CLAY! SAY YAY TO

Make a home for your jewels and flowers with these creation

2020-08-20 -

Turn a block of clay into custom homewares with no firing needed! You simply roll, shape and decorate air-dry clay, and paint it once it’s hardened. Little muss and no fuss. Use this technique to make cute bowls and also a flower frog – a disc with holes used for floral arrangements. It’s an easy, therapeutic craft for all ages, and you can use whatever you like to imprint the clay – think buttons, shells, foliage and stamps. So fun!

EASY STEPS TO YOUR BOWLS

Gather your supplies

• Jovi Air Dry Clay in White

• Decorative bu ons

• Plastic lace

• Jo Sonja’s Satin Varnish

• Artist’s acrylic paints in various colours

You’ll also need Knife; baking paper; rolling pin; various small glass bowls; scissors; glass jar or vase; plastic funnel; large artist’s brushes; lint-free cloth

Here’s how

STEP 1 Cut a piece of clay from the block with a knife and roll a ball the size of a small-to-medium lemon. On a work surface covered with baking paper, roll out clay ball into a disc about 8mm thick, using a rolling pin.

STEP 2 Position a bowl on the clay disc and use knife to trim clay around the rim for a clean edge.

STEP 3 Press a decorative bu on into the clay disc to make an imprinted pa ern.

STEP 4 Cut a square of baking paper, place clay disc on top and press gently into the bowl to shape it.

STEP 5 Turn over bowl and drape clay over it, smoothing it with your fingers. Repeat to make more discs, varying sizes and imprinting. Leave to dry for at least 24 hours.

STEP 6 Make another disc and trim to fit the mouth of a glass jar. Place plastic lace on top of disc and use the rolling pin to imprint the pa ern into the clay.

STEP 7 Use a plastic funnel to make holes in the clay disc, popping out clay plugs with a paintbrush handle.

STEP 8 Put clay flower frog in jar mouth and trim if needed. Leave to dry.

STEP 9 To protect flower frog from water, apply 2-3 coats of clear varnish to top and back, allowing to dry aer each coat.

STEP 10 Apply paint to top of bowls with a brush, then leave to dry. Turn over and paint the bowl backs.