HERE ARE THE EASY STEPS TO MAKE THE CLAY PROJECTS

General materials for all projects

• Rolling pin

• Natural sponge

• Fine sandpaper

• Old credit card

• Sculpting tools for shaping and scraping

• Craft knife

TOTEM WALL HANGING

Gather your supplies

• Jovi Air Dry Clay in Terracotta, White and Grey

• Toothpick

• Bamboo skewer

• Natural linen thread

Here’s how

STEP 1 Roll out the clay to about 5mm thick. STEP 2 Using the Wall hanging diagram as inspiration, roll balls of clay about 4cm, 3.5cm, 3cm and 2.5cm in diameter respectively; create 3 x diamond shapes, about 3cm across with 3cm sides; 1 x 8cm-diameter circle and 2 x 11cmdiameter semi-circles.

STEP 3 Make threading holes (as shown) with a toothpick through the semi-circles, diamonds and circle. Use a bamboo skewer to make holes in the balls. Allow to dry completely.

STEP 4 Starting with the semi-circle at the top, join the clay pieces together with linen thread. Leave a 10cm strand at the bottom.

STEP 5 Make a linen thread tassel (see below) and tie it to bottom bead using the excess thread.

BOWLS OF LIGHT

Gather your supplies

• 1kg Jovi Air Dry Clay in Terracotta

• 2 inflatable plastic balls, 11cm- and 9cmdiameter respectively

• Artist’s acrylic paint in slate grey

• Paintbrush

• Tea lights

Here’s how

STEP 1 Cut the block of clay in half and roll out with a rolling pin to obtain 2 pieces, about 3mm thick. Inflate the balls and wrap the clay around each ball, leaving a large, irregular opening around the nozzle end. Cut away any excess clay.

STEP 2 Smooth the clay around the ball with a damp sponge, then with the edge of an old credit card to get rid of any lumps, bumps and joins.

STEP 3 Leave to dry until the clay is just slightly malleable, then carefully deflate and remove the balls. Leave the shapes to dry completely in a dry and airy place.

STEP 4 Sand gently all over with fine sandpaper.

Finish the outsides with 2 coats of acrylic paint and allow to dry before placing a tea-light candle in each bowl.

BIRDS ON A BRANCH

Gather your supplies

• 1.5kg Jovi Air Dry Clay in Terracotta

• Skewer

• Large wooden branch

• Drill and drill bit

• Long screws

Here’s how

STEP 1 Cut the clay into 3 equal pieces and roll each into a ball.

STEP 2 Using the photograph and Bird diagram as inspiration, form each ball into a bird shape with your fingers, then add details with modelling tools. Make a hole in the underside of each body with a skewer so the birds can be fixed to a branch. Allow to dry for several days.

STEP 3 Mark the position of each bird on a solid branch. Drill a hole through the branch at each position, then fix the birds in place with long screws, passing each one through the branch and into the hole in the underside of each body.

SERVIETTE RING

Gather your supplies • Jovi Air Dry Clay in White (or colour of your choice)

Here’s how

STEP 1 From the clay, use your hands to roll three 12cm lengths, about 3cm in circumference. STEP 2 Plait the lengths GO TO BHG SHOP FOR CLAY AND ACRYLIC PAINT SUPPLIES

together to form a braid, then form the braid into a ring. Dampen the ends, overlap them and press gently to make them adhere.

STEP 3 Cut a small flat band of clay and wrap it around the join to hide it, dampening and pressing the ends gently, as before. Wipe the whole ring gently with a damp sponge, then leave to dry completely.

HANGING LIGHTS

Gather you supplies

• Bottles, magnums or demijohns of your choice

• Plastic cling wrap

• Cooking oil

• Jovi Air Dry clay in Terracotta

• String or fine wire

• Firm cardboard

• Pendant light kits

Here’s how

STEP 1 Wrap several layers of cling wrap around the bottles and demijohns of your choice. Grease the surface of the cling Hanging lights diagram

wrap with cooking oil. STEP 2 Roll out the clay on your work surface to a thickness of about 5–8mm. Wrap the clay around the bottles to about halfway down the height. Overlap the edges and smooth them together with a damp sponge. STEP 3 Wrap a piece of string or fine wire around the top and bottom of the shape and pull tightly to remove excess clay, leaving a neat edge. Allow the clay to dry until it is still just slightly malleable, then remove it gently from the mould, and leave to dry completely

All the dirt on air-drying clay

• Air-dried clay is not waterproof, so your finished object should not be immersed in water after it has dried and hardened. It can be wiped with a damp cloth. You can varnish it for added protection.

• You can also paint air-dried clay in your desired colour once it has dried and hardened. in a dry and airy place. STEP 4 Sand gently all over with fine sandpaper. From firm cardboard, cut a disk that is somewhat larger in diameter than the neck of each shade (see hanging lights diagram). Pierce a hole in the centre of each disk, then slide disks into the interior of the shades to hold the socket of a pendant light kit.

NUMBERED POTS

Gather your supplies

• Jovi Air Dry Clay in White

• Moulds – mugs, vases, pots, etc

• Plastic cling wrap

• Cooking oil

• Number stamps

Here’s how STEP 1

Roll out several pieces of clay to 5mm thick rectangles.

STEP 2 Wrap several layers of cling wrap around your chosen moulds, then grease the surface of the cling wrap with cooking oil. STEP 3 Wrap the clay rectangles around the prepared moulds, overlapping one vertical edge over the other. Using the point of a knife, cross-hatch the surface of the edge that will be underneath, then dampen the edges with a sponge and press them gently together to adhere. Trim excess clay at the top and bottom edges.

STEP 4 For the bases, stand each of the shapes on another piece of rolled clay. Trace around the lower edge with a sharp knife, then cut out accurately. Dampen and adhere the bases in place, as before. Wipe over the completed shapes with a damp sponge. STEP 5 Press number stamps into the damp clay at the top of each vessel. Allow clay to dry. When the clay is partly dry but still slightly malleable, carefully remove the moulds and leave the vessels to dry completely.

Getting your hands dirty and creating something will make you feel so good!

DECORATED TILES

Gather your supplies

• Jovi Air dry Clay in Terracotta and White

• Artist’s acrylic paints in leaf greens and french blues

• Firm cardboard

• A variety of objects to make impressions: cork, seagrass matting, a piece of wood wrapped with string, interesting leaves, and plants and seeds, such as fennel or twigs

• Paintbrush

Here’s how

STEP 1 Following the instructions on this page (see right), use acrylic paint to colour the white clay to a colour of your choice. Roll out the coloured clay of your choice to 1cm thick. STEP 2 From firm cardboard, rule up and cut template squares of 10cm, 15cm and 20cm (or any other desired size). Place the templates on the rolled clay and, using the point of a sharp knife, cut out squares. Smooth the cut edges and the upper surface with a damp sponge. STEP 3 Press your chosen object into the soft clay. You can also apply paint to your ‘stamp’ before pressing it each time. Leave the clay squares to dry completely.

STEP 4 If you like, you can accentuate and highlight the relief of your imprinted pattern by brushing more paint across the surface, then wiping it off, leaving paint in the indents of the pattern.

Colouring white clay

Air-drying clay comes in White, Grey or Terracotta, although some overseas brands also come in a range of colours. If you need to colour your own clay, you can knead artist’s acrylic paint – a little at a time – into white clay, until it is evenly distributed and the desired colour is achieved. Keep kneading until the colour is completely uniform – unless you like a marbled look! Adding a drop of water can help mix the colour into the clay if the clay feels dry and the colour is still looking marbled. FOR PROJECT SUPPLIES, SEE OUR STOCKISTS PAGE