While the male half of our team was carefully choosing the green beauty that would decorate our editorial office, the girls were wondering how to express themselves in decorating the Christmas tree and making its decoration different from every year. Inspired by a trip to a Christmas tree factory, we decided that we should definitely try to make toys with our own hands. Unfortunately, there were no underground glassblowers among us, and we began to invent alternative options. There are quite a few of them, and we will tell you about each in detail.
I took clay toys into my area of responsibility. Polymer clay is very popular among craftsmen: it is easy to handle, like plasticine, and hard after drying, like ceramics.
Still, it was scary to master a new craft on your own. I remembered how I saw Irina Agladze’s wonderful jewelry crafts on the Internet: cute felted animals, charismatic cats and jewelry in the form of food, worthy of living in a roombox.
In general, I plucked up courage and asked to visit in order to learn from the experience. Irina answered me with the most cordial invitation and even promised to invite her friend-craftswoman Evgenia Shatko, so that we would have more sculpting hands and imaginative heads. Zhenya has her own language school, where Ira teaches along with her. As if the main characters of “Fathers and Sons”, the girls were divided into peculiar Slavs and Westerners-Anglophiles: Ira teaches English, and Zhenya teaches Serbian and Slovenian languages. And in his free time from lessons, Ira introduces Zhenya to needlework in its most varied forms.
Needless to say, I went to see the girls in anticipation of magic. But what awaited me in the rented apartment of Ira and her boyfriend turned out to be more wonderful than all my imagination. Firstly, before sculpting, Ira and Zhenya gave me cocoa and “Flight” cake (in my opinion, I have never lived such a sweet life). And secondly, at every step I came across some incredibly sweet and beautiful Irina handmade.
Waiting for me in the bathroom was a decoupage set with roses so realistic that I thought I could even smell them.
But Irina’s favorite person, Denis, began to decoupage the table in the room.
The panels on the kitchen wall are made using the same technique and are combined with delicate curtains and soft cushions for the bench. Ira confirmed my guesses that the curtains and pillows are also the fruits of her creativity, saying that in their family they do everything that can be done with their own hands, and that, in fact, she is not a big fan of the Provence style, but when she saw It was this magnificent jacquard, also sold at a big discount, that decided that the fate of the kitchen was determined in its direction. To each of my enthusiastic exclamations about her skill, Ira modestly answered: “Yes, it’s very simple!”
Seeing my interest in decoupage crafts, the girls suggested the first clay toy do it using this technique. And it turned out to be really very simple. We rolled out plastic from brown clay, cut out a violin from a napkin with a pattern on a musical theme, removed all the extra layers of the napkin, and glued the violin face down to our clay, which we then cut along the contour. To translate the picture, we used perfume, but if available, alcohol or any strong alcohol would do. We decided not to cover our violin with craquelure, let it be like new, without cracks. We inserted a hook for a thread - and our toy is ready to be burned!
I asked Ira to show me a few more methods that were just as easy to implement and that anyone could repeat. Ira thought and said that now we will make a set of patterned toys - a good option for those who like to decorate the Christmas tree in a monotonous manner. Zhenya and I received tasks to roll clay laces, wrap them in plastic, or combine them in a symmetrical way with other laces. I didn’t understand why we were doing this until they began to fold into something pretty when cut.
Ira revealed to us the secret of the “milfiore” (“many flowers”) technique, which is used by Venetian glassblowers. It is by the same principle that they create their intricate, bright and graceful flowers.
Then we cut the resulting blocks into thin squares and circles, and from them we laid out an excellent bright canvas, which was even a pity to cut into toys.
Christmas tree toys made of polymer clay
Zhenya drew stencils of Christmas trees, mittens and Christmas socks on paper, according to which we cut out toys from the canvas using a paper knife.
Using the same stencils, Ira suggested cutting “knitted” toys as well. I sculpted clay yarn, and Zhenya immediately wove it into two-color braids, which are then glued together and form a relief fabric.
It took us less than an hour to produce two sets. And from the remains of white and red sausages, in a few seconds we made delicious lollipops.
Templates also helped us in making the following toys. You don’t need to be a sculptor and you don’t even need to have a good eye to sculpt round animals that look like cartoon Smeshariki. To make even circles, we used an ordinary glass (it looked like we were making dumplings), and we used it to roll out clay like dough, from which we then cut out the parts.
Ira decorated the owls with playful eyebrows. She took small clay balls and pressed them with a needle, and she got very naturalistic feathers!
Five minutes later, Ira, like a magician, was already giving me a red poppy! I asked how she managed to make a fluffy center with stamens so quickly, and the answer was again “very easy”, using nail scissors!
By the way, you can also make a Christmas tree with them.
