Clay Gingerbread House

Cindi McGee created this gingerbread house back in 2010 - she used Makin's Clay® to create this fun seasonal decoration.   We thought it would be fun to share it again this holiday season!

Easy Sparkling Clay Snowflakes - DIY Video

  There's a frosty chill in the air !  Today, we thought we'd "re-share" Cindi McGee's DIY video she created last year featuring clay snowflake ornaments and light enhancers.   Bring a little winter sparkle into your home with these sparkling flakes! 

Makin's Clay® at Artiscape

Cindi McGee will be a part of the 2017 Artiscape Artists Retreat in Dublin, Ohio, April 27-30, 2017. Cindi will be teaching two unique workshops highlighting some of the broad range of applications of Makin's Clay®.  Find out more about this event here on the CreateNCraft website. 

Find out more about Cindi's workshop in these videos:

Easy Sparkling Clay Snowflakes DIY Video

Cindi McGee recently shared this DIY video showing a quick & easy way to make sturdy snowflake light enhancers and ornaments with Makin's Clay®.

Snowflake Light Enhancers & Ornaments by Cindi McGee

Abeille Mixed-Media Canvas by Cindi McGee

Cindi McGee is sharing the instructions for this "Abeeille" mixed-media canvas today on her blog.  Cindi used Makin's Clay® and our Honey Comb texture sheet to create the mat beneath her main bee image, and created a molded Makin's Clay® bee accent for her flowers.

A Touch of Humor for Father's Day by Martha Lucia Gomez

Father's Day Inspiration

by Martha Lucia Gomez

Hi everyone, Martha Lucia here with you. Today I want to share a card that I made using only Makin's Clay®, except the base of the card that is made of card stock.  I made this thinking of the creative fathers that are always helping us in our house. I used two colors of clay and some other elements that helped me to obtain the result that I wanted. This is the list of materials that I used to make this.  - We think this would make a fun framed gift for a special dad too!  The layers of dimensional texture created by using Makin's Clay® make it perfectly suited for a home-decor piece! 

Product list:

• Makin’s Clay® - White and Light Adobe Brown
• Makin’s Professional® Cutting Mat
• Makin's Clay Roller and Cutters Set
• Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine™
• Makin's Clay Push Mold - Hand Tools
• Beacon™ Quick Grip All Purpose Adhesive
• Embossing Folders
• Distress Ink and Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
• Scissors
• Alcohol Marker
• Card Stock Chocolate Chip
• Dad's Day Stamp Set by Joy Clair

Instructions:

Take the entire amount content on a package of Light Adobe Brown Clay (60g) and divide this into two parts. Take each part and smooth it with your hands and roller to create an uniform layer. If you want you can past these layers through the Ultimate Clay Machine™. I began on setting #1 and moved up 1 setting at a time to number 5.

Take the bigger layer and put this inside of the one embossing folder. If you want you can pass this through the Big Shot machine using only one acrylic or you can only press with your hands to create the texture. Then open the folder and re-size with the cutter. This will be the main layer of your card.

Now take the smaller layer created on the first step and cut one square using the second square (small to big) of the Square Cutter Set. Put this square inside of other embossing folder with a different pattern and pass through the bigshot or press with your hands.

Take the two embossed pieces and ink the embossed parts using Distress Ink. In my sample I used two different colors, Walnut Stain for the background and Vintage Photo for the front piece. Let these pieces dry.

Now take the White Makin's Clay® and create the embellishments of your card. First you can make the hand tools. For this take small amounts of white clay and smooth it with your hands. If you want you can do it with the roller too. Take the Hand Tool Push Mold and press the clay into the each design starting in the center and working toward the edges. Remove the excess clay and either gently bend your mold to lift your tools free while the clay is fresh, or let the clay dry in the mold then remove.

Using the same White Makin's Clay®, create a thin layer with the roller and the Ultimate Clay Machine™ to stamp your sentiment.

When you have the thin layer, take Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and stamp your image. If you want you can cut the image using scissors or any punch. In my model I used scissors and I cut it before the clay is dry because for me it is easier.  Makin's Clay® can also be cut with scissors when dry.

Paint the parts of you image that you want using alcohol markers or any other type of paint and let it dry.  After all the parts are dried, assemble your card using an All Purpose Adhesive like Beacon™ Quick Grip.

To finalize add the stamped sentiment and give your card with all your love! I really like how easy it is to work with Makin's Clay® to create a wide variety of projects. For card makers like me, I find that the clay does not add much bulk and gives me the possibility to make different things and explore techniques that I love.

