#halfassedcrafts

“I have dreams, you know!” I did a bit of sewing getting us ready for our Memorial Day trip to Vermont - and that sewing, somehow, included finishing these PJ pants which have been languishing in the half-finished pile approximately forever. (So long, in fact, that I had to lengthen the one leg that was cut out, because it was cut for a shorter child.) 

So, last night we tried air dry clay.  I’ve been looking at air dry projects for a while, after finding this listing on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/listing/157262520/mimi-heart-ornament-gift-for-mimi-mimi) which is not actually air dry but is that general aesthetic. Pinterest is also awash with them. Things I bought: a 2.5 lb bucket of Crayola Air Dry clay for $4.88; two new stamp pads because mine were dry and dead.

Rubber stamps are one of those things that people often give me (because I’m “crafty”) but that I actually can’t figure out what to do with. The letter stamps I used had been languishing in my craft room for a looonnnnggg time (and I discovered they were “some assembly required” - we had to stick the letters onto the posts).

If you haven’t done this before, the basic idea is that you just roll out the clay, then stamp it or impress a pattern on it (I see a lot on Pinterest that use lace doily or cable knit sweaters to make patterns). You can also use regular rubber stamps (with ink!) right on the wet clay (which is what we did). 

Once you’ve put the pattern on the clay, then use a cookie cutter to cut the final shape. 

The biggest thing I learned is that parchment paper or some such is CRUCIAL for this project. I did the first one on a laminated place mat and it was a sticky disaster. The clay is very moist and sticks to EVERYTHING.

So, yeah, we did the ones pictured above and a few more that I won’t reveal yet. E reluctantly helped. I have a few additional Grand Ideas that I want to try when we get closer to Christmas, including finding a way to use my Springerle cookie molds to make ornaments, and this awesome house candle holder. (http://www.lachicadelacasadecaramelo.com/2014/11/tres-sencillos-diy-con-pasta-de-modelar.html). (I also love the snowflakes on this page.)

I am very curious to see how white the clay actually dries. All the photos of projects look very white. Mine (while wet) are still a sort of bisque/ivory color, so we’ll see what happens.

On the other hand, here is the candy jar project actually finished.

Things I learned: - Spraypaint is best for lids, but people look at you oddly when you are spraypainting into a box while standing on your sidewalk in your PJs at 730 am. - Using a screwdriver and a hammer to poke holes in the lids is oddly satisfying. (You use the screwdriver as a punch, if its not clear.) - People act much more impressed with gifts when someone says “No, she MADE that.” (To which I repeatedly replied - I didn't make the jar, I just dressed it up for Easter.)

I love those knobs, but they were not the right choice for these jars - they make them look more like bathroom jars than candy jars. Glass knobs would have been a better choice.