How To Make DIY Christmas Trees using Air Dry Clay
Supplies Used:
- White Air Dry Clay
- butter knife
- wax paper
- fine grit sand paper (I used 220)
- dowel rod pieces (cut to size)
- ribbon
- paint
- wood stain
- Epsom salt
- cardboard
- hot melt glue
Roll out a thick piece of clay – thick enough to insert a dowel rod to be used as a trunk. You could also use a tree branch for a trunk. After I inserted the dowel rod, I used a butter knife to cut out simple tree designs.
When I was satisfied with the shape, I set them on a piece of wax paper to dry. Because these are thick, it will take a few days to fully dry. Mine took 2 days. Every day, I turned them so that the opposite side would be exposed to the air to speed up the dry time.
The dowel rods were stained with wood stain. I probably should have stained them prior to inserting them into the clay, but it was no problem to quickly stain them using wood stain and a cotton swab. The trees were then sanded with 220 grit sand paper until smooth. The two smaller trees were painted with silver and gold paint. Later, I decided they needed some sparkle, so I added silver and gold sparkle glue over the paint. I wrapped a ribbon around the other tree for a simple decoration.
I cut a circle from a piece of cardboard and set the trees on it to decide on placement. I marked where I wanted the trees to be with an ‘x’ and then drew an arrow to show which direction the tree would be facing. I wanted to be sure of the placement before I glued the trees to the cardboard base. When I was satisfied, the trees were glued to the cardboard with hot melt glue.
The brass base for my bell jar is actually a brass candle holder I picked up for a dollar at a thrift store. It was the perfect size for my bell jar and makes a pretty cloche. I set the cardboard on the base and then added Epsom salt for a snowy effect.
For a little more color, I added a red ribbon around the base of the jar.