Over the next ten minutes, the girls made several more New Year's friends in front of my admiring eyes, and we laid out all our art on a baking sheet. “Sonnet” clay, which Ira prefers for its plasticity, brightness and favorable cost, requires firing from three to ten minutes.
In general, after five minutes I was already the happy owner of a whole pile of Christmas tree joys and even one pair of owl earrings for my young niece!
The girls put the new things for our Christmas tree in a box, also decoupaged by Ira herself.
Ira invited me to come again, now for felting lessons, and to look at her group master classes on felting, soap making, modeling and other creativity, which she regularly reports on in her
With the New Year holidays approaching, each of us wants a little miracle. Therefore, we do everything to please our loved ones with pleasant experiences.
But what could be better than DIY New Year's crafts? Especially if they are made from polymer clay beloved child. Polymer clay is gaining more and more popularity every year. After all, using it you can make toys of varying complexity, funny magnets, keychains, earrings, beads, etc.
New Year's crafts made from polymer clay can be original and bright for friends and relatives. Who wouldn't love to receive an adorable snowman magnet or miniature Christmas tree?
General rules for working with polymer clayTo work, you will need a stationery knife, a flat board, toothpicks, wet wipes, various accessories and jewelry. Before starting work, you should thoroughly knead the material in your hands. It is better not to use the whole piece at once, but in small parts.
If you don’t want fingerprints to remain on the finished product, work with gloves. At the end of the work, the resulting product must be baked in the oven.
Let's look at some ideas for making the most popular New Year symbols from polymer clay.
New Year's crafts made from clay
Working on New Year's crafts can be a real holiday for you and your child. Polymer clay will allow you to show creativity and imagination, and your loved ones will receive many wonderful gifts.
Among all kinds of handicrafts and creativity, a special place is occupied by created toys from polymer clay. Designer products, dolls, and plastic souvenirs amaze and delight with their exquisite beauty. But this type of creativity is available not only to professional designers, but also to housewives and mothers. In addition, working with polymer clay is similar to modeling from plasticine, which even children do.
Materials for modeling
For those who decide to make a toy, the main thing is not to purchase anything extra. Next, we will consider what material and additional tools and devices are needed at the initial stage of work.
It is not necessary to purchase plastic of all kinds of colors. It is enough to buy those shades that will be present in the future craft. Polymer clay can be found in specialized departments for creativity. To glue individual elements, liquid plastic is useful, which is also used to cover ready-made toys from polymer clay. The same role is played by plastic varnishes. They can be either transparent or matte, as well as shiny. Their use gives the products brightness and durability. Apply varnish to the toy using synthetic brushes.
Special devices
Expensive tools can initially be replaced with improvised materials. Use ceramic or glass floor tiles as a workboard. Stacks that create various indentations can be replaced with toothpicks, knitting needles, pins, an awl and other handy materials. Also, to create toys from polymer clay, kits can be useful. To roll out the plastic, use a special acrylic roller, which can replace a bottle, eau de toilette and deodorant containers, or any metal rod.
You also need a sharp stationery knife and comfortable finger pads in order to avoid your own fingerprints on toys. And the most important thing is a stand for products and various elements for subsequent baking. For the same savings, you can use cardboard boxes, making holes on top, into which, in turn, insert toothpicks with parts.
As for self-hardening clay, it does not need to be placed in the oven. Products made from it dry at room temperature. But drying devices will also be needed.
MK: we create Christmas tree toys from polymer clay
Above we looked at what tools and materials are needed to work with plastic. Before you begin, prepare all the equipment.
Since it's getting closer New Year, it would be wise to make Christmas decorations from polymer clay. First of all, let's make a Christmas tree. During the work you will need plastic in green, brown and red tones.
To depict a spruce crown, mold a cone out of clay and use nail scissors to make cuts along the entire perimeter at an angle of 45 degrees, thereby creating an imitation of branches with needles. Then, from brown clay, mold a short trunk in the form of a stump.
Don't forget the red star. To do this, prepare a stencil and use it to make a five-pointed figure. As a fastener, carefully thread the wire through the product and place it in the oven.
Christmas tree decorations from polymer clay can be sculpted both flat and voluminous. For example, our Christmas tree is a solid three-dimensional product. Let's look at how to make toys in the form of medallions.
How to make it yourself
In special departments selling creative goods, they offer molds for applying drawings or any relief. At home, texture can be applied to medallions using scrap materials.
Take self-hardening clay and a rolling pin. You can apply the relief using various children's molds, lids, culinary figurines and other useful parts. Petals, leaves and stems of artificial flowers will also come in handy. For painting you will need sponges and acrylic varnish.
We begin the work by rolling out the required amount of polymer clay. We firmly close the remaining plastic from penetrating air. Then we leave pre-prepared prints and stamps on a sheet of clay in a chaotic manner. Then, using a mug, we cut out a medallion with a design. We make a hole for fastening with a knitting needle or a toothpick. We dry it naturally. The New Year's toy is ready.
