole and you have a darling ornament that means something too.

What kinds of presents do you make for Christmas?