DIY Christmas tree toys. Materials and tools

• white (you can take a white translucent or waxy shade);
• Liquid polymer clay (gel) Fimo, Sculpey or any other analogue;
• Acrylic rolling pin or pasta machine;
• White glitter, or any dry shimmering shadows;
• Blade or stationery knife;
• Needle or toothpick;
• Satin ribbon;
• Two brushes: one for liquid plastic, the second for glitter;
• Paper, pen and scissors;
• Varnish for plastic.

Snowflake made of polymer clay. Master Class

2. Knead the white plastic until maximum elasticity and roll out on the widest setting of a pasta machine or using an acrylic rolling pin. Place a model of a snowflake on the surface of the clay layer and roll it with a rolling pin so that during the cutting process it holds tightly and does not mix with the surface of the layer.

3. And now the longest and most labor-intensive process in this lesson is cutting out a snowflake from plastic. Using a thin blade or scalpel, clearly cut out all the outlines of the snowflake along the contours of the paper sketch. Try not to move the paper picture when cutting - if it is inconvenient to cut, do not unfold the snowflake, but twist the working surface itself, otherwise the paper sketch will move and it will be difficult to cut out a perfectly straight one.

4. Remove the paper sketch from the surface of the clay and use a scalpel to cut out a hexagonal shape in the center of the snowflake. Inspect the polymer clay snowflake for small uncut parts and get rid of them.

5. To ensure that the glitter stays firmly on the surface of the future snowflake and does not fall off, generously lubricate the surface of the snowflake with liquid gel.

6. Let's start decorating DIY Christmas tree decorations. Using a brush, apply glitter or shimmering dry shadows of a white shade onto the surface of the snowflake coated with liquid plastic. Place the product in the oven for firing.

7. After firing, turn the snowflake over and again coat the other side with liquid gel and apply glitter or sparkles. Place the snowflake in the oven for the second baking.

8. Coat the product with varnish on water based, let it dry and thread a satin ribbon into the central hole of the snowflake, tying the ends of the ribbon together with a knot. Your DIY Christmas tree toy is ready!

It can also be an excellent Christmas tree toy. We told you how to make it in the last master class.

If you liked our site, express your “thank you” by clicking on the buttons below. Tell your friends. Thank you:)

The New Year and Christmas holidays are approaching us every day. “Krestik” has already begun preparations for this magical fairy-tale time and showed you, dear needlewomen, what gifts and New Year’s decorations you can make with your own hands. We have also made a colossal selection of the best master classes on creating the symbol of 2017 - the Rooster. In addition, we invite you to make New Year's crafts from polymer clay. And we will make a New Year's boot and a pocket, which we will fill with festive little things.

We are sure that polymer clay crafts for the New Year will be a wonderful gift or decoration for your interior! So let's get started quickly! You will need:

• Cold porcelain or plastic for creating flowers
• Paint the colors you like
• Pastel and brushes to apply it
• Scissors with sharp tips
• Floral ribbon (optional)
• Stack for plastics
• A rolling pin or any object that can be used to roll out the material
• Utility knife or blade
• Magnet
• Glue (PVA, white latex, universal “Moment” or superglue
• Wire
• Paper and pencil for templates

Sock

Draw and cut out the shape of a sock from paper.

Mix some blue into the plastic.

Roll out with a rolling pin, apply the template and cut out.

To add texture to the sock, take any fabric, place it on top and roll it with a rolling pin - the pattern of the fabric will remain on the clay. You can also experiment with lace or any textured or patterned surfaces.

If you are working with cold porcelain or self-hardening clay, it is important to add texture quickly, without delaying: then the top layer will set and become elastic.

We mix plastic of a lighter tone than our sock (you can just add white).

Roll out a small piece.

We cut out a strip for the elastic band of the upper part of the sock, apply it, cut it to the required length and glue it (round the sides).

Roll out the light clay again, cut out a semicircle and place the heels in place; cut off the excess and glue it on.

We do the same with the “nose” (place for fingers).

On the toe and heel, using a stack or a piece of wire, we make indentations imitating threads.

We pierce holes on top of the elastic with a stack - like a machine stitch.

