DIY Christmas Tree Plates – A Handmade Christmas

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For the past twelve weeks, I have been challenging myself to create something new for my A Handmade Christmas series. Today I am sharing my Christmas Tree Plates.

These projects are always close to my heart as they’re a way to slow down, get creative, and fill our home with handmade charm. For the 11th craft in the series, I’m so excited to share these Christmas Tree Plates.

Three ceramic trays shaped like Christmas trees, two green and one beige, with textured patterns, are arranged on a light wooden surface surrounded by greenery and red berries.

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Four images show holiday-themed items: decorated cookies, vintage glass ornaments in a bowl, frosted cookies with tree designs, and a festive dining table setting with holiday decor.
Text logo reads: "MY 100 YEAR OLD HOME | A HANDMADE CHRISTMAS" in capitalized, gray letters on a white background.

Christmas Tree Plates – A Handmade Christmas

Three textured ceramic plates shaped like Christmas trees are arranged in a row on a light wooden surface; the two outer plates are green and the center plate is off-white.

My Christmas tree plates are whimsical, textured, and full of festive charm. They are a true celebration of everything I love about handmade holiday decor.

I used textured rollers with leaves and holiday designs, a simple clay-cutting technique, and a mix of paint and glaze to finish them off. The result is a collection of Christmas tree-shaped plates that look like something straight out of a boutique pottery shop … but they’re made right at home!

I’m thrilled that you can make these too!

If you’ve been following along since my Clay Gingerbread Plates project, you’ll recognize the technique. This time, though, I shaped the plates like Christmas trees and added texture using an embossed roller.

Three green glass bottles, a glass jar with green liquid, a green leafy plant in a pot, and a green ceramic dish shaped like a Christmas tree on a white wooden surface.

These are a lot of fun to make and perfect for displaying holiday treats or ornaments, or as part of your Christmas table setting. Let’s dive into how I made them!

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Why I Love This Project

A small frosted artificial pine tree, a green decorative dish, a gold candle holder, and a beige candle are arranged on a marble surface.

Every handmade project I create starts with a story. For this one, it was simple: I wanted something festive for my holiday table that felt unique, textured, and meaningful. I’ve made many plates before, including round, gingerbread house-shaped, and even heart-shaped ones, but never one shaped like a Christmas tree.

The idea came to me as I was organizing my craft supplies and found my holiday textured roller. It’s covered in the most charming designs — snowflakes, snowmen, ornaments, mittens, and gingerbread men. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to try it on clay shaped like a Christmas tree.

I love how the texture adds a playful, hand-pressed look — almost like an embossed cookie.

These plates are simple to make and so satisfying to decorate. The best part? Each one turns out slightly different, which is part of its charm.

A green, glass candle holder shaped like a Christmas tree is shown. The holder is displayed with one half as a lid and the other half containing a lit candle.
Fir Pine Scented Candle Mercury Glass Tree
Two artificial snowy Christmas trees with warm white lights stand side by side against a white background, perfect for creating a festive window art display.

2 Pack Prelit Tabletop Christmas Tree

A marble cutting board shaped like a Christmas tree with a small wooden spoon tied to the center with string.
Marble Tree Cheese/Cutting Board

What You’ll Need to Make the Clay Christmas Tree Plates

Two irregularly shaped, white ceramic plates are placed on a green surface with eucalyptus leaves in the background.

Supplies:


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A 10 lb (4.5 kg) package of Amaco Air Dry Clay with a red label, stating "Easy to Use" and "Made in USA.

Air Dry Modeling Clay

A wooden rolling pin with ornate floral engravings, perfect for imprinting matching decorative patterns on cookies or Air Dry Clay creations.

Embossed Wooden Rolling Pin

A package of DAS modeling clay, red and white with a photo of clay being rolled and shaped into a flower.

DAS Air-Hardening Modeling Clay

A set of clay sculpting tools including wooden and metal shaping tools, a round yellow sponge, and a wire clay cutter arranged on a white background.

8 Pieces Wooden Pottery Sculpting Clay

18 Assorted Acrylic Paint Colors, 2oz each

Paint Brushes

Mod Podge
Waterbase Sealer

Two rectangular silicone baking mats with black borders, branded "AmazonBasics," are stacked slightly offset against a white background.
Amazon Basics Silicone Rectangular Baking Mat, Non-Stick
A small, white bottle labeled "Clay Glaze" with a blue label indicating it's a gloss varnish. The label shows art-related icons and states the volume as 100ml/3.4oz.

