Monday, November 26, 2012

Anthro-Inspired Letter Ornaments

Letter Tags from Anthropologie $3 for one

Over Thanksgiving I went into Anthropologie and fell in love with their Christmas decorations. The prices... not so much! So I found a way to recreate some of them at home. The first post is an anthro-inspired letter clay ornament/gift tag.

My homemade clay letter ornaments

You'll need:
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup baking soda
3/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees F. Mix ingredients into small pot and heat over medium-high heat for about 5-10 minutes. The consistency will become thick, so keep stirring the mixture. 

2. After it is thick and smooth, remove from heat and place into a heat-safe bowl. Cover with a damp towel and allow to cool. My mixture was extremely sticky so feel free to add more cornstarch if necessary.

3. After cooling for about 20 minutes roll out mixture (just like you would for cookie dough) and cut out desired shapes. I had to use even more cornstarch to keep everything from sticking.

4. Use a straw to poke holes for string. You can also use a stamp to create images on the uncooked clay. Place on wax paper in heated oven and bake each side for 30 minutes. If your shapes are thick, they will probably need an extra 10 minutes. 

5. Allow to cool and dust off any remaining cornstarch. Decorate with pens or sharpie. 





I made 18 small ornaments with the clay and had some left over. These will look great attached to my Christmas present gift tags and a great keepsake for the recipient. Hope you enjoy!

Here are some other ideas for home made clay ornaments that I love (and might just have to try on a second batch!)