We leave it to dry, placing a small object in the sock to create an indentation.

Pocket

We do the same thing with our future denim pocket, we only change the shape.

We make a dotted line with wire, like threads on a real denim pocket.

We take pastels of white and blue colors, plan the crumbs (more white than blue).

Use a brush to tint the pocket, making “scuffs”.

Brick wall

We make a brick wall on which the Christmas stocking will hang: we paint the porcelain brown, roll it out and cut out a rectangle.

Using a knife or a stack, not too deep, so as not to tear, we make longitudinal strips.

In the same way, we complete the brick drawing with vertical hollows between the lines.

We tint with white and brown pastels.

Holly sprigs

To make dark green holly leaves, take grass and dark green paint and mix it into porcelain.

Make a holly leaf template, roll out the porcelain and cut out the leaf.

Using mold or wire we make veins.

We glue a piece of wire into the middle of the sheet and make a rod. We will need several such leaves.

Now we make the holly berries. Roll out small peas of red plastic. We make a loop on the wire, dip it in glue and plant the berry. Using the wide end of the stack, make a depression in the center of the berry and drop dark brown or black paint into it.

For this, it is better to use acrylic or watercolor, since oil takes a long time to dry.

We make buds: we roll up small pieces of plastic into droplets and string them on a wire.

Using scissors, we make criss-cross hollows. You can make a lot of such buds and berries different color and size.

For added beauty, add small hydrangea flowers. We place a very small piece of clay on the wire with glue.

We pinch off 4 more identical pieces, roll them into droplets and roll them out into the shape of sharp petals.

Glue them one by one to the base, forming a flower.

Cones will look very beautiful in a bouquet.

To make them, we place a plastic ball on a wire coated with glue.

Using the tips of the scissors, make small cuts in a row in a circle.

Completely cover the ball with “needles”.

Cones of different colors and sizes will look especially impressive.

Candy and gift

For the “candy”, roll out a white sausage, trim right size and bend one end.

Paint the dried and hardened workpiece with a thin brush with red acrylic paint.

It is important to choose a smooth brush, without protruding hairs, otherwise you won’t get neat lines.

We paint with a spiral twisted line along the entire length. Let's dry it.

MASTER CLASS ON THE TOPIC

Instead of (or together with) candies, you can also make delicious colorful donuts! Watch a master class on sculpting fruit donut beads

We mold the “gift” in the shape of a small cube and cut it diagonally with a knife.

Roll out a ribbon of a different color thinly, flatten it with your finger and glue it onto the walls of the gift.

We will need:
- polymer clay (white, orange, blue (you can take other colors, but of course it’s better to leave the snowman white);
- stacks for polymer clay;
- regular table salt;
- connecting ring;
- black marker or pen;
- two black beads.

Step 1

So, first it is better to prepare all the small details of the future snowman, namely: the carrot nose and buttons. You can additionally make snowmen a scarf, hat or something else. If you have baked clay, then immediately bake these small elements according to the instructions. If it’s self-hardening, just wait until the elements become hard.

Step 2

Now let's start working with white plastic. Quantity is at your discretion. If you are making a Christmas tree toy or keychain, then it should not be particularly large. And if, for example, you want to make cute ones with snowmen, then you will need to take much less clay. Make a snowman's body (the largest ball), a round head (a medium-sized ball) and two smallest balls (future arms) from white clay. You can make a snowman from three or even four parts, but this way it will look more neat.

Step 3

Next, pour regular table salt onto a saucer and roll all the white elements of the snowman in it - this will give the craft a “snowy” effect. You need to roll several times, but do not shake off excess salt. But if you wish, you can skip this step, leaving the snowman completely smooth.

Step 4

If you have baked clay, do not rush to put the figurine in the oven. Start connecting all the elements at once: first the head with the body. The clay has a fairly sticky texture, so there is no need for glue here - everything adheres well, although for reliability it is better to put small elements on glue. The photo cannot show the entire texture of the snowman: it turned out to be quite porous, reminiscent of real snow.

