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Showing posts with label pumpkin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pumpkin. Show all posts
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Autumn Wall Pennant
Steph Ackerman recently shared this seasonal wall pennant with Makin's Clay® leaf accents. Steph used Makin's Clay® and the Makin's® Leaves push mold to create her embellishments.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Witch's Hat
Hi everyone, Steph here today with a witch hat that can double as the top of a candle holder. While Halloween is just around the corner, there is still time to create some fun Halloween projects!
Supplies
Makin's ClayⓇ- Black
Black Gesso
Prima Marketing Metallique Paints
Paper mache hat
Candle Holder


Damp clay will seal together without glue, so starting from the tip, I wrapped the clay around the point. I cut off the excess clay as I covered the hat. I snipped the clay along the bottom edge so it would sit evenly on the brim.

I cut off the overhanging clay then painted the hat with black gesso. Once the clay had been allowed to dry for 24 hours, I decided to paint the hat a lovely metallic purple.
I wanted to add some "hair" to the hat so I die cut Rinea Glossy Copper Foiled Paper and adhered the
hair under the hat.I then curled each piece individually by wrapping each around a craft tool. Next, I adhered some white mesh around the hat.
To finish, I adhered some lovely purple jeweled spiders to the mesh.

Thanks for stopping by.
Steph
Labels:
air dry clay,
autumn,
candle,
Fall,
Halloween,
Makin's Clay®,
Makin's Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine,
mixed-media,
no bake clay,
polymer clay,
pumpkin,
seasonal,
Steph Ackerman,
witch,
witches
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Pumpkin Tassels
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Pumpkin Tassels by Patricia Roberts-Thompson |
How about making some fun home decor tassels for Halloween with Makin’s Clay®?
Materials:
Makin’s Clay® White 60g, small amount of Olive and Black clay
Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine®
20 gauge Copper wire
Copper chain, endcaps and beads
Wet wipes
Jump rings
Yarn for the tassel, premade tassel
White Glue
DecoArt acrylic paints: Pumpkin, Golden Brown, black,
Scissors, needle tool, paintbrush.
Knitting needles, ball tool
Americana DuraCoat Matte Varnish or Golden Matte varnish
Cornstarch
Instructions:
Add some Pumpkin orange paint to 60 grams of white Makin’s Clay®. I also added a bit of a yellow brown to tone down the colour to a more earthy hue. Alternately you could use Persimmon found in the Makin’s Clay® Earth Tones 32045. Divide the clay into three balls approximately 1 and ½ inches in diameter. Wrap two of the balls of clay in plastic as you proceed with the first tassel.
Yarn Pumpkin Tassel:
I had some nice flat acrylic yarn to use for my tassel; embroidery floss works great as well! I wrapped the yarn around a 4x6 index card about 30 times. I used a 6 inch piece of 20 gauge copper wire, curved one end, and slipped it between the yarns at the top, while still on the card, and made a wrapped loop. Cut a 8” piece of yarn, slip the tassel off of the card, and use the piece of yarn to tie around the top. Trim the bottom of the tassel with scissors.
Roll the clay into a ball, then using a very large knitting needle or the handle of a large paintbrush, make a hole through the clay large enough for the tassel to fit. It helps to coat the needle or brush with cornstarch as you make the hole. This will prevent sticking. While the clay is on the needle holder, use a smaller needle tool to make indentations all around. In the first photo, you will see the cornstarch I used as I made my indents. Let the ball of clay dry for 24 hours before proceeding to the next step. Clean off the cornstarch when dry. The next day I cut a 24 inch piece of yarn, to which I tied a scrap piece of wire on one end. Put the other end through the hole, coat the hole with white glue, then wrap the yarn by inserting the wired end through and around. Keep wrapping until you’ve gone all the way around, and then cut off your ends. Insert the tassel from the bottom. Next, I made a cap for the tassel with a small bit of Olive Makin’s Clay®. I rolled the clay into a ½” ball, flattened it out into a disk and then pinched and fluted the ends making it a wavy disk. Poke a hole in the center, place it on the pumpkin with the copper wire centered in the hole. I used a flower shaped endcap and a copper ball on top of the clay cap. Let this dry for another 24 hours before finishing a wrapped loop on top. Add a string or chain loop to hang the tassel from.
Jack-o-Lantern Tassel:
Make a 1 and ½” ball of clay. Make a face with a small knitting needle on one side. I used a ball tool to make the eyes, and inserted small balls of black clay, bit since it will be antiqued later, you could omit this step. For the mouth, I did a simple zigzag. Use a needle tool to poke a hole right through the pumpkin, then use a brush handle or large knitting needle to enlarge the hole on the bottom. Be sure to use cornstarch to prevent sticking. This hole needs to be large enough to insert your tassel. Again, make lines around the pumpkin, avoiding the face area. Make four or five small leaves with Olive Makin’s Clay® for the cap, texture them with a needle tool, and place them all around the top of the pumpkin, keeping the hole in the center clear. Let the pumpkin dry for 24 hours, and then antique it with black paint. Use a wet wipe to remove the excess paint. I tied a loop of yarn on the premade tassel, and inserted it from the bottom. A piece of wire catching the top of the yarn loop aids in this process. Add a bit of glue in the hole at the bottom to hold the tassel in place.
Ball Chain Pumpkin Tassel:
