I’m not by nature a very crafty person.  I don’t know exactly why- things just never turn out quite how I expected.  So when I do have some crafting success, I get very excited about it.  And you can bet if I can do it, anyone can.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably been seeing those adorable handmade salt dough ornaments all over the internet.  I wanted to attempt to make a handprint version with my son.  I did a test run last week that didn’t turn out very well. The handprints were barely visible and they just looked crumbly.  I had no idea what I did wrong and was planning to give up on the project when I came across something at my local craft store.

Air-Dry Clay.  It seemed so obvious the second I saw it.  You simply mold the clay however you like and it air dries in a couple days.  So I bought one tub (mine was Crayola brand) and took it home to try.  I found it very easy to work with, especially for a beginner.

For the handprints- I rolled the clay in balls and spread them out with a rolling pin.  The handprint showed up really nicely and with a lot of detail.  I cleaned up the edges with a knife and added the ribbon hole at the top.   It worked so well I decided to use my cookie cutters to make a few tree shapes.  I had my son add ornaments with his thumbprints.  Two days later I added some light watercolor paint and Christmas ribbon.

Just like that- a cute Christmas project and great keepsake!  They aren’t perfect, but I kind of love that about them.  These will look great tied on some family Christmas gifts this year!