Making Christmas - DIY Gingerbread Men Ornaments

One of my favorite things to collect at Christmas are gingerbread houses. I have all sorts all over our home, big ones that light up, gingerbread house music boxes, salt and pepper shakers...you name it. It's cool, I fully embrace my inner child at all times. I like it that way. So with my mixture of pretty vintage decor I have a ton of reindeer and gingerbread houses. I love it. Today I'm going to share a really easy and pretty stinkin' fun gingerbread men ornament tutorial with polymer clay. 

 Here's what you need:

Polymer Clay (oven bake clay found in your local craft store)
Gingerbread men cookie cutter (I used a pretty small one)
E-6000
Floral Wire
Clay tools (you can use household items too)

1.  Roll your clay into a ball, you'll need to fold it and stretch it until it's soft and pliable first.
2. Flatten your ball and roll it completely flat and even with a rolling pin or small clay tool roller.
3. Cut out your gingerbread men shape with your cookie cutter.

 4. Take small bits of white clay and roll it out on your plate till its thin like a piece of yarn.

 5. Cut small strips of your clay piece and place it on the feet of your gingerbread men, can be used on the arms and neck too. Do the same for the eyes and mouth using tiny pieces of clay.

 6. Decorate as you please. I made bow ties cut out from clay, aprons and the most cute thing were the little buttons I made by rolling out tiny little balls of clay, flattening them with my finger and poking tiny holes with toothpicks.

 7. Cut a 3-4 inch piece of floral wire and poke both ends into the top of your gingerbread men's head then remove the wire.
8. Bake all of your clay men at 260 degrees for 20-25 minutes or as your clay packages direct.
9. Once baked let them cool and use your E-6000 to glue your floral wire back into the holes you made at the tops of the gingerbread men ornaments. Let it dry as directed before hanging.

I think it would quite adorable to bake some gingerbread men cookies, package them up cute and top them off with a sweet ornament to give to your neighbors as a gift. I would be pretty stoked if that happened to me.

Just saying.

Hope you love this as much as I do. I love making playful type handmade goods at Christmastime.

Love,
   Erin