A very exciting activity is modeling from polymer clay. Toys and dolls turn out surprisingly attractive and natural.
We are sure that polymer clay crafts for the New Year will be a wonderful gift or decoration for your interior! So let's get started quickly! You will need:
- Cold porcelain or plastic for creating flowers
- Paint the colors you like
- Pastel and brushes to apply it
- Scissors with sharp tips
- Floral ribbon (optional)
- Stack for plastics
- A rolling pin or any object that can be used to roll out the material
- Utility knife or blade
- Magnet
- Glue (PVA, white latex, universal “Moment” or superglue
- Wire
- Paper and pencil for templates
Sock
Draw and cut out the shape of a sock from paper.
Mix some blue into the plastic.
Roll out with a rolling pin, apply the template and cut out.
To add texture to the sock, take any fabric, place it on top and roll it with a rolling pin - the pattern of the fabric will remain on the clay. You can also experiment with lace or any textured or patterned surfaces.
If you are working with cold porcelain or self-hardening clay, it is important to add texture quickly, without delaying: then the top layer will set and become elastic.
We mix plastic of a lighter tone than our sock (you can just add white).
Roll out a small piece.
We cut out a strip for the elastic band of the upper part of the sock, apply it, cut it to the required length and glue it (round the sides).
Roll out the light clay again, cut out a semicircle and place the heels in place; cut off the excess and glue it on.
We do the same with the “nose” (place for fingers).
On the toe and heel, using a stack or a piece of wire, we make indentations imitating threads.
We pierce holes on top of the elastic with a stack - like a machine stitch.
We leave it to dry, placing a small object in the sock to create an indentation.
We do the same thing with our future denim pocket, we only change the shape.
We make a dotted line with wire, like threads on a real denim pocket.
We take pastels of white and blue colors, plan the crumbs (more white than blue).
Use a brush to tint the pocket, making “scuffs”.
Brick wall
We make a brick wall on which the Christmas stocking will hang: we paint the porcelain brown, roll it out and cut out a rectangle.
Using a knife or a stack, not too deep, so as not to tear, we make longitudinal strips.
In the same way, we complete the brick drawing with vertical hollows between the lines.
We tint with white and brown pastels.
Holly sprigs
To make dark green holly leaves, take grass and dark green paint and mix it into porcelain.
Make a holly leaf template, roll out the porcelain and cut out the leaf.
Using mold or wire we make veins.
We glue a piece of wire into the middle of the sheet and make a rod. We will need several such leaves.
Now we make the holly berries. Roll out small peas of red plastic. We make a loop on the wire, dip it in glue and plant the berry. Using the wide end of the stack, make a depression in the center of the berry and drop dark brown or black paint into it.
For this, it is better to use acrylic or watercolor, since oil takes a long time to dry.
We make buds: we roll up small pieces of plastic into droplets and string them on a wire.
Using scissors, we make criss-cross hollows. These buds and berries can be made in many different colors and sizes.
For added beauty, add small hydrangea flowers. We place a very small piece of clay on the wire with glue.
We pinch off 4 more identical pieces, roll them into droplets and roll them out into the shape of sharp petals.
Glue them one by one to the base, forming a flower.
Cones will look very beautiful in a bouquet.
To make them, we place a plastic ball on a wire coated with glue.
Using the tips of the scissors, make small cuts in a row in a circle.
Completely cover the ball with “needles”.
Cones of different colors and sizes will look especially impressive.
Candy and gift
For the “candy” we roll out the sausage white, cut to the desired size and bend one end.
Paint the dried and hardened workpiece with a thin brush with red acrylic paint.
It is important to choose a smooth brush, without protruding hairs, otherwise you won’t get neat lines.
We paint with a spiral twisted line along the entire length. Let's dry it.
We mold the “gift” in the shape of a small cube and cut it diagonally with a knife.
Roll out a ribbon of a different color thinly, flatten it with your finger and glue it onto the walls of the gift.
We make a ribbon again and fold it into a bow: we cross the ends, then use a small piece of ribbon to tighten the middle.
Glue the bow, then thread the gift onto a piece of wire.
The preparatory stage is over. We wait for all the parts to dry and harden and begin assembly.
Assembly
Cut the floral tape into thin strips. We take a few berries and holly leaves, put them in a twig and wrap the pieces of wire with ribbon.
In the same way, we collect into bundles all the leaves, flowers, berries and cones that we have prepared.
We glue our bunches and twigs, sweets and gifts onto the base - a brick wall.
It is best to use superglue for this so that everything dries faster.
Lastly we glue the sock and pocket.
Jan 1, 2018 abraxams
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