Every year I like to add some handmade elements to my Christmas decor. I love Wedgewood Jasperwood so I thought I could use the same look to create my own ornaments. This would be a very fun weekend project- especially while watching a movie. Here’s a tutorial to create DIY Wedgewood inspired ornaments if you would like to try this too!
View this post on Instagram
I wanted to include an inspiration image in case you didn’t know what Wedgewood Jasperwood looks like. Wedgewood makes their own ornaments, but they’re pretty expensive. So for now, I’ll go the DIY route!
how to make diy Wedgewood inspired ornaments
Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:
If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. It’d mean so much if you’d watch the video! I’m trying to get better at my video skills so I can grow my YouTube channel. If you have a few minutes to watch this and/or subscribe, I’d so appreciate it.
SUPPLIES
- Paperclay Modeling Clay (1 package makes 15-20 ornaments)
- Silcone Molds- Santa, Cameos, Carousel, Frames, Trees and Cams Silhouettes, Deer
- Wood Snowman Mold
- Acrylic Paint
- Corn Starch
- Clay Sculpting Tools
- Hot Glue Gun
- Trim Bundle
step 1- mix paint and clay
Start by mixing acrylic paint into the clay. This creates clay that is a solid color. Later, when dry the background won’t have to be painted, just the details. So this is a good trick! Mixing the paint into the clay is a bit of a pain because it’s messy- so make sure to wear some gloves.
To do this, break off 1/5 of the clay and squirt some paint in it. Knead the clay until it’s mixed to a uniform color. Keep adding paint until the clay is the color you want. Note, the clay will dry lighter than it is when wet.
If too much paint is added, the clay will get sticky and stringy. This will later stick to the molds so add corn starch to the clay while kneading the color in. This is like adding flour to cookie dough.
step 2- mold ornaments
Next, put the clay in a mold. Use a popsicle stick to push it down into the mold. I found some molds have super deep parts so I have to push my finger into those sections and then fill in more clay behind it. Press the clay to the edges of the mold and push on the back until the clay is an even thickness of 1/4-3/8″ thick.
Once the clay is pushed to the desired areas and smoothed on the back, pull the mold off. For some of the thicker molds, I had to tap them until the clay fell out. Just be careful to not tap the mold onto the clay ornament once it comes out. This will ruin it and you’ll have to start over (I know from experience).
If needed, cut the excess from the edges of the ornaments. For this, I like to use clay sculpting tools. Once trimmed, use your fingers to soften the edges.
If the clay is sticking too much to the mold, take the clay out and sprinkle corn starch into the mold. This will prevent sticking so the clay can be removed cleanly from the mold. If using a wood mold, make sure to use the corn starch.
When making the ornaments, if the first time doesn’t work with a mold, knead the clay and try again. It’s worth working with the clay and taking your time to get the look you want.
I’m doing 5 colors of clay with 3 ornaments per color. It was fun to use all of my favorite molds and then switch it up too. Some of the molds are tiny on their own, so I’m also using frames to hold the smaller pieces which will make a bigger ornament with more details. Perfect for that Wedgewood look!
Lay the ornaments on a wire rack to dry. It took a weekend for mine to dry, but it was extra cold in the room I was storing them in. When putting the ornaments on the rack, make sure they’re laying flat. If they curl up on the edges or are rounded at all, they don’t look as nice as ornaments.
step 3- paint details
And now, use a small artist’s brush to paint the raised designs with white acrylic craft paint. The ornaments will need two coats of the white paint to get an opaque look.
For one ornament, I tested out using plain clay that hadn’t been mixed with paint. For that one, I first painted the background yellow. Then, I painted the relief design white. This worked pretty good. I do prefer to knead the color into the clay. Why? The colors get muted (which looks more like Wedgewood). & adding in the color with paint didn’t look as uniform as the alternative.
Let the white paint dry.
step 4- add ribbon
Finally, it’s all down to the finish work. Start by using hot glue to attach the two pieced ornaments together. Some of the cameos are tiny so adding a frame behind them makes them bigger and adds more detail for that Wedgewood look.
For the thick ornaments, I used some ribbon to cover the edges and give the ornaments more details. Adhere that with a hot glue gun. I ended up putting trim on the edges of all the ornaments except the frame ones with jagged detailed edges.
Cut a 1-1/2″ length of ribbon. Loop the ribbon and attach it to the top back of the ornament with a hot glue gun. This is how the ornament will hang from the tree.
For the ribbon and trim, I’m using pieces from this Trim Bundle.
after
I was pleasantly surprised with how these turned out! They’re so sweet- especially in the rainbow of colors!
It was fun to play with the different molds to find ways to make different ornaments that look like Wedgewood.
For one pink ornament, I took three small ovals and put them on a thicker ribbon. This was my attempt at using the small pieces without putting them on a frame. It’s different, but I think it looks cute!
I put all the DIY Wedgewood inspired ornaments on a table top Christmas tree I have in my bedroom. I think they look so pretty!
price breakdown
For this project I spent money on molds and clay. Here’s the breakdown of how much the ornaments cost me to make-
First off, 1 package of Paperclay Modeling Clay cost $15. The silicone molds came to $60. The Santa cost $10, Cameos $10, Carousel $9, Frames $12, Trees and Cams Silhouettes $10, Deer $9. Last, the Wood Snowman Mold was a splurge at $30.
The total that I spent on these is $105. Which is insane! Those molds added up really quick! I probably shouldn’t have gotten the wood mold, but I found a Martha Stewart article where she made them and used the same mold and really wanted to try it- lol. I’ll have to make cookies with the wood mold (its intended purpose).
In conclusion, this is a fun holiday craft that could be made in a weekend. These could make really cute gifts too! Maybe put one on the outside of a gift? What do you think of these DIY Wedgewood Inspired ornaments? Let me know if you have any questions in the comments on making this!
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
If you love it, pin it!