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.

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