CLAY HAND DISH

MATERIALS

QQQQQQQQQQQWhite Fimo air dry clay Fimo gloss varnish Black acrylic paint pen Black acrylic paint (optional) Round bottomed bowl Paper Pencil Scissors Craft knife Rolling pin (or glass jar) Sandpaper

Create a template by tracing around your hand onto a sheet of A4 paper. Neaten up the sketch by evening out the length and width of the fingers and rounding out the bottom of the palm. Erase any unwanted lines. Cut out your traced hand. Roll out some clay until it’s around 0.5cm (¼") thick. Lay your paper hand on the clay and cut around it using a craft knife.

Place the clay hand over the bottom of your bowl. Dip your fingers in a bit of water and smooth out any cracks or rough edges. Then leave the"clay hand to air dry.

Once the clay has dried, lightly sand the hand to remove any remaining rough edges.

Use your paint pens to draw patterns on the hand. For a tribal look, decorate each of the fingers towards the tips with little dots and lines, then decorate the centre of the palm with a tribal motif such as a sun, evil eye or simple geometric shapes. Use acrylic paint to fill in any larger areas.

Give the finished hand dishes a coat or two of gloss varnish. Stephanie Lee shares all manner of projects on her blog, which she hopes will encourage others to get creative. She resides in sunny Sydney, where she’s always on the lookout for inventive and a!ordable ways to"DIY. www.makeandtell.com