Make Shiny Tree Ornaments
Drop-in at Our Community Studio
Join us at the Dufferin Grove Rink House on Tuesday, December 16, from 3:30 to 8:30pm and make a hand-tooled tin ornament — a small, shimmering offering for the darkest night of the year. This drop-in session is a casual, welcoming, and perfect for people who like working at their own pace.
At the end of the session you are welcome to take your ornament home with you, but we also hope that you will help us create a myriad of shiny images to decorate the newly planted apple trees in the Dufferin Grove children’s garden. It is here, in the garden, where we will stop at the end of our Winter Solstice Walk. In the spirit of old wassail* traditions, we’ll bless the garden’s new apple trees for a good harvest in the coming year.
*Wassail traditions - The purpose is to encourage the spirits into ensuring a good harvest the following season. It takes place on the twelfth night after Christmas and involves a visit to a nearby orchard for singing, dancing, drinking and general merrymaking.
- The National Trust
What You’ll Make
Our artists will guide you through simple techniques for embossing, cutting, and shaping tin into ornaments inspired by winter and the natural world. Choose from a variety of templates or design your own: stars, suns, moons, animals, elements from nature, holiday images, etc
While we like to call them tin ornaments, these shiny objects are created from thin flattened aluminum trays, some recycled, cleaned and reused for this crafting experience. We’ll also supply you with “dotting tools” that are often used for embossing, for rock painting, clay modelling, and mandala and nail art.
Then we’ll hang the ornaments with wire and we’ll also explore ways to string and connect multiple images when we decorate the new apple trees in the children’s garden in Dufferin Grove Park for the Winter Solstice event.
Who Can Join
Workshop Participants: This Community Studio session is open to adults and teens and curious first-time makers. Suitable for youth 12 and older.
Location: Dufferin Grove Rink House
Time Commitment: Give yourself at least 90 minutes for an ornament making intro plus ample time to create and experiment with one or two or more ornament creations. Plus it’s a wonderful opportunity to hang out and say hello to your neighbours. Drinks and snacks will also be available.
Registration? These are drop-in sessions and do not require registration, but it’s important for us to know if you’re coming so that we can ensure we have enough supplies. Please text us at 416-708-3332 or email us at clayandpaper@gmail.com if you’ll be joining us at the Community Studio on Tuesday, December 16th between 3:30 to 8:30pm.
All aluminum ornament making materials
Smocks
Step-by-step instruction and support from Clay & Paper Theatre artists
Tools and templates
Drinks and snacks
What We Provide
The Rink House offers automatic doors
There are four private public washrooms + an accessible washroom
Workshops are wheelchair accessible
Masks will be available
An air purifier is also onsite in the main Rink House room where we will be working
Accessibility Notes
These are drop-in sessions and do not require registration, but it’s important for us to know if you’re coming so that we can ensure we have enough supplies.
Please text us at 416-708-3332 or email us at clayandpaper@gmail.com if you’ll be joining us at the Community Studio on Tuesday, December 16th between 3:30 to 8:30pm.