Step 5

Don't forget about the snowman's arms. By the way, it’s better to immediately insert the ring into the snowman’s head while the figurine is raw, otherwise you’ll have to drill a hole for it later, there is a risk of damaging the figurine, but you don’t want that? But if you forgot about it, then take the thinnest drill for such work and act extremely carefully!

Step 6

For the snowman's eyes, I took two black beads, but you can simply draw them with a marker. And in general, here you can take beads and other materials at your discretion. Even though you have already baked the nose or waited until it dries, it will attach perfectly to the raw figurine. And during the baking process everything will set even better. Well, if your clay hardens, then you will just need to wait for the figure to dry completely.

Step 7

Don't forget the snowman's buttons. It is better to glue them with glue, as they can “slip” off the round belly of the figure. The dot holes are also completed with a marker (in the case of baking, after the figure is completely ready).

Step 8

Something is missing: be sure to add a smile to the snowman so that he brings only joy to your home, charging everyone with positive energy! By the way, if something falls off during the process, don’t be afraid and don’t rush to get upset, just glue everything back into place! So, after this, you can safely bake the toy (in this case, paint on a smile after baking) or wait for it to dry.

Step 9

As a hanger, you can take a satin ribbon that matches the color of the craft itself. Thread it into a ring and tie it with a bow - it's that simple! Although you can make a pendant from threads or any beautiful chain.

Ready-made Christmas tree toy “Snowman” made of polymer clay

Now the toy is ready, which you can safely hang on the Christmas tree. This snowman really stands out against the backdrop of this spiky green beauty! And so that the snowman doesn’t get bored, involve all household members in the creativity and create a real family for the snowman! The process of sculpting snowmen on the Christmas tree will captivate both adults and children! By the way, after the New Year, you don’t have to put the craft away along with other toys until next year: just remove the ribbon and attach the appropriate accessories to the ring - you’ll get a cute keychain! This way, even in spring or summer, you will be filled with the fabulous mood of winter every time you use the keys. I wish you a fabulous and snowy mood and creative success!

While the male half of our team was carefully choosing the green beauty that would decorate our editorial office, the girls were wondering how to express themselves in decorating the Christmas tree and making its decoration different from every year. Inspired by a trip to a Christmas tree factory, we decided that we should definitely try to make toys with our own hands. Unfortunately, there were no underground glassblowers among us, and we began to invent alternative options. There are quite a few of them, and we will tell you about each in detail.

I took clay toys into my area of ​​responsibility. Polymer clay is very popular among craftsmen: it is easy to handle, like plasticine, and hard after drying, like ceramics.

Still, it was scary to master a new craft on your own. I remembered how I saw Irina Agladze’s wonderful jewelry crafts on the Internet: cute felted animals, charismatic cats and jewelry in the form of food, worthy of living in a roombox.

In general, I plucked up courage and asked to visit in order to learn from the experience. Irina answered me with the most cordial invitation and even promised to invite her friend-craftswoman Evgenia Shatko, so that we would have more sculpting hands and imaginative heads. Zhenya has her own language school, where Ira teaches along with her. As if the main characters of “Fathers and Sons”, the girls were divided into peculiar Slavs and Westerners-Anglophiles: Ira teaches English, and Zhenya teaches Serbian and Slovenian languages. And in his free time from lessons, Ira introduces Zhenya to needlework in its most varied forms.

Needless to say, I went to see the girls in anticipation of magic. But what awaited me in the rented apartment of Ira and her boyfriend turned out to be more wonderful than all my imagination. Firstly, before sculpting, Ira and Zhenya gave me cocoa and “Flight” cake (in my opinion, I have never lived such a sweet life). And secondly, at every step I came across some incredibly sweet and beautiful Irina handmade.

Waiting for me in the bathroom was a decoupage set with roses so realistic that I thought I could even smell them.

But Irina’s favorite person, Denis, began to decoupage the table in the room.

The panels on the kitchen wall are made using the same technique and are combined with delicate curtains and soft cushions for the bench. Ira confirmed my guesses that the curtains and pillows are also the fruits of her creativity, saying that in their family they do everything that can be done with their own hands, and that, in fact, she is not a big fan of the Provence style, but when she saw It was this magnificent jacquard, also sold at a big discount, that decided that the fate of the kitchen was determined in its direction. To each of my enthusiastic exclamations about her skill, Ira modestly answered: “Yes, it’s very simple!”

