Tealight Aquarium with Creative Paperclay® Fish

Tealight Aquarium with Creative Paperclay® Fish

It’s December! And it seems like every year, I end up at a party  where an unexpected guest is the only person who doesn’t receive  a gift.  I like to have something on hand for those occasions, but I don’t  want to spend a lot of time or money.  Since this is for someone unexpected, I try to keep it generic in nature, because I won’t   know what holiday, if any, the person celebrates. I saw a Ferrero Raffaello Almond Coconut Candy Holiday Box,  and my idea was born.  It was terrible eating those candies,  just to get the box, but we all have to make sacrifices, lol!   (If you really want to be nice, you can give the candy along  with the aquarium.  Personally, I’m not that nice!)

Supplies:  Creative Paperclay®  Viva Las Vegas Steampunk Fish Stamp-Item 15985                       or Plate 1272  A ‘found’ box with window (see my Raffaello box) Flameless LED Tea light Blue Tissue Paper Robin’s Nest Orchid Dewdrops  Blue RickRac & Ribbon that matches the Blue Tissue A sheet of 12 x 12 Scrapbook Paper Stazon Teal Blue Ink Pad  ClearSnap Smooch Pearlized Accent Inks-                                                                           Gold Lame  & Molasses  White Glue & Two way Tape Small rolling pin or something similar Wood or Acrylic block Scissors

The Fish:   1.       Roll a ball of Creative Paperclay® about the size of the fish’s body. 2.       Roll the ball out larger than the entire stamp, then press flat with a     wood or acrylic block to even the thickness. 3.       Goop up the fish stamp with ink, and stamp it into the moist         Creative Paperclay®.  Run your rolling pin over the stamp to                  get an even impression. 4.       Cut the fish out with your scissors, and place the leftover Creative Paperclay® in a plastic bag. 5.       Paint portions of the stamp with the Gold Lame Smooch ink               and portions with the Molasses Smooch ink. Leave some ink          color and natural Creative Paperclay® showing so that you        get a sort of tarnished metal look. 6.       Leave the fish to dry overnight.

The Box:   1.       Cut away any bits that obscure the window. 2.       Cover the box with pieces cut from the 12x12 paper.         I used a combination of the white glue and two-way tape for this. 3.       Completely cover the window with the blue tissue, gluing along         the edges. I chose to place it on the outside of the box, because        I like the shadowing that you get.  It is more fragile this way,        so you may prefer gluing the tissue inside. 4.       Glue the ribbon along the top & bottom of the tissue for a        ‘ripply look’. 5.       Glue the rickrack along the top of blue tissue. 6.       Glue the dried Creative Paperclay® fish on the tissue. 7.       Glue some dewdrops on the tissue for a ‘bubbly’ look.

The Finished Piece:

Place the Tealight inside for a luminary.  I found that if I left the lid  off, my Ferrero Raffaello caught and reflected light from overhead,  so that even without the Tealight, the tissue glows a bit. LED Tealights are pretty safe, but please, make sure the light isn't touching the box, and don't leave it lit while unattended.  It's those exceptions that cause fires! If you like the luminary idea but don't want the aquarium, the stamps on Viva Las Vegas Steampunk Plate 1272  are wonderful for the purpose.  I used a pound cake box for this second luminary, using vellum instead of tissue, and spreading Creative Paperclay® over the front of the box.  I just wish I had had room to add the Steampunk Camel!

For other great paperclay ideas, be sure to check out the project  page at the Creative Paperclay® website!  Come visit my blog, Life Imitates Doodles http://lifeimitatesdoodles.blogspot.com/, for  more of my projects.