Kid-friendly Magnet Project

Today I have an easy-peasy project for kids of all ages. Magnets made from Delight™ air dry modeling compound. I like using Delight™ for this project because it is so light weight when dry that the strength of the magnet focuses on holding up the paper you're displaying (probably a child's artwork!!), and not keeping the magnet face in place.

Here are the supplies that Chloe, my grand daughter, and I used to create our magnets.

First, we used that cute pink and white rolling pin to roll a piece of Delight™ to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Next, we used the canape cutters—3/4 inch and 1 1/4 inch diameter— to cut out our circles. First part of the project done!!

After the magnet faces were dry we stamped a small design on each one using StazOn Timber Brown ink. So far, Chloe's done all the work, but I did the resin coating on the top of each magnet face. This step is optional. I thought it added a professional finish to our magnets—plus I like working with resins.

Last, was gluing the magnets to the backs of each piece with liquid glue. Here is a sampling of our finished project.

Variations on this project include coloring the Delight™ with food coloring prior to rolling and cutting. Just knead a couple drops of coloring into the Delight™. You could also use stamp pad inks or acrylic paints.

For an older child (Chloe is four) you might want to use larger cookie cutters and let the child paint the magnet faces. Or, instead of cookie cutters, freehand cut the Delight™ with a clay tool or blunt knife. 

Note: When I showed Chloe the blog post featuring our last project, she was excited to see "her" creation online. She asked why my picture was at the bottom of the post. I explained that it was because I did the project for the Creative Paperclay design team. She thought for a moment, and then said, "I did the project, too. Where's my picture?" So, I've included a photo of my co-designer on this post. :)

Carole	Chloe
Table Cell	Table Cell

Adding the Narrative to Your Art with Creative Paperclay®

As a narrative artist my work is about visual storytelling. I often add words to my art as a background or an accent. It may be handwriting, collaged words or dimensional words either store bought or made with Creative Paperclay®. Using it as a sweet spot in a painting, I find it is a great element for drawing the viewer into the art. These samples are details from three separate paintings I added it to.

Supplies:
Creative Paperclay®
Alphabet stamps, texture plates
Paint

So easy — the clay was applied to the art and stamped. When clay was dry, I added a burnt umber or red oxide acrylic paint then applied a gold rub when the paint had dried.

As always, thanks and dream in color! — Darlene Olivia McElroy

Creating Clay Cutters from Paper mache forms By Gloriann Irizarry

Creating Clay Cutters from Paper mache forms 

Hello my dear  friends. This is Gloriann's June Creative Paperclay Tip

I will show you a neat trick to make oversize clay sheet form cutter.

Paper Mache forms come in many forms, sizes, styles and shapes so feel free to choose your
favorite and let me show you how to used it over and over for many projects to come . 

I start by using my favorite roller and rolling a clay sheet to the desire thickness.

I will not roller thinner than 1/4 so it will stay strong when it dries.

I choose a cute peace sign of paper mache I found at my local craft store.

They do come solid so a little cutting is required only on the once side of the letter. 

Be careful to cut it has even has possible and use a sharp blade or saw. 

This is how it will look once the entire side is cut off

Now put the shape on top of the clay sheet to like an oversize cookie cutter and use your roller 

to make sure the pressure is even distributed and the clay will cut nicely

Remove the paper mache for to reveal the amazing oversize print sheet ready for you to create anything you will like to used it for.

carefully remove any excess and let it dry completely before using it.

At this stage you can sculpt, stamp or imprint any detail to your letter then let it dry.

I like to place my shapes to dry on cookie cooling trays because the air flows better than laying on the table.

 

Now this technique can be apply in just about anyt paper mache form 

making the possibilities endless for you to create.

Now you will never see the Paper Mache Craft Store section the same way on your next visit.

Feel free to comment , explore or make any question and has always have fun creating. 

Many Blessing and Happy Crafting !

Sincerely Gloriann Irizarry

Creative Gift Boxes with Rachel Whetzel

WHAT YOU'LL NEED to make your own gift box:

A box that you can repurpose, or a new box. Either should be made with a paper like finish.

Creative Paperclay®
Paints. I use Folk Art acrylic craft paints.

Stain. I used Valspar antiquing stain, and Ranger Ink Distress Inks (walnut)
Paint brushes
Scissors
Papers (I used an old dictionary page)
Glue. I used Elmer's School Glue for this project. 