 Thanks for stopping by today! Martha Lucia

Flower Party Time! Gift Box by Donna Budzynski

Design Team Member Donna Budzynski shares this pretty gift box today on her blog.  We think her dimensional, die cut Makin's Clay® flower is the perfect accent!

Framed Clay Sunflower by Irit Shalom

Framed Clay Sunflower 

Designed by Irit Shalom

Hello my dear crafty friends and welcome to my first, but sure not the last clay flowers tutorial.
As this is my second year on Makin’s Clay® Design Team, I can pretty much make any project I desire and right now I am in a "flowers" mood and from this month on I will do some different clay flower tutorials monthly for the Makin’s Clay® blog.   The first one is a Sunflower tutorial and the techniques used are clay sheet die cutting and acrylic paints coloring over the dry clay.
The flexibility of Makin's Clay® is just perfect even when we work with  already dry clay, so we still can reshape our dry clay pieces. The perfect ability to be colored with acrylics makes it possible to work with just white Makin's Clay® and to paint the final shape into any possible color.
So here is my tutorial for May.  April showers sure brought us my May flowers!

Products used:

Makin’s Clay® White, Black
Makin’s Professional®Roller and Cutters set®
Makin’s Clay® Professional Clay Tools® 
Makin's Clay® Texture sheet set D- Woodgrain 
Makin’s Professional® Cutting Mat

Other products:
Dies- Sizzix® Sunflower set
DecoArt® paints
Beacon™ Fabri-Tac glue
Photo frame 4*6''

Instructions:

Step 1:

Flatten a big piece of white Makin's Clay® using a roller from Makin’s Professional®Roller and Cutters  set®. You also can use the Makin's Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine™ and roll to setting 5, but for this project I decided to use the roller only.
Let the  rolled clay dry for a few hours.






Step 2:

Die cut the dry Makin's Clay® sheets with Sizzix Sunflowers die set. As you can see the set contains two dies that build the flower, three  dies for leaves, the bottom die and the top die (the one with dozens of smallest possible flowers). I die cut the flower parts twice with each one of those two dies and die cut the leaves twice. The one parts were die cut just once. Do not push the small flowers out of the die cut sheet for now; it's almost impossible to paint them out of the sheet.



Step 3:

Add shaping to the die cut clay pieces using Makin's Clay® tools from Makin’s Professional® Clay Tools® .








Step 4:

Paint the shapes with acrylic paints. I used DecoArt Mixed Media line paints, but with Makin's Clay®, any acrylic paint works just perfectly!  Let the shapes dry and don't forget to paint the white backs too.





Step 5:

Arrange the painted dry leaves over a circle of black Makin's Clay® and use Beacon Fabri-Tac to
adhere shape to shape. This is the glue I have and it works just great with Makin's Clay® too.

Step 6:

Arrange flower parts as shown over the glued leaves.

Step 7:

Paint the small top flowers with a mix of DecoArt paints and now push them of the die cut sheet.







Step 8:

Glue the painted flowers on the top of the sunflower.








Step 9:

Make the background using Makin's Clay® in black, roller and Makin's Clay® texture sheet (woodgrain) from set D. Cut the background to the size that fits the photo frame.






Step 10 and final:

Glue the black background over the glass inside the photos frame. Cover with glaze and glue the sunflower over the background. Cover the sunflower with glaze. Let it dry and enjoy your first  Makin's Clay® flower.

More to come next month and so on!

Springtime Birds Refrigerator Magnets - DIY When Creativity Knocks Video featuring Cindi McGee

Makin's Clay® is a sponsor of the 2016 When Creativity Knocks All-Star Designers Spring Series.  In this episode, Designer Cindi McGee creates a fun springtime magnet display for the refrigerator - both functional and decorative.  She used Makin's Clay® and our Ultimate Clay Extruder™ to create her cute birds nest magnet. 

Magnetic Calendar - DIY When Creativity Knocks Video featuring Judi Watanabe

Makin's Clay® is a sponsor of the When Creativity Knocks 2016 All-Star Designers Spring Series.  In this episode, Designer Judi Watanabe shares her ideas for creating a magnetic calendar.  She makes some fun Makin's Clay® pieces to mark special days!  

