Clothespin Ornaments

I recently purchased an ornament for my mom at a local shop. After bringing it home, I realized, "Hey, the girls & I could make these!" Ours are much more juvenile, but the concept is the same: a clothespin base.

These were soooo fun to make! All you need are clay & clothespins. I bought two different sizes of 'pins at JoAnne's: a regular size & a smaller 1 1/2" size. I also gathered up whatever tool-ish things I could find to help us in our clay molding efforts.

Wreath by Zoey (age 8)

(A word about clay: The girls & I have clay around to play with on occasion. I am not a clay expert. It is not my medium of speciality. I purchased this giant package of Sculpey III clay because it was on sale or I had a coupon or something. But, it's horrible to work with. Surprisingly my 6 year old was steadfast. But my 8 year old had many fits. Basically, it's really hard to work into a smooth consistency & it is very crumbly. Crumbs everywhere. Takes so long to knead into something you can work with. Although, because of its firmness, I do like the way it holds its shape when you are putting your pieces together. We've had other brands of clay that seem to work better for us. This is just my opinion & I'd love any tips or advice from clay experts out there!)

Snowman by Pazely (age 6)

Here is the cup of hot cocoa that Zoey made.

She inspired mine.

After creating our miniature pieces, we baked 'em in the oven, following the instructions. (About 15-25 minutes depending on the thickness.) While the pieces were baking, we decided to paint our clothespins. They can also be stained. Or left plain.

Once the clay pieces have cooled down, glue to clothespins with E6000.

Pazely's ornaments are pink & purple. She made a tree, a candy cane, a s'more with red graham crackers (to make it more holiday-ish--hee hee), a snowman, a melted ice cream & 2 cookies. Zoey made a cup of cocoa, a ball ornament, a tiny gift & a wreath.

Clip 'em on your tree or on a gift!

♥