The Dala Horse is an international symbol of Swedish heritage, but just because you’re not Scandinavian doesn’t mean you can’t join in on the fun of the tradition.

If your personal style tends to lean Scandinavian Modern (like mine does!), why not make some monochromatic Dala Horse ornaments to dress your Christmas Tree or adorn gift packages this year? Made with polymer clay, a cookie cutter, and a paint pen, they bake up like a batch of cookies in about 25 minutes and add a simple Nordic touch to Holiday festivities.

Materials you’ll need for these horse ornaments:

White oven bake polymer clayRolling PinDala horse cookie cutterBlack acrylic paint pens: Fine tip & Extra fine tipBlack stringParchment paperToothpickPencilCookie sheetOven

How to make the Scandinavian ornaments:

Heat your oven to 275 degrees F. Lay down parchment paper on your work surface. Unwrap polymer clay, form it into a ball, and then roll it out to 1/8″ thickness. If the clay starts sticking to your rolling pin, lay a piece of parchment over top of the clay, and continue rolling out.

Related: Simple and Modern DIY Scandinavian Christmas Decor

Cut out Dala horses by laying cookie cutter on the clay and pressing down firmly to cut through the clay.

Remove surrounding excess clay and set aside. We’ll roll the excess out later for additional ornaments. Cut parchment around the horses with a 1/2″-1″ border.

At the base of the horse’s neck/back, use a toothpick to form a hole large enough for the ornament string to fit through. Transfer parchment square/ornaments to the cookie sheet.At this point repeat steps 1-4 with remaining excess clay forming two more ornaments. Bake ornaments at 275 degrees on the center rack for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Once cooled, lightly draw your design on the ornaments with a pencil.

Fill in the design with paint markers. I found it easiest to outline the design with the extra fine tip pen first, and then fill in with the fine tip.

Cut string pieces roughly 11-12″ long. Feedthrough the toothpick hole and double knot the ends. Hang on your tree or tie into package bows gift toppers!