FIMO® kids Christmas decorations

Whether stars, moons, hearts, fawns or sausage dogs, these Christmas ornaments are quick and easy to make using the child-friendly tools from the FIMO® kids work&play sets and ordinary pastry cutters. Children have fun while learning how to add a decorative touch to surfaces at the same – a marbled look, for example, or different embossed patterns. The finished, hand-crafted hangers are then used to adorn Christmas trees or presents.

Instructions:

1 To make one Christmas tree hanger, place one pack of FIMO® kids modelling clay in the colour of your choice onto a sheet of baking paper. Half a block of modelling clay is sufficient for smaller-sized shaped cutters. First flatten the extra-soft modelling clay with your hand, and then use the roller from the FIMO® kids work&play tool set (8700 31) to roll it out to
an approx. 2 mm thick sheet.

2 Next, press the chosen shaped cutter all the way down into the sheet of FIMO® kids. Pull away any excess modelling clay from around the outside of the shaped cutter and then  remove the cutter. This leaves you with a pretty, uni-coloured motif. If you like, you can knead different FIMO® kids colours together to create your own unique shades, e.g. you can mix glitter white with pink to create glitter pink. Vary the amount of the second colour you add according to your taste. The pink for this fawn was created by blending half a block of glitter white with a quarter of a block of pink. Knead both portions together until the two colours have
blended to create a new shade.

3 It's also fun to create Christmas decorations with a marble effect: To do so, knead at least two different FIMO® kids colours together, e.g. these moons were made by blending half a block of glitter gold with half a block of yellow and half a block of glitter gold with half a block of orange. Knead until you are left with the desired marble finish. Then roll the modelling clay out to a sheet as described in steps 1 and 2 above and cut the motif out.

4 For a Christmas tree hanger with a striped pattern, roll either a whole or half block of FIMO® kids modelling clay out to a sheet on a piece of baking paper, e.g. a light green-coloured sheet for a Christmas tree motif. Then roll out more sheets in the colours you want the stripes to be in. Cut all sides of the sheets straight using the cutting tool from the FIMO®
kids work&play tool set (8700 31) and then cut into strips. Place these strips on the original sheet. Then go over the surface with the roller until the stripes are completely smooth. The motif can now be cut out.

5 Star patterns are particularly pretty at Christmas time and are easy to create with a motif roller. To do so, select the removable ‚Stars' motif roller from the FIMO® kids work&play motif roller ‚Stars and Flowers' (8700 35) and attach it to the handle. Moisten the drum with a little water and use it to roll lengthwise or crosswise over a sheet of FIMO® kids; cut the motif out. Always work on baking paper.

6 If you'd prefer to give your Christmas decorations a nice polka-dot design, shape tiny balls out of FIMO® kids modelling clay. Position the balls on a sheet of rolled-out FIMO® kids and use your finger to press them flat. Go over them once with the roller to make the surface completely smooth. Then cut the motif out.

7 Use a wooden stick to make a hole in the top of the FIMO® kids Christmas tree hanger. Then leave the hanger on the sheet of baking paper and harden in the oven for approx. 30 min at 110°C. Allow to cool, remove the baking paper and varnish the hanger. Once the varnish has dried, thread a piece of ribbon through the hole in the top and hang on your Christmas tree.

Tip: Christmas gift tags
These lovely hand-made FIMO® kids modelling clay hangers also look fabulous on Christmas presents. Whether heart, star, sausage dog or Christmas tree – they make gifts look twice as nice.

Production: creativetoday/C. Rückel, Photos: Photodesign Michael Löffler

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