Texture Plates, Rubber stamps, and other items for creative texturing. 

Wet the surface of your box, and start pressing clay into it.

When the top is completely covered, start pressing texture into the wet clay. I cut some punchinella, and pressed that onto the top.

To get a lot of my pieces pressed well into the top, I would turn the box top upside down and press into the counter tops.

I kept layering stamps and texture plates until I got the look I liked.

Once the top was dry, I sanded the sides of the box smooth, and glued dictionary pages around the outside. Once the glue was dry, I trimmed the excess paper.

Then I painted the top of my box! Once the paint was dry, I layered in shading by using stain (black paint would work too) and wiping the surface, leaving black in the crevices of the piece, and allowing the blue paint to show through. I used some of my Alumidust BRONZE to add a fun bit of color and shimmer on the US Art Quest stamped area, by using my finger to lightly dust the piece and rub the bronze in.

When I was all finished with my layering, I finished off the look by using Ranger Ink's Distressing Inks to darken up the edges of the box. Then I topped the whole thing off with a pretty white piece of twine.

I also played a bit with the twine placement, so that the lid could be removed without taking off the twine. Now I have a really cool, totally unique gift box to put something pretty in!!

Thanks for reading! If you'd like to keep up with me, and see more of what I'm up to, I'd also love it if you'd visit MY BLOG and Subscribe! You can also find me on FACEBOOK!

June Design Tip, Alternative to sanding by LuLu Lancaster

Hello This is LuLu and I have a design tip for those of you who can be impatient...like me ;)

Gesso instead of sanding.

Sometimes I want my Art Dolls to have skin as smooth as can be and once in awhile a piece just doesn't require that smoothness. 

Simple acrylic gesso found at any craft art supply store is a great medium to use as a base for your next raggedy sort of project.

 Once your sculpture is dried just generously paint the gesso over and apply a couple coats.

 Easy as can be and the finish is perfect for applying your paint, artist pencils or pastels.

Coats of Gesso

applying paint 

Creative PaperClay® Heads all finished :)

Thank you so much I hope you have found this Tip helpful :)

LuLu

LuLusApple

Lynda's Project -

Okay - if you noticed my last blog post, I was working on a project that I didn't like how it was turning out!   The post will give you tips to help you get your project to look it's best, and what to do if it's not!  Funny thing after creating the piece - though I didn't do a "perfect" job, I like how it turned out in the long run!   

Supplies needed:  
Creative Paperclay - 2 packages
White, green, blue paint
KI Bakery Twine
KI Metal Charms
US Art Quest rubber stamp
Yellow, blue and green flowers
White buttons for the middle
Something to roll out your clay
Basic tools to work with the clay

Each decision I made - affected the others I wanted to make... such as how high I wanted the box, how big I wanted it, and how I wanted it to ultimately look when it was all done!  Take the time to create the perfect "thing" for you, even if it's planning on paper first!  What started out as not so good - ended up being finished up perfectly for me and my needs!  

Directions:  
Step one:  Find a box you want to use - I used a Priority mail box the clay was shipped in for my box!  Make sure to get each of the dimensions for the sides and bottom.  
Step two:  Start to flatten out each of the pieces you will need for the box -about 1/8" thick or so.  Cut out the size you will need for the bottom piece first, and place it on the bottom of the box.  
Step three:  After you flatten out the side piece, take the rubber stamp sheet you have selected, and start to place it on the clay - flattening with something that rolls, such as a glass or rolling pin. (**Do this softly at first to get a feel for what you want it to look like.)  Add this to the first side of the box so it connects to the edge of the bottom piece. 
Step four:  Repeat above step 3 more times to get each of the sides done.  As you are finished with each piece, add it to the clay bottom until you are done.  
Step five:  Let dry...  After box is completely dry - paint with the white paint (all over), doing two coats at least.   Paint the details green and blue.
Step six:  After paint has dried, start to add the paper flowers and buttons to the box.   Make sure to use hot glue for this step so the flowers and buttons stay on.
Step seven:  Add the Bakers Twine and Charm to the top of the creation - and you are done! 

The hardest part truly is the making of the box itself, though it was worth it for me!  You can see how I just put "things" in it I am working on...so my desk is not so cluttered!  I hope you enjoy this project as much as I have had in making/sharing it!   