Air Dry Clay Varnish

Box of 36 Arteza premium metallic acrylic paint tubes arranged in three trays, perfect for adding vibrant color to Air Dry Clay projects. The lively packaging is beautifully displayed on the box lid.

ARTEZA Metallic Acrylic Paint Set of 36 Colors

A plain wooden dowel rod with thicker ends and a smooth, light-colored surface, shown on a white background.
J.K. Adams Lovely Maple Wood Rolling Pin
A ream of Amazon Basics bright white cardstock, 8.5 x 11 inches, 250 sheets, 65 lb weight, with multilingual text on the packaging.
Amazon Basics Cardstock Paper

Download my Tree templates here.

Two blank, white, tree-shaped objects are placed on a light surface with green, leafy branches arranged above them.
Solid black silhouette of a symmetrical, abstract shape resembling a stylized tree or leaf with wavy edges.
6.5″ x 7″ template
A solid black silhouette of an irregular shape with a pointed top and wavy, uneven sides, centered on a white background.
8″ x 10″ template
Christmas Tree Template 6.5×7Download
Christmas Tree Template 8×10Download

Step 1: Roll Out Your Clay

A slab of clay is being flattened with a rolling pin, guided by two wooden slats on either side.

Start by rolling out your air-dry clay on a clean, non-stick surface (a silicone mat works perfectly).

You’ll want the clay to be about 3/8 inch thick, thin enough to dry evenly but thick enough to hold its shape once dry.

If you’ve never worked with air-dry clay before, here’s a tip: keep a small bowl of water nearby and dip your fingers in as you work. A little moisture helps smooth any cracks or rough edges.

Step 2: Add Texture

A rolling pin with a floral pattern embosses a sheet of clay, transferring the intricate design onto the surface.
A slab of clay with an intricate floral pattern embossed by a decorative rolling pin placed beside it.

Here’s where the fun begins! Gently roll your holiday-textured roller over the clay’s surface. Don’t press too hard as you want to imprint the design without thinning the clay.

This step is magical. As the roller moves, little festive patterns appear … snowflakes, presents, gingerbread men, snowmen, ornaments, and stars. Each plate becomes a joyful patchwork of holiday motifs.

You can experiment with how you roll the texture, trying different directions or mixing patterns to make each plate unique.

I used three different rollers to achieve various looks.

A box of 10 wooden texture rollers with unique patterns; a circle inset shows hands using one roller on clay.

Clay Texture Rollers

A wooden rolling pin with engraved floral patterns and two round cookies imprinted with the same decorative designs.
Embossed Wooden Rolling Pin
Eight wooden rolling pins are shown vertically, each engraved with a different repeating pattern including waves, leaves, stars, trees, circles, lines, moons, and snowflakes.
10Pcs Wooden Clay Texture Rollers

Step 3: Cut Out the Christmas Tree Shape

A hand uses a pottery tool to cut around a paper template on a slab of textured clay with a floral pattern.

Next, use your tree-shaped template to cut out your plate. You can make your own by drawing a tree outline on cardstock or tracing a cookie cutter.

You can also download my templates above. Cut them out of foam core or cardstock.

Lay the template on top of the textured clay and use a sharp craft knife to cut around it carefully. Peel away the excess clay and smooth the edges with your finger or a sponge dipped in water.

A hand holds a yellow sponge above a piece of clay with an ornate floral pattern embossed on its surface, resting on a sheet of brown paper.

This step instantly transforms your textured clay into something that feels festive and sculptural.

Step 4: Shape the Plate

Clay slab with an embossed leaf pattern rests on a round wooden board; a hand in a pink glove is visible on the right side of the image.

To create that lovely plate-like form, you’ll want to give your tree some gentle curves.

Using your fingers, carefully create a lip around the outside edge to shape it. This will help the plate dry with a soft curve, perfect for holding treats or ornaments later.

A clay piece shaped like a Christmas tree with intricate floral patterns is displayed on a round wooden board next to green leaves.
A piece of clay shaped like a Christmas tree with a leaf pattern texture, placed on a round beige surface with green foliage nearby.
A clay piece shaped like a Christmas tree with intricate floral and leaf patterns sits on a square slab; eucalyptus branches are visible in the background.

If you prefer an entirely flat plate, you can leave it to dry flat on your work surface.