Seeing my interest in decoupage crafts, the girls suggested the first clay toy do it using this technique. And it turned out to be really very simple. We rolled out plastic from brown clay, cut out a violin from a napkin with a pattern on musical theme, removed all the extra layers of the napkin, and glued the violin face down to our clay, which was then cut along the contour. To translate the picture, we used perfume, but if available, alcohol or any strong alcohol would do. We decided not to cover our violin with craquelure, let it be like new, without cracks. We inserted a hook for a thread - and our toy is ready to be burned!

I asked Ira to show me a few more methods that were just as easy to implement and that anyone could repeat. Ira thought and said that now we will make a set of patterned toys - a good option for those who like to decorate the Christmas tree in a monotonous manner. Zhenya and I received tasks to roll clay laces, wrap them in plastic, or combine them in a symmetrical way with other laces. I didn’t understand why we were doing this until they began to fold into something pretty when cut.

Ira revealed to us the secret of the “milfiore” (“many flowers”) technique, which is used by Venetian glassblowers. It is by the same principle that they create their intricate, bright and graceful flowers.

Then we cut the resulting blocks into thin squares and circles, and from them we laid out an excellent bright canvas, which was even a pity to cut into toys.

Christmas tree toys made of polymer clay

Zhenya drew stencils of Christmas trees, mittens and Christmas socks on paper, according to which we cut out toys from the canvas using a paper knife.

Using the same stencils, Ira suggested cutting “knitted” toys as well. I sculpted clay yarn, and Zhenya immediately wove it into two-color braids, which are then glued together and form a relief fabric.

It took us less than an hour to produce two sets. And from the remains of white and red sausages, in a few seconds we made delicious lollipops.

Templates also helped us in making the following toys. You don’t need to be a sculptor and you don’t even need to have a good eye to sculpt round animals that look like cartoon Smeshariki. To make even circles, we used an ordinary glass (it looked like we were making dumplings), and we used it to roll out clay like dough, from which we then cut out the parts.

Ira decorated the owls with playful eyebrows. She took small clay balls and pressed them with a needle, and she got very naturalistic feathers!

Five minutes later, Ira, like a magician, was already giving me a red poppy! I asked how she managed to make a fluffy center with stamens so quickly, and the answer was again “very easy”, using nail scissors!

By the way, you can also make a Christmas tree with them.

Over the next ten minutes, the girls made several more New Year's friends in front of my admiring eyes, and we laid out all our art on a baking sheet. “Sonnet” clay, which Ira prefers for its plasticity, brightness and favorable cost, requires firing from three to ten minutes.

In general, after five minutes I was already the happy owner of a whole pile of Christmas tree joys and even one pair of owl earrings for my young niece!

The girls put the new things for our Christmas tree in a box, also decoupaged by Ira herself.

Ira invited me to come again, now for felting lessons, and to look at her group master classes on felting, soap making, modeling and other creativity, which she regularly reports on in her

Which New Year can't do without gifts and pleasant surprises? You can, of course, go to the store for them, or you can try to make them interesting souvenirs with your own hands. It’s not difficult to make New Year’s crafts from polymer clay, and for those who have at least once encountered modeling, even from plasticine, it won’t be too difficult. All family members can take part in the work: from the smallest to the elderly, and our master class on how to make New Year's crafts from polymer clay step by step will help you with this.

To work, you will need polymer clay in the following colors: white, black, orange, blue, pink and lilac. And also powder for giving pink cheeks to snowmen.

After this, all that remains is to attach the heads on top and bake the figures in the oven. To do this, you need to preheat the oven to approximately 110-130 degrees (according to the instructions for the polymer clay) and bake the crafts for 8-15 minutes. After the snowmen removed from the oven have cooled, they must be opened with varnish and allowed to dry.

To summarize, I would like to say that New Year’s crafts made from polymer clay, if any step-by-step master class or instructions, very easy to do. The most important thing in this matter is good mood and a little patience. Create together with your children, and perhaps with your parents, and these wonderful New Year's toys made from polymer clay will delight you for years to come.