With all the beautiful wildflowers popping up in the back of our yard, Liam and I wanted to make a couple simple crafts with our findings! This craft can be done several different ways and the options are endless.
Supplies:
- Sclupey Clay
- A circle (or any shape of your choice) cookie cutter. A biscuit cutter would be perfect for this, too!
- A cookie sheet lined with foil. You may be fine without the foil but I was afraid that the clay would stick to my pan.
- Nature treasures: flowers, interesting leaves, a pinecone, a seashell, etc.
- Twine
- A stick, dowel rod, or any other item you want to hang your clay circles from
We used the original baking sculpey clay, but you could try the air dry kind of clay as well. I liked the look of the flowers seeming almost aged from them baking in the oven. If you want the vibrant colors of the flowers and greens, try using the air dry clay.
Step 1
Give your child a small ball of the clay and let them mold and knead it with their hands. The clay becomes easier to use as it warms up.
Step 2
Give them a rolling pin ( We use our small one that was from a Play Dough set) and have them roll out the clay evenly
Step 3
Using a cookie cutter, cut out the desired shape.
Step 4
Place the clay on a foil-lined baking sheet. Let your child use different flowers and greens to make imprints or show them how to gently push the flower into the clay.
My son was in awe of the beautiful designs the different leaves and flowers were making in the clay. We ended up loving the pieces that we kept the flowers and greens on the clay.
Step 5
Using the back of a thin paintbrush or a pencil tip, make a small hole at the top of the circle. Bake the clay according to the box directions.
Step 6
Once completely cool, thread twine through the small hole and tie a double knot on top. Then you can string them from a branch at different heights to create a really fun piece of art! We used this twisty piece of driftwood we found down by the river.
Liam asked to hang this in his playroom and I love that we can enjoy this little piece of nature all year round. I
A few variation ideas on this craft:
You could paint the clay after it has been baked and cool.
Use colored sculpey clay for a bright and colorful wall art.
Make different shapes out of the clay. Try half circles, triangles, and squares.
Gift these for neighbors, friends, or make them into ornaments at Christmas time!
We really loved working with the clay and already have a few different projects in mind!
TIP: I found the clay at Michaels and used a 40% off coupon! Buy more than what you think you will need. I bought the one pound box and definitely should have just bought the largest size. We used almost an entire box just on this project!
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out:
DIY Nature Collage Sun Catchers
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