These scented Christmas ornaments are made with natural terracotta clay. They are beautiful, elegant, and keep my home smelling fresh this Christmas season.
Christmas seems to bring out the “crafty” in us all! From Christmas cards to DIY decorations, there is no shortage of crafting this season.
Making Simple Scented Christmas Ornaments
One of my favorite crafts this year is my DIY Scented Christmas Ornaments. Made with natural terracotta clay, they are beautiful, elegant, and the perfect way to keep my home smelling fresh this Christmas.
There are a variety of shapes you can make these disks into, so the possibilities are endless. Customize them to your own unique decor this season or make them for beautiful DIY gifts.
My favorite way of making these DIY, clay, scented Christmas ornaments is by using my son’s handprints. They are ages three and one, so having their little handprints on my tree is very precious. I know each year those hands will grow bigger and I cherish all of our little handprint crafts.
However, there are certainly many ways to make these scented Christmas ornaments. Break out the cookie cutters or your favorite silicone mold. Terracotta clay is very easy to manipulate into any shape you choose. You’ll want to make sure to leave some ridges to capture essential oils. When using cookie cutters, you can simply press a pattern or shape into the front of your ornament. Also, don’t forget to use a straw to make a hole so you can attach a string or ribbon.
When packing away these lovely ornaments, be sure to wrap and cushion them well. Over time clay can get quite brittle, so be careful! Store them in a safe place and you will enjoy them for years to come.
We love to put one or two of these ornaments in each bedroom to keep things smelling fresh. In addition, they are a very inexpensive way to decorate for the holidays.
Scented Christmas Ornaments
Supplies
- natural terracotta clay (I used the air-drying kind)
- cookie cutters, silicone molds, or your child’s hand (Handprints make great ridges for essential oils to stick to!)
- drinking straw
- drying rack
- essential oils (find 100% pure essential oils here)
Process
- Roll out clay or press into cookie cutters/silicone molds.
- Gently remove and lay on a flat surface.
- Using a drinking straw, poke a hole at the top of the ornament.
- Place on a drying rack according to clay’s directions.
- Once fully dry, tie a ribbon through the hole.
- Hang on Christmas tree, doorknobs, or use as decorations.
To add essential oils
- Choose a favorite essential oil or blend for your scented Christmas ornaments (see suggested blends below).
- Add 1-2 drops directly on the clay ornament.
- Refresh daily or as needed.
Tip: you may also want to try these cinnamon applesauce ornaments.
Suggested Essential Oil Blends
Blend all essential oils together in a small amber bottle. Use 1-2 drops on clay ornaments.
Note on using essential oils: not all essential oils are suitable for children, pets, or even all persons. Always research the safety of essential oils before using them. If you are looking for a good resource on essential oil safety, I highly recommend Essential Oil Safety 2nd ed. (2014) by Tisserand and Young.
Christmas Tree Blend
- 5 drops cinnamon leaf essential oil
- 10 drops juniper berry essential oil
- 10 drops fir needle essential oil
- 5 drops cedarwood essential oil
(Note: This blend is not suitable for children due to cinnamon essential oil. Substitute spearmint essential oil for cinnamon leaf essential oil to make child-safe scented Christmas ornaments.)
Vanilla Mint Blend
- 20 drops of spearmint essential oil
- 20 drops Peru Balsam essential oil
Spiced Orange Blend
- 25 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 5 drops clove essential oil
- 5 drops cinnamon essential oil
(Note: This blend is not suitable for children due to Cinnamon and Clove essential oils.)
Have you ever made scented Christmas ornaments? Tell us about your experience.
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