Lynda Jeffs

Memories in Tyme and

Creative Paperclay Design Team

  

 

Compact Mirror using Creative Paperclay® and Us Art Quest

Hi, it's Donna from Memes Art Place!
I am you designer of the day!

Today, I have a compact mirror we will be altering!

 Supply List
*Creative Paperclay®
*Rubber UsArtQuest.com
*Compact Mirror
*Glue
*Paint - Acrylic
*Perfect Pearls/Ranger
*Sealer

This is a very easy project and would be great for kids to make!

You start with a compact mirror-I picked this up from Micheal's for $2.00.

 Now you will just pop off the disc.

 Roll out some Creative Paperclay®

 

 You can turn you compact over into the Creative Paperclay® and push down. (I did put some glue in before pressing down, just to make sure it would stick after drying) Clean up the sides and now we take our rubber from Us Art Quest and press it into the Creative Paperclay®

 Look at the great impression the rubber from Us Art Quest has left!

 I used my Golden Fluid Acrylics and just painted it onto the surface. I then took a paper towel and dampened it and did a quick wipe. This is what was left behind. I did not want it to be all one color.

 Take your Perfect Pearls and using a paint brush paint the Perfect Pearls where you would like them. This will give you a very nice shimmer.

 Seal and enjoy!

Can you see the shimmer? I wish you could see this in person, the photo does not give you the full beauty of the rich color!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed this quick fun way to alter a compact mirror. I wish to Thank Us Art Quest for supplying the rubber used today!

If you would like to see what I am up to you can find me Donna at - Memes Art Place

Tips for Working with Kids and Creative Paperclay

The fourth Friday of each month I'll be posting a Creative Paperclay project appropriate for kids. So, today I thought I'd share some general tips I've found that make kids' projects more successful.

1. Before you begin the project, set the ground rules and expectations. Keep them short and sweet. One of my ground rules is that the clay needs to stay on the teflon mat. Let kids know that the clay needs to dry, so they don't expect a finished project immediately.
2. Select a few tools to work with. I generally have three of four things available. A rolling pin. The handle of an old paint brush for drawing and etching in the clay. Cookie cutters. Texture plates. Embossing folders. Shapes cut out of chipboard for tracing and cutting clay shapes. Clay extruder. And the list goes on. You probably have other craft tools, too, that can do double duty as clay tools. Lots of household items are great for clay work—like a fork for textures. Remember, kids don't need every tool for every project. 
3. Sometimes it's nice to collaborate on a project with kids, especially younger ones. Let the kids do everything they can, but let the adult work with the sharp or difficult tools. My grand-daughter loves the clay extruder, but her hands aren't strong enough to depress the plunger. So, we cooperate. She selects the tip and rolls the clay into a long narrow snake that fits into the tube. She loads the tube, and I press the plunger. 
4. You don't always have to have an end in mind. Give kids a lump of paperclay, and let them have at it. Certainly not all their products will be museum quality, but if your child is happy with the end results, it is a success. The point is for kids to have fun and learn to enjoy art and working with clay.
5. Decide how long you intend to spend, or if you're OK with an open-ended time period. If the child decides to leave the project before it's complete, I say let them go. Art is supposed to be fun, not punishment and something to be endured. I do have a ground rule that you can't just walk away—the work area and tools need to be cleaned and the clay put away.

I hope you have fun introducing the young ones in your life to Creative Paperclay.

Carole

Golden Twitter (or should it be Tweet, Tweet, Tweet)

This technique actually reminds me of an old plaster technique. While cruising the web, I saw people creating beautiful work by carving into plaster and Creative Paperclay® and just had to try it. Since it has wonderful adhesive properties, I find it sticks well to most surfaces plus love how it takes paint. This piece has metal leaf, paint and deconstructed raised stencils.

 

Supplies

Creative Paperclay®

Clay carving tools

Acrylic paint

Wood Panel

I started with a wood panel that I applied clear gesso to. It wasn't necessary but since I didn't know if I was going leave the wood showing or not it seemed like a good thing to do. When dry, I sketched out my design.

At this time I added the paperclay to the surface, carving as I added more. When it dried, I finished it with paint, metal leaf and the stencils.

Thanks for letting me share this with you and visit me on my blog - darleneoliviamcelroy.blogspot.com.

Darlene