Shabby Chic Scented Clay Hearts {DIY Christmas Ornaments}

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The Shabby Chic scented clay hearts are my Christmas revelation this year.

The weeks before Christmas can get quite crazy around here, handling a handmade shop during the holidays is not an easy thing. When juggling between wood scraps, paints and brushes, tons of emails, invoices and wrapping packages, Christmas decorating for our home sometimes tends to fall down on my priority list.

So I’m sure you understand my ”need” of keeping things simple when it comes to Christmas decorations and what I basically do is adjust, adapt (and sometime reinvent) my white home decor to this amazing time of year.  A simple white pitcher, a Shabby wooden board and some tree branches could make wonders when creating a special vignette for your home. But even though time is not always on my side, I do love adding personal touches here and there. And for today’s project, this is exactly what I did! :) I incorporated three of my favorites things – handmade, Shabby Chic and essential oils – and created some simple but amazing ornaments for Christmas.

I give you the Shabby Chic scented clay hearts! :)

I cannot tell you how much I love them, I feel like I somehow unwrapped the essential of Christmas! :)

How to make Shabby Chic Scented Clay Hearts {DIY Christmas Ornaments}

I used air dry clay and a heart shaped cookie cutter to make the ornaments … and a toothpick to punch some holes.

After the clay dried completely, I applied one coat of red acrylic paint (you can also use milk paint or chalk paint) on the whole surface of the hearts (on the front). I let the paint dry.

Then I used some 180 grit sandpaper to gently distress the edges and some other areas of the clay hearts. This step will reveal once again the beauty of a handmade item, you will see that every single ornament that you will distress will rapidly turn into a one of a kind original piece. (This part can get really messy, so make sure you use a paper sheet underneath them or something that you can easily get rid of afterwards. And handle them with care, they might break when too much pressure is applied.)

And … TA DAAA … some truly unique handmade Shabby Chic red hearts, ready for Christmas decorating!

Then I added some white ribbon so I can easily hang my Shabby Chic little hearts. I even made some cute little bows and directly glue them on the hearts to mask the holes … and to make them prettier, if that was even possible! :)

(I discovered that the pretty little bows, beside the obvious aesthetic part, are also perfect for absorbing the essential oil drops that we are about to add next, so it’s a win – win – win situation)

And for the last and most exciting part, I added a few drops of essential oil. I only had my favorite lavender essential oil laying around, but I promised myself I would buy lots and lots of small magical essential oil bottles … some that would capture the very essence of Christmas!

You can use the Shabby Chic scented clay hearts to beautifully fragrance your Christmas tree and your home this year and you can even spice your Christmas presents by simply adding one (or two) of these beauties as tags. Or even transform them in unique gifts for someone special, wrapped in a lovely package with an essential oil bottle. Trust me on this, Christmas will never be the same! :)

Tips and tricks

Here are some tips and tricks that you might consider for an effective usage of the Shabby Chic scented clay hearts:

1. Keep your essential oil bottle close by or even integrate it in your Christmas vignette so you can refresh the little clay hearts when the fragrance starts to wear off.2. Don’t use any sealer after applying the red paint and after distressing the little hearts, the clay absorbs the essential oils better this way.

3. Leave the back of the clay hearts unpainted and apply the essential oils there, for a more intense flavor (optional).

4. Make sure the essential oils are completely soaked by the clay before hanging the hearts or they might drip and stain other objects or materials.

5. Be gentle, handle them with care and love them all Christmas long! :)

I’m so excited about my Shabby Chic scented clay hearts I even plan to also use them long after Christmas has gone! Maybe I will hang them on different pieces of furniture or flower bouquets, use them in my drawers and cabinets or maybe integrate them into a new scented vignette, with little angels and Shabby books, painted in many other different colors.  But that’s another story from Dreams Factory :)

So, what do you think about the Shabby Chic scented clay hearts ? Are you super excited, like I am, just thinking about all the amazing possibilities? :) Any more ideas of where or how to use these chic essential fragrances of Christmas?

Until next time, don’t forget to smile,

Diana

*This post contains affiliate links of products I love and recommend. See more of my favorites {HERE}.

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