Day 4, Handmade Christmas Ornament

Welcome to day 4 of the 12 blogs of Christmas!  One of our Christmas traditions is to get a new ornament for the tree every year.   Often we'll buy an ornament when we are on vacation.  I love to decorate the tree each December and recall the memories the each ornament represents.

Last year, we adopted our son from Rwanda.  What an amazing journey that was!  I do have a small basket from Rwanda that we hang on the tree to commemorate our trip to get him, and to celebrate his birth country.  However, I wanted an ornament that shows how Africa has been woven into the fabric of our family.  Out of the blue, I got inspiration to make my own ornament in the shape of Africa with the use of a cookie cutter.  (I found the cookie cutter on Copper Gifts.com)  I used two colors of Sculpey clay to show how even though we have different skin colors, we're still one family.  Rwanda has three official languages, one of which is French; so I used a rubber stamp (from Stampin Up!) with French script on it to add visual interest and texture to the ornament.  Finally, I placed a brad in the shape of a heart to represent Rwanda.  (I baked the ornament according to Sculpey clay's directions.) The finished product exceeded my expectations.  I've made four more since then as gifts, but this first one is my favorite.  Each one looks different since the clay molds together in unique shapes.

My original idea of an ornament that represents our family.  

You can use polymer clay to make all kinds of ornaments.  This would be a fun activity to do with grade school kids.  You only need a few items to make them: clay, cookie cutters, a rolling pin, a straw to make the hole at the top, ribbon, and some embellishments.  Give it a try!