You will need:
A pack of air-drying clay
Acrylic paints
Scissors
Liquid or gel-like glue like UHU or Evostick. (you could use a glue gun if you have one)
Hello and welcome to Crafts For The Skint - your guide to making homemade craft items on a budget. This blog will show you how to make a pretty sunflower dish for very little money. So easy that kids can do it (with a bit of guidance) and a good introduction to air-drying clay.
For this project I'll be using Das Air -drying modelling clay which is great for several reasons - firstly it's pretty cheap - £3.50 (just over $5) for 500g. Secondly, you don't need any special equipment for sculpting or drying it. Thirdly, you can paint, sand and (carefully) drill it. It's pliable, cheap and versatile.
Das clay comes in a light grey colour but dries to a chalky white. It's best to use it straight from the packet before it starts to dry out. If it does start to dry, add a tiny amount of water to it and knead until it pliable again. Ok, now you're ready to start!
Now onto the petals. Another good thing about Das is that when you roll it flat, it's pretty easy to cut it with scissors so this is how I have made the petals. Make around 10 or 11 petals and lay them against the inside of the dish. Bend them over the sides ever so slightly.
Now roll out the middle of the flower and cut into a circle with your scissors. The diameter of the circle should be around 6.5cms. Place in the middle of the dish, press down firmly but trying not to make any deep fingerprints.
Smooth any minor cracks or rough edges with your fingertip dipped in water. Now all you have to do is wait for it to dry!
You can speed the up the process a little by leaving it somewhere warm like a sunny windowsill or a shelf near a heater. You can also use a hairdryer on a medium setting to dry it out faster. Some people put their DAS creations in a cool oven - but I would warn against this - drying too quickly can cause the clay to crack. With the aid of a 60-second blast under a hairdryer two or three times and drying off in a warm place, my dish dried in about 35 hours.
When it is completely dry, you will notice that your sunflower dish components are no longer stuck together. That's part of the plan - it will make painting and decorating your dish much easier. You will glue them back together at a later date.
Now to paint - I'm using ordinary acrylic paint, diluted with just a tiny dab of water. Give it everything a generous coat in the colours of your choice. I've used cheap but effective Reeves paint in green,yellow and metallic copper.
When the paint has dried, it's time to glue it together. It might cost around £3 but I really recommend you get yourself a good quality glue for your craft box. I use EvoStik Impact, it's available at most craft and DIY stores. Squeeze a generous amount of glue on the back of the petals and press them against the inside of the dish.
The glue is gloopy and sets in minutes - this should give you a minute or so to tweak the positioning of the petals if need be. Once all the petals are in place, blob some glue at the base of the petals to further hold them in place.
Let the glue set for a few hours and your dish will be ready! You can glaze it if you want to but I'm keeping the cost down and keeping it rustic!