Step 5: Let It Dry

Three clay trays shaped like Christmas trees with intricate leaf and floral patterns are displayed on a light wooden surface next to a branch with red berries.

Air-dry clay takes 24 to 48 hours to harden, depending on the thickness and humidity.

I like to check mine after about 12 hours and gently flip them to ensure even drying on both sides.

I also like to put it in the oven at 250 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, which makes it dry much faster.

Two pieces of raw clay shaped like irregular polygons with embossed leaf and floral patterns rest on a wire rack over a baking sheet.

Step 6: Seal with Mod Podge

A glossy ceramic slab with an embossed fern leaf pattern rests on a metal cooling rack.

Once your plate is completely dry, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge. This acts as a primer, helping the paint adhere less to the surface and making it look like real fired porcelain clay.

It also adds a slight sheen and seals the porous clay surface, making your paint colors more vibrant. Let it dry completely before moving to the next step.

Step 7: Paint the Plates

Two light green, tree-shaped cookies with intricate floral patterns are cooling on a black wire rack over a white textured surface.
A pastry brush applies a light green glaze to a heart-shaped baked item on a wire rack, with the word "matcha" visible on the surface.

This is where your creativity shines!

For my plates, I used a mix of white and green (to create the perfect sage green). These subtle, elegant tones complement my holiday color palette perfectly.

You can keep them neutral, or opt for a colorful palette with reds, greens, and silvers. The texture of the roller designs looks especially beautiful when lightly brushed with metallic or white paint to highlight the raised details.

A few painting tips:

  • Use a dry brush technique (apply just a little paint to your brush) to accentuate the embossed designs.
  • Blend two tones for depth, for instance, ivory and champagne gold.
  • For a rustic look, lightly sand the edges after painting.

Step 8: Add Clay Glaze

Three textured clay pieces shaped like Christmas trees are drying on a cooling rack next to a bottle labeled "Clay Glaze - Glossy Finish.

After the paint has dried, finish your plates with a coat of clay glaze or a clear varnish. This adds a beautiful shine and protects the surface.

I love how the glaze deepens the colors and gives the clay a smooth, finished look. It’s the final touch that makes these handmade plates look professional.

Let the glaze dry completely (usually 24 hours) before using or displaying your plates.

Step 9: Style and Enjoy!

Green glass jar, two green glass bottles, a green vase with leaves and berries, and a textured green ceramic dish displayed on a light surface.

Now comes the best part — styling your Christmas Tree Plates!

These plates are incredibly versatile. Although you can’t eat on them, you can:

  • Use them as part of your holiday table setting (they make the cutest decor plates on your table).
  • Display them on open shelving or a mantel.
  • Wrap them as handmade gifts for friends and family.
  • Use them as trays for ornaments, cookies, or candles.

Each plate tells its own story, and because they’re handmade, no two are exactly alike.

White plate with ornate gold patterns, featuring a central design of a decorated Christmas tree wrapped in a festive Christmas ribbon.

Spode Christmas Tree Gold Dinner Plate

Three decorative, house-shaped ornaments with leaf and berry patterns in red, blue, and green, arranged in order of increasing size from left to right.

Creative Co-Op Printed Paper Mache Houses

A glass candle decorated with green fir branches sits in front of a matching box labeled "Thymes Frasier Fir" with gold text and accents.
Thymes Frasier Fir Pine Needle Candle

A Few Tips for Success

Three ceramic plates shaped like Christmas trees, two green and one white, with textured patterns, are arranged on a light wooden surface next to festive berry and leaf decorations.
  • Avoid cracks: Keep your clay evenly rolled and let it dry slowly in a cool, dry area.
  • Clean edges: Smooth edges with a damp finger before drying to avoid rough sides.
  • Highlight texture: Use a contrasting paint color or metallic finish to make the embossed design stand out.
  • Experiment: Try different tree sizes or even other holiday shapes (like stars or gingerbread men).

Why Handmade Matters

A table setting with a woven placemat, red and white plates, a green tree-shaped plate, cutlery, a green glass, and a wine glass on a wooden surface.

Every week, when I make my A Handmade Christmas craft, I remind myself that the beauty of these projects lies in the imperfections.

These plates may not be perfect, and that’s precisely why I love them. Each tiny texture, brush stroke, and curve holds a bit of personality. They remind me of why I fell in love with creating in the first place, because handmade things carry warmth and meaning that store-bought items can’t replicate.

