Vintage Inspiration: Glass Ornaments

Vintage ornaments are so beautiful and are just the type of thing that I like to look at

 for some creative inspiration. Take a look at these glass ornaments, both old and new, 

and hopefully you'll be inspired too!

I love the jewel tones of these ornaments

Antique ornaments via 52Flea

Vintage bulbs via BHG

I love the champagne color of these ornaments

These look so delicate

Pretty onion and finial ornaments

These ornaments are shaped like bunches of grapes

Mercury glass ornaments

How to antique glass ornaments from Martha Stewart

What do you think?

Doily Print Clay Dough Ornaments Tutorial

In my last blog post, Bright White Clay Dough, I shared a recipe and directions for how to make your own white clay dough and ornaments using cornstarch, baking soda, water, and a little creativity.

Now let's take it a step further and make some ornaments with doily imprints on them! Your friends and family will be so impressed and will think that you spent hours working on these, when in reality, they are super simple to make and take no time at all. 

To make these you will need one batch

of Bright White Clay Dough. The recipe 

and directions can be found here. 

Unlike salt dough (which has a golden appearance),
Clay Dough has a silky texture and does not darken 
during baking but remains a bright white. 

Doily Print Clay Dough Ornaments

Prepare a batch of clay dough as directed here.

 Roll clay to 1/4 thickness. Position doily on clay as desired. 

Using a rolling pin, gently imprint the doily into the dough by rolling back and 

forth a few times. 

Slowly remove the doily to reveal your doily-imprinted clay.

Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and bake as directed in the recipe. 

Completed baked clay dough ornament.

You can leave them white, or add color...

Here are the results of my color experiments: 

If you want to create a contrast, gently blot the finished design with an ink pad.

Here is the same star from above. I blotted it with a damp paper towel to soften

the ink and spread the color throughout the ornament.

 Next I blotted it with white ink. I like this snowy effect.

Here it is with a heavy blue coat of ink. 

What do you think?

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Thanks for visiting!

Bright White Clay Dough Recipe

In my last post I shared a classic, easy salt dough recipe perfect for making with kids. But what if you prefer a brighter, white dough for your Christmas ornaments and gift tags?  Then I have the perfect recipe for you! 

Bright White Clay Dough

2 cups of baking soda

1 cup of cornstarch

1 cup of water

Directions

1. Combine baking soda, cornstarch and water in a medium pot and stir over medium heat until all ingredients are dissolved.
2. Continue to stir over me remove from heat and transfer mixture into a mixing bowl. Be careful, mixture will be hot!
4. Cover with a cold damp dish cloth until cool enough to knead. 
5. Knead dough until soft and smooth. If mixture is too dry, add a few drops of water at a time and knead until a softer, workable consistency is reached.
6. Roll out dough to 1/4" or thicker and cut into shapes as desired.
7. Bake finished creations on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet in a warm oven (I do mine at 175 degrees F for about two hours, flipping them over about half way through baking.)  Allow to cool completely in the oven. 
8. Once completely dry, finished creations can be painted with acrylic craft paints and sealed with a craft sealant.  
9. Wrap unused dough in plastic wrap to keep it fresh. 



Stamped Clay Dough Ornaments
1. Roll out dough to 1/4" or thicker.
2. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes.
3. Use a toothpick or straw to make a hole in each ornament so that you 
have a way to hang them.
4. Stamp dough with rubber stamps - either with ink or without.
5. Bake as directed above.
6. After baking, gently file off any rough edges with a nail file or piece of sandpaper. 

If you prefer, you can stamp your dough before cutting out shapes with cookie cutters instead
of cutting and then stamping. I tried it both ways and the results were just about the same
with each method, and the method you use will mainly depend on what type of cookie cutter
you are using. If your cookie cutter is not open-topped, you will not be able to see the exact
placement of your cut on pre-inked dough.  You waste dough if you ink stamp and then cut 
because the scraps with ink are now tinted and no longer white. My advice is to use whatever
method works best for you!

I use generic store brand baking soda and corn starch. They work great!

Combine baking soda, cornstarch and water in a medium pot and stir 
over medium heat until all ingredients are dissolved.

Continue to stir over medium low heat until mixture thickens. 

It will turn from this liquid mixture (photo above)...

...to thick, sticky clay  (photo below)

Once thick, immediately remove from heat and transfer mixture 

into a mixing bowl. Be careful, mixture will be hot!

 Allow to cool and then knead until a soft dough forms

The consistency of they clay should be smooth and soft

Dust rolling pin and table or parchment paper with a little bit of cornstarch if needed.
Roll to 1/4" or thicker!

Choose your weapon

Place on parchment covered baking sheet

Keep the dough thick. If they are too thin they could crack or bend while baking.

Try stamping a design with an inked rubber stamp. But first...

Use a moist cotton swab to wipe away excess ink from the outer edge of your 

rubber stamp before stamping your clay. 

 Make a hole in each ornament so that you have a way to hang them!

A straw works well for larger sized ornaments. Use a toothpick for smaller ones. 

Ready to go into the oven! 

Make an impression with an uninked rubber stamp

Make imprints with common items to create unique designs

This is one of my favorite necklaces. It made a great stamp!

Peace sign impression made from my necklace pendant.

The finished, baked pieces:

What do you think?

Thanks for visiting! 

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Be sure to check out my next post:  Doily Imprint Clay Ornaments

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