While the male half of our team was carefully choosing a green beauty who would decorate our editorial office, the girls were thinking about how to prove themselves in decorating the Christmas tree and make its decoration different from every year. Inspired by a trip to the Christmas tree factory, we decided that we should certainly 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 a lot of them, and we will tell about each in detail.
In my area of responsibility, I took clay toys. Polymer clay is very popular with craftsmen: it is easy to use, 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 the wonderful and jewelry crafts of Irina Agladze on the Internet: felted cutie animals, charismatic cats and decorations in the form of food worthy of living in roomboxes.
In general, I plucked up the courage and asked for a visit in order to learn from experience. Irina answered me with the most cordial invitation and even promised to call her friend Evgenia Shatko, a craftswoman, so that we would have more sculpting hands and fantasizing heads. Zhenya has her own language school, where Ira also teaches with her. As if the main characters of Fathers and Sons, the girls were divided into peculiar Slavic and Anglophile Westerners: Ira teaches English, and Zhenya teaches Serbian and Slovenian. And in her free time from lessons, Ira introduces Zhenya to needlework in its most diverse manifestations.
Needless to say, I went to the girls in anticipation of magic. But what awaited me in the rented apartment of Ira and her young man turned out to be more wonderful than all my ideas. Firstly, before modeling, Ira and Zhenya made me drink cocoa with the “Flight” cake (I think I have never lived such a sweet life). And secondly, at every step I came across some incredibly cute and beautiful hand-made Irina.
In the bathroom, a decoupage set was waiting for me with roses so realistic that I thought I could even smell them.
But Irina's beloved man, 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 suspicions that the curtains with pillows are also the fruits of her creativity, saying that their family does 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, which is 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 offered the first clay toy do it with this technique. And it turned out to be really, really simple. We rolled out plastic from brown clay, cut out a violin from a napkin with a musical theme, removed all the extra layers of the napkin, and glued the violin face to our clay, which we then cut along the contour. To translate the picture, we used perfume, but if available, alcohol and any strong alcohol would do. We decided not to cover our violin with craquelure, let it be as good as new, without cracks. We inserted a hook for a thread - and our toy is ready for firing!
I asked Ira to show a few more easy-to-implement ways that everyone 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 were given tasks to roll clay cords, wrap them in plastics or combine them in a symmetrical way with other cords. I didn’t understand why we were doing this until they began to fold into something pretty on the cut.
Ira revealed to us the secret of the “milfiore” (“many colors”) technique, which is used by Venetian glassblowers. It is by the same principle that they create their intricate, bright and elegant flowers.
Then we cut the resulting bars into thin squares and circles, and from them we laid out an excellent bright canvas, which it was even a pity to cut into toys.
Christmas 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 with a paper knife.
According to the same stencils, Ira suggested cutting “knitted” toys as well. I sculpted clay yarn, and Zhenya immediately wove it into two-color braids, which then stick together to form a relief canvas.
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 wound up delicious candy sticks.
Templates also helped us in the manufacture of 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 sculpting dumplings), but we rolled clay like dough with it, from which we then cut out the details.
Ira adorned the owls with playful eyebrows. She took small clay balls and pressed them with a needle, and very naturalistic feathers were obtained!
Five minutes later, Ira, like a magician, gave me a red poppy! I asked her how she managed to make the fluffy center with stamens so quickly, and the answer was again “very easy” with nail scissors!
By the way, they can also make a Christmas tree.
Over the next ten minutes, the girls made a few more New Year's friends in front of my admiring eyes, and we laid out all our art on a baking sheet. Clay "Sonnet", which Ira prefers for its plasticity, brightness and favorable price, needs to be fired from three to ten minutes.
In general, in five minutes I was already the happy owner of a whole hill of Christmas 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, decoupaged by Ira herself.
Ira invited me to come again, now to the felting lessons, and look at her group workshops on felting, soap making, modeling and other creativity, which she regularly reports on in her
With the approach of the New Year holidays, each of us wants a little miracle. Therefore, we do everything to please our loved ones with pleasant ones.
But what could be better than DIY Christmas 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, key rings, earrings, beads, etc.
New Year's polymer clay crafts can be original and bright for friends and relatives. Who wouldn't love getting an adorable snowman magnet or miniature Christmas tree?
General rules for working with polymer clayTo work, you need a clerical knife, a flat board, toothpicks, wet wipes, various accessories and jewelry. Before starting work, carefully knead the material in your hands. It is better not to use the whole piece at once, but in small parts.
If you do not 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.
Consider some ideas for making the most popular symbols of the New Year from polymer clay.
New Year's crafts 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 needlework and creativity, a special place is occupied by created toys from polymer clay. Author's products, dolls, 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, as well as mothers. In addition, working with polymer clay is similar to plasticine modeling, which even children do.
Modeling materials
For those who decide to make toys from the main thing - do not buy anything extra. Next, consider what material and additional tools and fixtures are needed at the initial stage of work.
It is not necessary to purchase plastic of various 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 covered finished toys from polymer clay. The same role is played by varnishes for plastics. They can be both transparent and matte, as well as with shine. Their use gives products brightness and strength. Apply varnish to the toy with synthetic brushes.
Special fixtures
Expensive tools can initially be replaced with improvised material. Use ceramic or glass floor tiles as a work board. Stacks that create various recesses can be replaced with toothpicks, knitting needles, pins, an awl and other handy material. Also, kits can be useful for creating polymer clay toys. To roll out the plastic, a special acrylic roller is used, which will replace the bottle, toilet water and deodorant containers, or any metal twig.
You also need a stationery sharp knife, comfortable fingertips, 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 economy, you can use cardboard boxes by making holes on top, into which, in turn, insert toothpicks with details.
