Saturday 25 June 2011

Make a Clay Mobile



We've been making A Clay Mobile this week.

<span class=

Clay. I love it!
It is just such a therapeutic medium to work with.

<span class=

We warmed the clay in our hands, (the best part;) then rolled it out to about a quarter of an inch thick.
We cut different shapes out of the rolled clay with cookie cutters.

We made impressions on the shapes using different tools...string, coins, forks, rubber stamps, leaves...

Finally I pushed a hole through each shape with the end of a paintbrush so we would be able to thread our wool through it for hanging.

<span class=

We placed our shapes on a baking tray and baked them slowly on very low heat .

Firing clay in a kiln always produces the best results, if you know a friendly kilns person :)

But I've always found the sloooow baking method works fine as an alternative.

<span class=

We painted and varnished.

<span class=

I made a wreath from some flexible branches.

Willow works really well for this as it is so flexible.

<span class=




9 comments:

  1. ooh. you might make one to hang greeting cards from ... *wink*

    bravo everyone!!!

    beautifully done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. this is a really cool idea. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Those are just beautiful!! How low do you turn your oven, like 200? 225? How long? A few hours? I'm excited to try this with my kiddos this summer!

    Molly

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have an electric fan oven Molly and I turn it to about 50. No more or the clay cracks.
    Also check the clay every ten minutes or so. Ours took about 15 minutes in a preheated oven.
    Then I left them in the oven for an hour or so as it cooled down.
    Have Fun!
    Thanks for your comment :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ok thanks!! I just saw that you are unschoolers! We are too, going on 18 years!!

    Molly

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is so wonderful. I really want to do this! Love your new header.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks like a very fun project, and your finished product is wonderful! What a fabulous job you all did, and I bet you had a blast while you created! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm feeling creative after reading this post and seeing all your beautiful photos, Suzy. We have done similar things with salt dough but we've had to be careful about humidity. Clay? A much better idea.

    btw, I love the photos of your gorgeous daughters. I have 5 girls (besides the boys) too though one is grown up and has left home. I really enjoy my days homeschooling my four daughters.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love your clay creations Suzy. Might look into doing some clay art with our children too.

    ReplyDelete

I treasure each and every one of your comments.
Your kind words never fail to bring a smile to my face:)
At the moment I am going through a busy season of life with 5 girls under my wing! I may not always be able to respond immediately but please know that every word left here is read and appreciated deeply.
xx