Make a 1 and ½” ball of clay, poke a small hole through the center and make indentations with a small knitting needle all around the circumference of the pumpkin. Cut pieces of ball chain and place in the grooves, adding a bit of white glue to help hold them in place. If you don’t have ball chain, regular chain that you use for the tassel will work! Let the pumpkin cure for 24 hours, then antique it with black paint. Use wet-wipes to remove excess paint. This tassel was made with 2 inch sections of copper chain. Hint; place the chain on a long headpin to help you cut each piece to the same length. 12 to 15 pieces of chain will give a full looking tassel. Open a 10mm jump ring and place as many pieces as you like, then close the jump ring. Cut a 6 inch piece of 20 gauge copper wire and make a small loop on one end. Then thread on a copper bead, a small copper endcap, the clay pumpkin and lastly a larger copper endcap and bead, and make a wrapped loop at the top. Open the jump ring and place it on the bottom loop, and add a piece of chain for the top loop. I used 5mm jump rings to close the top loop chain.
Happy Halloween!
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Halloween Pencil Toppers - DIY Video
Cindi McGee shares how easy it is to make fun pencil toppers for Halloween with Makin's Clay® and our Makin's® Clay Cutters! There's even GLOW IN THE DARK clay as an option!
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Jack "II" Lantern
Design Team Member Patricia Krauchune recently shared a second fun jack-o-lantern luminary she created using Makin's Professional® tools - Jack II was created for a friend to help brighten their day. We think both of her smiling jack-o-lanterns, the original "Pumpkin Jack", and "Jack II" are spooky fun!
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Halloween Wine Glass Charms
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Halloween Wine Glass Charms by Patricia Roberts-Thompson |
Planning a Halloween Party? Why not whip
up some spooky fun Wine Charms with Makin’s Clay®
Materials:
Makin’s Clay® in assorted colors, white, black, yellow,
red and green
Makin's Professional® Ultimate
Clay Machine®
Makin’s® Clay Roller
Craft blade
Toothpick
Acrylic
paint, metallic paints and pastes ( optional )
18
gauge wire 1.0 mm copper , hammer, DuraClear varnish or sealer
Form
to bend wire. I used a 14mm socket ( ¾” dia ) you could use a large lipstick lid
or
I found the 3rd largest circle on the Makin’s Clay® Mixing Ruler
worked well.
Directions:
Cut six (3 ½”)
pieces of 18 gauge copper wire. Find the center of the wire and start bending
it around your form. I used a 14mm socket that had a diameter of ¾”. Use round
nose pliers to make a curl at the end of the wire, curling to the outside.
Place the wire on a solid surface ( I used a steel bench block ) and use a
hammer to flatten the wire. I squeezed the curled ends together, almost
touching, and held it in place while hammering. You don’t need to hammer too
hard, lots of lighter strokes works fine. Don’t cross the wires, as that
weakens them when hammering. When the ends are done, move on to the round
front. If you do the front first, the ends will distort, so it works better to
do the curl first. Hammering strengthens the wire. Roll the clay on the thickest
setting of the Ultimate Clay Machine®. For each charm, you will cut 2 pieces of
clay, one for the front, and one for the back.
Each one will have the wire sandwiched
between the two layers of clay. Insert the wire approx, ¼” into the top of the
wine charm. If the clay is not fresh, moisten the two layers first for better
adherence. A wet towel can be used to clean any dirt from the clay. Seal the
charms with varnish when complete.
Fig 1: The Bat – Cut 2 pieces of black
clay, rolled at 2mm thickness. Moisten the back piece with water, and place the
hammered wire approximately ¼” from the top. Apply the top piece, and smooth
all of the edges. Use a toothpick to make lines on the wings and body. Set
aside to dry for 24 hours. When dry, paint lines with white paint, and use
black metallic paint if desired on the body
Fig 2: The Ghost. Cut 2 pieces of white clay, assemble
as in Fig 1. I used a small cutter to cut the mouth, and poked two holes for
eyes. The handle of a paint brush can help shape the mouth. When dry, I painted
the inside of the mouth and eyes with black acrylic paint, and white metallic
paint for the body.
Fig 3: The Skull. I cut the front from
white clay, the back from black clay. I used a small cutter for the eyes, then
used a toothpick to refine the shape. Do
the same for the nose. Use a toothpick to draw the mouth and teeth. Assemble as
usual, taking care that the wire doesn’t show in the eye holes. Let dry, then
add black paint to the mouth and inside the eyes and nose. Wipe off excess
paint with a baby wipe. I painted the skull with metallic white paint.
Fig 4: The Gravestone. Mix a little
black into some white clay to make a light gray. Cut 2 pieces and assemble with
the wire. Use a toothpick to write RIP across the front, and some lines on the
bottom. Let dry and antique with black paint. Use metallic black paint sparingly,
if desired.
Fig 5: The Spider Web. Cut 2 pieces of
white clay. On one of them, draw the 5 spokes of the web, and the connecting
strands. Assemble the wire and back piece.
I made the spider freehand from black clay, but then found it got lost
when I antiqued the web, so I painted him green. You may choose to do him in
another color. Place the spider on the web. When the clay is dry, antique the
web with black paint, and remove excess with a baby wipe. Paint the spider if
desired. I used a bit of metallic white on the web, and metallic green for the
spider.
Fig 6: The Pumpkin. Mix a small amount
of red clay, into yellow clay to make orange, and cut 2 pieces. Assemble the
wire and backing, then use a toothpick to scribe the lines and features of the
pumpkin. I indented the eyes, nose and mouth for a more 3 dimensional look.
Take a small amount of green clay and make a stem and leaf for the top of the
pumpkin. Let dry for 24 hours, then antique with black paint, and highlight
with orange metallic paint.
Seal all of the charms with DuraClear varnish
when dry, or your favorite sealer.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Labels:
air dry clay,
bat,
ghost,
gravestone,
Halloween,
Makin's Clay®,
no bake clay,
party,
Patricia Roberts-Thompson,
polymer clay,
pumpkin,
skull,
spiderweb,
spooky craft,
wine glass charms
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