Stamped Butterfly Pendant by Cindi McGee

Stamped Butterfly Pendant 

Designed by Cindi McGee

Spring is here and that means butterflies begin to appear again and dance among the flowers.  The soft coloring of this pendant is from oil pastels.  Thanks to Design Team Member Carole Monahan and her "Dreamy Pastel Statement Necklace" made with Pan Pastels, I was inspired to pull out my oil pastels and revisit using them to color sheets of Makin's Clay®!  They were the perfect option for this blended, soft background color.  I am also sharing a new "technique" I discovered for shaping Makin's Clay® once it is dry...... 

Materials:

Makin’s Clay® - Natural or White 

Makin’s® Ultimate Clay Machine™

Makin’s® Cutting Mat 

Krylon® Silver Leafing Pen 

Clearsnap® ColorBox™ Crafters Ink - Purple

Pentel® Oil Pastels 

Sizzix® Big Shot 

Sizzix®  Bigz Die - Butterfly, Flower, Leaf & Shamrock

JudiKins™ Floral Wave stamp 

JudiKins™ Tidy Tray 

Fine paintbrush 

Heat tool 

Small glass beads - clear and pale blue 

Connie Crystal purple crystal bead 

Silver jump rings, jewelry wire, jewelry pliers, silver eye pin, silver closure 

Tapestry needle or tiny hole punch

Instructions:

Roll Makin’s Clay® in Ultimate Clay Machine starting on setting #1 and ending at setting #2.  Let  dry 24 hours. 

Die cut butterfly from dry sheet of clay using Sizzix® Big Shot™ and die.  

“Scribble” with purple and teal blue oil pastel crayon on both sides of butterfly.  

Use fingertip to gently blend colors together.   I added a bit moire of the purple in the center of my butterfly as shown. 

Stamp both sides with the background stamp and purple ink.  Use heat tool to dry.  Now this is what I discovered and think is really nifty.... While clay is still warm from heat tool, bend wings upward and place between two objects to keep there while clay cools.  The wings will remain lifted once the clay has cooled.   You can re-shape/bend DRY Makin's Clay® by heating it with a heat tool!

Use fine paintbrush to apply Krylon Silver Leafing to outside edge of butterfly. 

Cut jewelry wire to desired length for pendant.  Place glass beads in Tidy Tray, bead entire length of wire with clear and pale blue beads in a random pattern.  Add jewelry closure. 

Make a small hole in head of butterfly with a tapestry needle or tiny hole punch.  Add silver jump ring.

Place purple crystal onto eye pin with clear glass bead.  Add to center of necklace.  Add jump ring to eye to hang butterfly.

Let Your Life Bloom Canvas by Steph Ackerman

Let Your Life Bloom Canvas

Designed by Steph Ackerman 

Hi everyone, Steph Ackerman here today with a flowering canvas.  This 6" x 6" canvas was fun to make and Makin's Clay® allowed me to create leaves and the perfect flower focal point which is really pretty, as well as lightweight and flexible.

Supplies:

Makin's Clay® - Red, White, Green
Makin's® Push Mold - Florals
Makin's® Ultimate Clay Machine™
Makin's® Clay Mixing Ruler
Makin's® Cutting Mat
Gina K Stamps
Spellbinders™, Sizzix® Dies
Die cutting machine of choice
The Crafter's Workshop Stencils
6 x 6" Canvas
Wax paper

Instructions:

I used the Clay Mixing Ruler™ to measure out red and white clay.  Then I mixed the two colors together to create pink clay. 

Next, I used the Ultimate Clay Machine™ to roll out the clay into a thin sheet (to setting #5, beginning with setting #1 and moving up one setting at a time).

I placed the clay sheet between wax paper and then die cut the flowers.  I find that using wax paper ensures that the clay cuts cleanly and does not stick to the die. (Great tip Steph!  We normally recommend  you let your clay sheet dry 24 hours before die cutting to ensure the clay does not stick in your dies - but this is a great option for die cutting sheets of clay if you want be able to shape them after cutting!)                              

I formed the flower by placing the layers over jars over night.  Then I put the layers together with a brad.  The layers are quite flexible and can be molded to create a perfect flower.

Roll green Makin's Clay® to setting #5, beginning with setting #1 and moving up one setting at a time.  Place between wax paper and die cut leaf sprays. 

I prepared the canvas background with stencils and embossing paste, stamped words around the canvas and added assorted colors with spray inks.  Once the canvas dried, the flower was added to one corner and die cut leaf sprays were added to encircle the flower.

A stamped phrase was added to the left of the flower and adhered with foam adhesives. 

Using the Florals Push Mold, several green leaves were created then added to the canvas overlapping the die cut leaf sprays/  

Finally, I inked around the canvas to add some additional dimension.

Thanks for stopping by today.