As for self-hardening clay, it does not need to be placed in the oven. Products from it dry at room temperature. But you will also need drying equipment.
MK: we create toys for the Christmas tree from polymer clay
Above, we examined what tools and materials are needed to work with plastic. Before starting, prepare all the equipment.
As it approaches New Year, it would be reasonable to make Christmas decorations from polymer clay. First of all, we will blind the Christmas tree. In the process, you will need plastic in green, brown and red tones.
To depict a spruce crown, mold a cone from clay and make cuts along the entire perimeter at an angle of 45 degrees with nail scissors, thereby creating an imitation of branches with needles. Then, from brown clay, blind 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 in the oven.
Christmas decorations made of polymer clay can be molded both flat and voluminous. For example, our Christmas tree is a solid three-dimensional product. Let's look at how to make medallion toys.
How to DIY
In special departments selling goods for creativity, molds are offered for applying drawings or any relief. At home, the texture on the medallions can be applied from improvised materials.
Take self-hardening clay and a rolling pin. You can apply relief with various children's molds, lids, culinary figurines and other useful details. Petals, leaves and stems of artificial flowers will also come in handy. For staining, you will need sponges, as well as acrylic varnish.
We begin the work by rolling out the required amount of polymer clay. The remaining plastic is firmly closed from penetrating air. Then we leave prints and stamps prepared in advance on a sheet of clay in a chaotic manner. Then, using a mug, cut out a medallion with a pattern. We make a hole for fastening with a knitting needle or a toothpick. Dry in natural conditions. New Year's toy is ready.
A very exciting activity is modeling from polymer clay. Toys and dolls are 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 soon! You will need:
- Cold porcelain or plastic to create flowers
- Paint the colors you like
- Pastel and brushes to apply it
- Scissors with sharp tips
- Floral tape (optional)
- Plastic stack
- Rolling pin or any object that can be rolled out 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.
Knead a little blue into the plastic.
Roll out with a rolling pin, apply a template and cut out.
To add texture to the sock, we take any fabric, put it on top and roll it with a rolling pin - the fabric pattern will remain on the clay. You can also experiment with lace or any textured surfaces with a pattern.
If you are working with cold porcelain or self-hardening clay, it is important to give texture quickly, without tightening: then the top layer will seize and become elastic.
We knead the plastic of a lighter tone than our sock (you can just add white color).
Roll out a small piece.
We cut out a strip for the elastic of the upper part of the sock, apply it, cut it to the desired length and glue it (round off the sides).
Again we roll out light clay, cut out a semicircle and apply it to the place of the heel; Cut off the excess and glue it on.
We do the same with the “nose” (place for the fingers).
On the toe and heel with a stack or a piece of wire we make indentations that imitate threads.
We pierce holes on top of the rubber band with a stack - like a machine line.
We leave to dry by placing a small object in the sock - so that a recess appears.
We do the same with our future jeans pocket, we only change the shape.
We make a dotted line with wire, like threads on a real jeans pocket.
We take a pastel of white and blue colors, plan a crumb (more white than blue).
We tint the pocket with a brush, making “scuffs”.
Brick wall
We make a brick wall on which the Christmas sock will hang: paint the porcelain brown, roll it out and cut out a rectangle.
With a knife or a stack, not very 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, we take grass and dark green paint, knead it into porcelain.
We make a template for a holly leaf, roll out porcelain and cut out a leaf.
With the help of mold or wire we make veins.
We glue a piece of wire into the middle of the sheet, we make a rod. We need several of these leaves.
Now we make holly berries. We roll up small peas of red plastic. We make a loop on the wire, dip it in glue and plant a berry. With the wide end of the stack, we make a recess in the center of the berry and drip dark brown or black paint into it.
For this, it is better to use acrylic or watercolor, because the oil dries for a long time.
We make buds: we roll up small pieces of plastic with a droplet, string them on a wire.
With scissors we make hollows crosswise. Such buds and berries can be made in many different colors and sizes.
For more beauty, add small hydrangea flowers. On the wire we put a very small piece of clay on the glue.
We pinch off 4 more identical pieces, roll them up with a drop and roll them out in the form of sharp petals.
We glue in turn to the base, forming a flower.
Cones will look very nice in a bouquet.
To make them, we put a plastic ball on a wire lubricated with glue.
With the tips of the scissors we make small cuts in a row in a circle.
We completely cover the ball with “needles”.
Cones of different colors and sizes will look especially impressive.
candy and gift
For the "sweetie" roll out the sausage white, cut to the desired size and bend one tip.
We paint the dried and hardened blank with a thin brush with red acrylic paint.
It is important to choose a brush that is smooth, without protruding hairs, otherwise neat lines will not work.
We color with a spirally twisted line along the entire length. We dry.
We sculpt the “gift” in the form of a small cube, cut it diagonally with a knife.
We roll out a ribbon of a different color thinly, flatten it with a finger and glue it on the walls of the gift.
Again we make a ribbon and fold it into a bow: we cross the ends, then we drag the middle with a small piece of ribbon.
We glue the bow, then we put the gift on a piece of wire.
The preparatory phase is over. We are waiting for all the parts to dry and harden and proceed to assembly.
Assembly
Cut the floral tape into thin strips. We take a few berries and holly leaves, put them in a twig and wind the pieces of wire with tape.
In the same way, we collect in bundles all those leaves, flowers, berries and cones that we have prepared.
On the base - a brick wall - we glue our bunches and twigs, sweets and gifts.
It is best to use superglue for this so that everything dries faster.
The last to glue the sock, pocket.
Jan 1, 2018 abraxams
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