HOMEMADE SNOWFLAKES

These delicate, porcelain-like snowflakes fill my Christmas tree this year...

At first I made them out of necessity... I went in a new direction for our tree this years and wanted a blizzard of snowflakes!

Buying a tree-full of store bought snowflakes was out of the question... way too expensive. So I decided to make them.

Once I got started...necessity became fun and fun became joy! These were surprisingly easy to make and I think they turned out better than anything I could buy...

I'll show you how...

I even made 3-D snowflakes!

STONEGABLE HOMEMADE SNOWFLAKES

*white SCULPTY CLAY (I used 5 packs for about 40 snowflakes)

snowflake cookie cutters (mine were a set of 5)

small sharp knife

something to make a whole at the top of the snowflake ( I used a round icing tip)

sheet pans

parchment paper

rolling pin

Liquid Pearls

glitter

hot glue

* If you look at my snowflakes I added one pack soft iridescent white to 4 packs of plain white. It gave some of my snowflakes a soft marbled look. I really like this look and would encourage you to try it.

Kneed the Sculpty clay until pliable.

Roll it out into a thin (about 1/16 to 1/8) disk.

Cut out the snowflakes.

To make the cut out center, pick a smaller snowflake cookie cutter and cut out the center of a large snowflake.

To make 3-D snowflakes, cut out two snowflakes the same size. Cut out a large rectangle 2/3 of the way up the center of each snowflake with a knife. The notch must be big enough for the other snowflake to slide easily into it. Better if you make it too big than too small.  Put a whole in the top of 1 of the snowflakes.

 Put them on the parchment lined baking sheet. Put wholes in the top of the snowflakes to hang.

Bake in the oven at 275 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool complete before moving off the baking sheet.

When the snowflakes are cool, decorate them on both sides... make sure the first side is completely dry before decorating the back side.

I used Liquid Pears in "white opal" to make the pattern and sprinkled it with Martha Stewart "crystal fine glitter".

To make the 3-D snowflakes, slip the notched end of two snowlfakes into each other and gently push together. Hot glue them in place.

I used clear fishing line to hang the ornaments in the tree.

Look for my Christmas Tree post next week!

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