I'm always looking for crafting ideas but most of the time they end up looking completely different to what they should look like; however I read a post on the blog Lady Liquor VTG (here) about creating a ring dish out of clay and as I had some excess clay I thought I would give it a go. Mine is a bit...rustic but Catherine's came out beautifully!
To make a clay ring/jewellery dish you will need:
- Oven clay (I bought mine from Hobbycraft)
- A cookie cutter or a knife
- Paper
- Rolling Pin
- A small circular cutter/pen lid (optional)
- A silicone cake/cupcake mould or a oven safe dish/bowl
Step One: Firstly you will need to lay out paper on a flat surface and tape it down gently so when you peal it off, it won't ruin the surface and remove your clay from it's packaging.
Step Two: Wash your hands (as bits from your hands can easily stick to the clay) and break up your clay. I am using a minty blue colour and a deep metallic copper so I rolled out the mint one first so it doesn't become muddy with the copper colour. Roll each colour you have into 2/3 long sausages.
Step Three: Plait the sausages alternating the colours so the colours mix well and press into a rough ball shape. This will create the marbling effect which will be better the more colours you use.
Step Four: Roll out the ball into a flat disc approx. 5mm (0.5cm) thick - you could make it a little thicker but if it is too thin the dish won't be as strong or durable. Rolling out the clay ball is difficult and if you roll and work the clay too much the clay may look like a muddy mix of colours rather than fairly distinct swirls. I used a rolling pin covering in clingfilm so the clay didn't stain the wooden rolling pin.
Step Five: Use a cookie cutter in a circular shape (or any shape you want) or use a mini tart mould as I did to get a scalloped edge to the dish. For an extra detail, I used a large marker lid and cut out three small circles from the excess clay as decoration and for rings to hang from; press the circles gently onto the flat clay disc.
Step Six: Heat the oven to the guidelines stated on the clay packet which for me was 130 degrees celsius. Place the flat clay disc into a oven safe bowl to hold it in a bowl/dish like shape while it bakes and hardens. I used a silicone mould but you can experiment with different contains to see which one gives a nice bowl/dish shape and curve. I baked mine for approx. 30 minutes but it may differ depending on the brand/type of clay you use.
Step Seven: After the suggested time frame, be careful and take your container out of the oven - don't remove the clay until it has cooled! Once cool remove and there you have your small jewellery dish/bowl. I will be filing/sanding the edges down as they are a little bit messy. You can also use paint made for clay to decorate the dish further.
What do you think of this quick and easy DIY post? What have you been making recently?
