Gingerbread Muffin Tin Ornament
I love a good Christmas craft on a budget, so this Dollar Tree gingerbread ornament was right up my alley. With one unexpected craft supply, you can make this adorable gingerbread muffin tin ornament in a flash. There are countless ways to customize your muffin tin, making this a great project for a group of friends.
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When I saw these gingerbread ornaments popping up all over Pinterest, I couldn’t help but try my hand at it. There’s something so sweet about a mini gingerbread man on top of a mini muffin tin.
This Christmas ornament would be perfect for a gingerbread-themed Christmas tree or DIY wreath. Much like decorating Christmas cookies, you can add any details or embellishments you like for this project.
Be sure to check out my cardboard gingerbread houses if you’re going for a complete gingerbread Christmas theme!
Supplies
- Plastic paint trays
- Sandpaper (recommended)
- Silver and gold metallic paint*
- Brown paint (for texture)
- Gingerbread man wood cutouts or figurines
- Polymer clay and cookie cutters (optional)
- Faux peppermints
- Accessories: Greenery, Ribbon, etc.
*You can also mix white and black paint for a silver/grey color.
Step 1: Sand and paint the paint tray
Start by sanding the surface of the paint tray. This will help the paint adhere to the plastic and prevent peeling. (It was strange to use a paint tray to hold the paint as I painted the other tray. Very meta.)
Next, add 1-2 coats of silver paint. I blended black and white paint for this step, but this silver metallic paint would work well if you can get it.
Step 2: Add texture with darker paint
Adding a few gold/brown flecks of paint gives the muffin tin a more realistic appearance. I like using a sponge to pick up a small amount of paint to dab around the edges.
If you love a primitive or vintage vibe, you won’t want to skip this step, but feel free to opt out if you’re short on time or crafting with kids.
Step 3: Paint or sculpt a gingerbread man
I had a stockpile of polymer clay that was begging to be used, so I sculpted my mini gingerbread man. I also used a clay gingerbread man for my Starbucks coffee cup ornaments.
This involved cutting out the shape with a mini cookie cutter and then rolling small balls or strands of clay for the face, buttons, and frosting.
If this sounds too involved, check out the wood cutouts or gingerbread figurines I linked in the supplies section.
If you choose to paint wooden gingerbread men, I highly recommend these paint pens for fine details.
Step 4: Assemble the gingerbread ornament
In this final step, you can hot glue the peppermints, greenery, frosted berries, and ribbon to the muffin pan.
Although the peppermints may seem out of place for a muffin pan, I think they add a cute pop of color.
To hang my ornament, I painted a piece of floral wire brown to give the appearance of a rusted wire and twisted the center around a pencil. Then I hot-glued it to the back of the ornament, tucking the ends beneath the ribbon.
I hope you enjoy making your own muffin tins this holiday season! Be sure to pin this post for later (see below), and tag me on Instagram (@firstdayofhome) if you make this project. I’d love to see what you come up with!
Pin it for later!
Crissy… this is so adorable! Love the way to rusted the “muffin tin”. It’s all so cute! Thanks for sharing your cleverness with this tutorial! Pinned!
Thanks so much, Julie! It was a fun little project I’ve been wanting to make for a while. I forgot how fun it is to sculpt with polymer clay!