Thumb Print Polymer Clay Christmas Ornaments

Nothing says “personalized gift” as a handprint or footprint from a child. (I guess it is still a personalized gift if it is an adult’s hand or foot print, although the cuteness factor isn’t quite there.) I LOVE how our thumb print polymer clay Christmas ornaments turned out. I know I will love hanging them on our tree for years to come. These ornaments are perfect gifts for grandparents, relatives and teachers – anyone who loves your cherub toddler as much as you do – or at least pretends that they do.

[bctt tweet=”DIY thumb print polymer clay #Christmas #Ornament craft! Fun for #kids of all ages. “]

Thumb Print Polymer Clay Reindeer Christmas Ornaments:

Start with the cookie cutter polymer clay christmas ornament.
Have your eager child place his thumb print in the middle of the ornament. I chose a round shape with scalloped edges, but any shape will work.
Bake the ornament as instructed below and cool completely.
BEFORE applying the glaze, paint the face of a reindeer with acrylic craft paint and Sharpie Paint Pens.
1. Brown face
2. Antlers
3. Red nose
4. Black and white eyes
After the paint has dried completely, add the glaze for a beautiful shine and finishing touch.

Thumb Print Polymer Clay Heart Christmas Ornament:

Start with a round ball-shaped polymer clay, a little larger than a quarter.
Flatten it with your palm on a flat clean surface.
Help your child place his thumb prints on the circle so they form a heart. The thumb prints will overlap a little at the bottom of the heart.
Bake the ornament as instructed below and allow it to cool completely.
I baked these ornaments separate from the cookie cutter shaped ones due to the difference in thickness.
Paint the inside of the thumb prints with a thin layer of acrylic craft paint, to preserve the fingerprint lines.
After the paint has dried completely, finish according to the instructions.

Tips for making ornaments with polymer clay:

**Read this before you start!**

Start with a small piece of clay and mold it in your hands. It takes a few minutes to warm up the clay so it is easier to work with. This is a perfect job for little helpful hands.
Note! Some of the bright and colorful clay may temporarily stain your hands (and surfaces).
- Wash your hands when you start working with a new color.
- Protect your working surface with an old plastic place mat.
Keep a package of baby wipes close. They are perfect for a quick clean up, before your messy toddler breaks free and sticks his little grubby fingers all over your otherwise spotless house!
Hopefully this goes without saying, but an adult needs to handle the clay going in and coming out of the oven.

Supplies and tools used for all these ornaments:

Cookie cutters: I used an assortment of old cookie cutters my grandmother gave me. But these would be perfect for this project.

Polymer clay: I really love the ones with a little shimmer.

Twine

Polymer Clay Tools

Rolling pin

Small straw, pencil or other pointy object (Hopefully there is no need for an image of this.)

Cookie sheet (I will spare you a picture of my old cookie sheets!)

Oven (I won’t add a picture here. I bet you can handle this item without my help!)

Baking & finishing instructions:

These apply to all the polymer clay ornaments!

Preheat the oven to 275F.
Place your creations on an oven-proof glass or metal surface. An old cookie sheet works perfectly.
Bake for 15 minutes per 1/4” of thickness – MAYBE LESS – watch the oven like a hawk!
I group my ornaments together by size and thickness, and bake the larger ones in a separate batch.
Do NOT microwave
Do NOT over-bake. The clay is NOT supposed to brown lightly on the edge like a pizza – take it from someone who has an entire cookie sheet of “Pinterest-fail” ornaments.
Once the ornament has cooled completely, apply a layer of glaze for that beautiful finished touch.
Thread the twine through the hole, once the glaze has completely dried.
Write the child’s name and year on the back of the glazed ornament with a Sharpie permanent marker.
Voila! Your ornament is now ready to spread cheer throughout the world.