Polymer clay shamrock pendant tutorial

Deck yourself out for St. Patrick’s Day with this one of a kind shamrock  pendant. This makes a great teacher's gift as well!  This project is easy enough for kid's to do with supervision. (Mom or Dad can do the baking)

You will need:

Polymer clay blocks in three colors, lt. green, dark green, and white

Shamrock candy mold (do not use for candy making, clay use only!)

Rolling pin or dowel (Clay use only!)

Waxed paper to work on

Aluminum foil, cookie sheet, and home oven

Masking tape

X-acto or craft knife (you may substitute plastic clay tools for working with children)

Sculpey glaze

Small paintbrush

Jewelry findings—Glue on bail, 18 inch or longer green ball chain

E6000 glue

1.     The blocks of polymer clay come with four separation lines.  Slice ¼ section off from each of the three colors with the X-acto or craft knife.

2.     Lay the three separate color sections side by side. Condition the clay by squeezing with your hands.  Twist the three colors several times to blend and marbleize the clay.

3.     Break a small piece of marbleized clay off and push in the candy mold.  Use the rolling pin to press it in.  Remove from mold and cut around excess with the X-acto or craft knife.

4.     Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Set your oven at 250 degrees and bake the pendant for 10 minutes. When done, let cool completely.

5.     Tape a five-inch piece of masking, tape down on each end, sticky side up to your work surface. (This keeps the piece in place while you are glazing it) Place your baked pendant on the sticky side and brush a coat of Sculpey glaze on top.  Let dry.  When it is completely dry, turn over and brush some glaze on the opposite side.   Let dry completely.

6.     Dab a bit of E6000 glue on the flat side of the glue on bail and press to the back.  Let dry completely, overnight is best.  Thread a ball chain through the top of the pendant. 

Note:  Do not use a microwave oven!  When doing this project with children (older children and teens) please  let mom or dad do the baking and glue the bail on the back of the shamrock. 

Recycled coffee cup sleeve for St. Patrick’s Day

Before you toss that sleeve from your convenience store coffee cup, why not up-cycle it into something to use and over again.  Better yet, why not recycle it into something a little more seasonal. Using just a few supplies you can re-do that sleeve St. Patrick’s Day style.

You will need:

Paper corrugated coffee cup sleeve

Green felt

St Patrick’s day seasonal felt shapes (available at any craft store)

Tacky craft glue

Scissors

Ruler

White colored pencil

Marker

Two clothespins (for holding the sleeve while the glue dries)

1.     Before taking apart the sleeve make a line with a marker on the inside where the two ends meet.  (This will help with reassembly)  Note which side is on top.

2.     Carefully take apart the sleeve and lay on top of a piece of green felt.  Use the white colored pencil or any color that will show up to trace around the sleeve.  Make sure you leave a ¼” extra on the side that will be glued to the top of the sleeve.

3.     Cut out the felt piece.  Add a generous amount of glue on the outside of the sleeve and attach the felt piece. Let dry.

4.     Use some tacky glue to add the seasonal felt shapes to the felt making sure you do not place any on any fold lines.  Let dry.

5.     Use the inside guide line to reattach the sleeve with some tacky glue.  Glue down the ¼” extra felt to cover the seam.  Use two clothespins to hold the sleeve until it is completely dry.

Note:  You can even add some seasonal St. Patty's Day ribbon to further decorate these sleeves!

Recycled Paper Valentine Heart Pins

Did you know that you could just grind up a paper bag with some water and press the pulp into a mold and make a cool, lightweight Heart pin just in time for Valentine’s Day?  This project is so simple you may want to create some for every holiday. Makes a great teacher gift too.

You will need:

Brown paper bag

Blender

Water

Heart candy mold available in craft store

Kitchen sponge

Sieve or colander

Red metallic acrylic paint

Small paintbrush

Tacky craft glue

Tiny hole punch

Decorative scrapbook scissors

Small sharp scissor

Pink cardstock or art paper

Pencil with eraser or disappearing marker

1 ½” pin back, toothpick

1.     Tear up small pieces of the paper bag and place in the blender.  Add about 2 cups of water.  Let it sit for a few minutes to soak up some of the water.  Pulse the blender on high at intervals.  When the paper is pulpy it is ready to mold.

2.     Work on a kitchen counter near a sink.  Lay the mold flat and take small pieces of pulp in your hand and squeeze out the excess water.  You may want to use a colander to drain out some of the water.  Press the small amounts of pulp into the mold.  Use a sponge to push the pulp tightly into each section of the mold. 

3.     Set the mold aside and let dry for 24 hours.  If you want to speed up the drying time you may use a hairdryer lightly blowing on each motif.  When it partially dry use a tip of a toothpick to ease out the motifs.  Let dry completely.

4.     When the motif is completely dry use a small sharp scissor to trim any uneven edges around the heart. Lay the heart on a covered work surface and brush on a coat of red metallic acrylic paint and let dry.

5.     Place the heart motif on the cardstock and trace around with a disappearing marker or pencil.  Use the decorative scrapbook scissors to cut about 1/2” bigger than the marked lines. (See photo)  Punch some tiny holes with your hole punch in the ½” margin area to create a lacy effect.

6.     Center the heart on your cardstock heart; if you used a pencil you can erase those lines.  Attach with a generous amount of tacky glue on the back edges of the heart.  Let dry.

7.     Glue a 1 ½’ pin back on the back of the pin with a bead of tacky glue.

Valentine decoupage Heart Plaque

I always decorate my foyer with a seasonal theme so I like to design things I can hang or just set on the entry table.  This project is so easy you can make it in just a few minutes.  Make one or make a bunch, you decide.  You can even get the kids to help create the “love” theme print.

You will need:

Home computer and printer

Printer paper

Heavy corrugated cardboard scrap

Laser cut or regular wooden heart frame with hanger (available inexpensively at craft stores)

Mod Podge Shimmer decoupage glue (you may substitute regular decoupage glue if desired)

White pearl acrylic paint

Small paintbrush

Tacky craft glue

Pencil

Scissors

Wax paper to cover work surface

1.     In any word processing program, set your font size at 36 pt. and the color red.  You may want to make the words bold type.  Type the word, “love”, enough times to fill up a page.  Vary the fonts and styles. Use your home printer to print out the page on all-purpose computer paper.  This will be your decoupage print.

2.     Place your heart frame on top of a piece of heavy corrugated cardboard.  Trace the inside dimension of the frame with pencil.  Cut the heart out making sure you cut out ½” larger than the pencil markings. (See photo) Just follow the outline estimating about ½” bigger.

3.     Protect your work surface by covering with a sheet of waxed paper or newspaper.  Brush on a coat of white pearl acrylic paint on the front of your frame.  Let dry.  When it is dry apply another coat and let dry.

4.     Place the corrugated cardboard heart on top of the computer print out and trace with a pencil around.  Make sure that the words are horizontal. Cut out. 

5.     Brush some Shimmer ModPodge on the cardboard heart and immediately place the heart printout on top.  Smooth with your fingers, then apply another coat of the Modpodge.  Let dry.

6.     Turn the wooden heart frame to the back and run a bead of tacky glue around the edge.  Attach the decoupage heart onto the back and let dry.