This year, as I look around our home, filled with little touches of handmade holiday decor, I’m reminded that crafting isn’t just about making something pretty. It’s about slowing down, finding joy in the process, and creating something that makes your home feel truly yours.

Final Thoughts

A living room with a white sofa, green and white cushions, potted white poinsettias, a decorated Christmas tree, and large windows letting in bright natural light.

My Clay Christmas Tree Plates combine everything I love: texture, creativity, and a hint of holiday magic.

Whether you’re new to air-dry clay or a seasoned maker, I hope this project inspires you to create something with your own hands this Christmas. It’s not about perfection, it’s about the joy of making.

So pour yourself a mug of hot cocoa, put on your favorite holiday playlist, and roll out some clay. You might find, like I did, that a few hours spent creating something beautiful is one of the best gifts of all.

A green ceramic dish shaped like a Christmas tree with a yellow star at the top, and a matching small dish with a wooden spoon.
Zhehao Christmas Spoon Rest with Wood Tablespoon
A ceramic plate shaped like a Christmas tree with a subtle tree pattern embossed in the center.
Creative Co-Op Stoneware Tree Shaped Plate 
Set of four ceramic plates shaped like Christmas trees, featuring various colors and festive designs, including green, pink, and white with "Merry Christmas" text.
Ceramic Christmas Tree Spoon Rest
A stack of four green ceramic plates shaped like Christmas trees, with the top plate standing upright and the rest stacked behind.
4 Pcs 5.91” Christmas Tree Ceramic Plates
A wooden serving tray shaped like a Christmas tree with a smooth finish and visible wood grain patterns.
Acacia Wood Christmas Tree
Two ceramic plates shaped like Christmas trees, decorated with holiday-themed illustrations including a tree, gifts, a reindeer, ornaments, and a gingerbread cookie.
6 Inch Christmas Tree Plates
A wooden serving tray shaped like a Christmas tree, viewed from above on a plain background.
Acacia Wood Spoons Holder Christmas Kitchen Decor
Two ceramic soup spoons rest in green, Christmas tree-shaped dishes. A decorated Christmas tree with presents is in the bottom right corner.
2 Pack Christmas Spoon Rest
A green, tree-shaped dish with a metal spoon featuring a Christmas tree decoration on the handle.
Coffee & Tea Spoon and Rest Set for Coffee Bar

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Sixteen Weeks of A Handmade Christmas

Here are the first twelve weeks of A Homemade Christmas. Can you believe I have only four more still to share!

Three ceramic trays shaped like Christmas trees, two green and one beige, with textured patterns, are arranged on a light wooden surface surrounded by greenery and red berries.
Week twelve
A white holiday wreath with a bow and hanging ornaments is drawn on a glass window, with green trees and a white fence visible outside.
Week eleven
Two white, spiral-textured Christmas tree ornaments stand on a light wood surface, one topped with a small gold star. Greenery is visible in the background.
Week ten
Three small tabletop Christmas trees made of colored tinsel and mini lights sit on a wooden table in a brightly lit living room.
Week nine
Four ceramic house-shaped ornaments labeled with family names are arranged on a white surface among gold and green Christmas baubles.
Week eight
A clear round ornament filled with dried white and yellow flowers hangs from a white ribbon, with green pine needles above.
Week seven
A white bowl holds green, red, and silver ornaments. Beside it are two gingerbread house-shaped ceramic dishes, one with patterns and one decorated as a house, on a red cloth.
Week six
Two decorative fabric Christmas trees on white stands sit on a table beside green garland and three ornaments on a green tray in a cozy, well-lit room.
Week five
A gift wrapped in red floral paper with a large red ribbon and bow, decorated with a round ornament featuring pink flowers; similar ornaments surround the gift.
Week four
Three handmade napkin rings—one green with a floral pattern, one white with "LESLIE" embossed, and one pink with a dragonfly—rest on folded patterned napkins.
Week three
Four hand-painted Christmas ornaments with red, green, and yellow floral designs are arranged in a row on a light wooden surface.
Week two
Twelve hand-embroidered fabric ornaments, each depicting a different scene from "The Twelve Days of Christmas," are arranged on a light surface surrounded by greenery.
Week one

If you create these Glitter Christmas Trees, please tag me, as I love seeing your handmade holiday magic!

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Three textured ceramic plates shaped like Christmas trees, two green and one white, are displayed on a light wooden surface with festive greenery and red berries nearby.

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