Making a Valentine's Window Ornament with Bread or Craft Clay

If you are a clay crafter, this craft is perfect for you. If not, then it might be time to get started. You can make some extremely attractive ornaments to give as a gift or display in your home.

You can use bread clay or oven bake craft clay for these. You can purchase the craft clay at a craft store. You will need a 50-gram package of pink and also one of white for a two-color twist heart and just a package of white for the single-color twist heart. If you are using bread clay, find the recipe here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/449143/bread_clay_flowers_a_beautiful_inexpensive.html

To create white bread clay, add white acrylic paint for the white clay and red and white for the pink. You can also use red food coloring.

Kneed the clay until it is smooth and easy to work. Remember in school when we made clay snakes? You are going to do the same with each color. For the two colored heart use a fourth of a package of each. Keep them separate of course. The strand will be about 17 inches in length when you are done. Try to make it as even in width all the way through as possible.

To make the two-colored heart lay the pink and the white next to each other making certain that the ends of the clay match. Pinch the ends together and begin to twist the two together in a candy cane fashion.

Lay the dough onto a nonstick surface. If you use the baking clay, this would be a cookie sheet. Form the clay into a heart shape and then pinch both ends together at the top V of the heart. You will need to flatten the end (You will be gluing decorations here later and need a tab to hold netting that holds them.) Also make certain that the clay making the upper V in the heart is long enough to make two holes in a vertical line one inch from each other.

Use a toothpick to make holes in the V as noted above. One will be used to hang a crystal heart and the other to hold the thread to hang the ornament.

When you make the single color twist you need to make the clay snake from half a package of clay and roll it flat. It should be about an eighth of an inch thick when you are done. This next part is tricky, that's why I usually do the double. You will lift it and begin turning. The easiest way to do this is put the end on the cookie sheet and press it flat. Lift and twist as you form the heart on the tray. Make the holes as you did in the double twist.

Bake the ornaments according to the directions on the package. If they suggest that the temperature be about 265 degrees it usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes. If you are using bread clay, allow it to dry for at least a full day. It should be firm enough to lightly lift and check the back for dampness. If it is damp flip it over to finish drying. There is no such thing as over drying bread clay, so the longer the better.

You are ready to use the holes. Use monofilament thread to hang a crystal heart through the bottom hole. It should hang below the middle of the heart, about 3/4 down.. You will be adding other decoration and you want it to show.

Use a small piece of tulle (net) folded over as a base. Glue gun it onto the flat tab of the V, the net will cover the hole that you hung the heart from. Try to glue the tulle above the hole, just in case you ever have to replace the thread for the crystal heart. On top of the tulle center some dried asparagus fern and glue down. On top of the fern glue baby's breath and last, center a dried rose and glue it in place. You are ready to hang the ornament or give it as a gift.