Make these cute woodland creature pins for your forest themed party. The little ones will love them, and personally I prefer the non-candy kind of favors for kids. You could also send one along with each invitation (just make them really small to fit them into the invitation box) or use these for a paint-them-yourself party activity. I’ve included 4 little templates, but you can always get creative and make your own if you want to add more animals. Don’t get discouraged – they might look difficult to make, but with the templates, they are super-easy and quick to whip up. Not counting the drying time of the clay, it took about 1 hour to make these four pins. (PS – A Woodland Backdrop & Woodland Party Invites.)

Materials: Air drying white clay, clay knife, rolling pin, sand paper, woodland creature templates, acrylic paint, hot glue gun, craft pin backs

Step 1: Roll out clay with a rolling pin. 0.3 to 0.5 inches is a good thickness.
Step 2: Cut out your woodland animal templates, then lay them onto the rolled out clay and cut around with a knife.
Step 3: At this point they don’t need to be perfectly rounded, but you can work the corners with wet fingers a little to make them more smooth. Then let your animals dry overnight, flip over and let dry for another 24h.
Step 4: Grab some fine sand paper and smooth out any sharp edges and uneven bits.
Step 5: With the help of your templates, paint on all bigger shapes with acrylic paint. Leave out the fine details like eyes and mouths. Let the paint dry, then add the facial details with a very thin brush. If you don’t feel confident with a brush, you could also use a sharpie.
Step 6: Let the paint dry thoroughly, then attach a pin back to your animal with hot glue. Let cool and you’re done.

Now you can pass these babies on as they are or make little personalized card backers for them. Simply cut card stock into the right size and pin the woodland creatures on. Add your guests names or a personal message to the backers and hand out to your guests!