Una Galaxy Bauble Diorama

Materials:

• Paper Magiclay – White – 240g Pack – 10254 • Plastic Bauble Diorama – 19524 • CleverPatch™ Acrylic Paint Tube – Black – 75ml – 16885 • CleverPatch™ Acrylic Paint Tube – White – 75ml – 16886 • CleverPatch™ Fan Brushes – Pack of 10 – 17272 • EC Liquitemp Metallic Paint – Blue – 500ml – 17619 • EC Liquitemp Metallic Paint – Purple – 500ml – 17620 • Giant Popsticks – Natural – Pack of 100 – 17931 • Paper Cups – Pack of 20 – 11085 • CleverPatch™ Gloss Finish – 240ml – 18797 • Glitter Star Sequins – Silver – 25g Pack – 11543 • CleverPatch™ Tacky Glue – 250ml – 16494 • CleverPatch™ Watercolour Palette – 12 Well – 17274 • Rainbow Florist Wire – 1kg Pack – 10242 • Micador Stay Anywhere™ Permanent Pens – Pack of 12 14216 • Acetate Sheets – A4 – Pack of 10 – 11934 • Other Materials Required: Template (page 10), splash mat or scrap paper, ruler and scissors

1. Use Paper Magiclay to create the shape of Una. You will need to make sure that she is small enough to fit inside the plastic bauble. We have provided a template on page 10 to make this step easier. Allow the clay to dry. 2. While the clay is drying, paint the inside and outside of your plastic bauble black. You may require a few coats of paint. Allow to dry between coats and then allow to dry completely.

4. Use giant popsticks to mix blue and purple metallic paints with gloss finish in individual paper cups. We used a ratio of 1:1. You will only need a small amount of each colour for 1 bauble. 5. Keeping your work surface well covered, place the blue and purple mixtures onto the bauble, then pour a small amount of gloss finish over the top to help the paints mix and flow over the surface. Use a popstick to help swirl the paint and gloss until the entire outside of the bauble is covered. Leave to dry making sure to prop the bauble up so it’s not sitting flat on a surface. 3. Cover your work area with a splash mat or scrap paper and place the bauble opening down. Wet your fan brush with water and then load it up with white paint. Hold the brush above the bauble and tap it against you hand so the paint spatters over the bauble like a galaxy of stars. Continue until the outside is completely spattered then allow to dry.

6. Allow the bauble to completely dry. This will take at least 24 hours. You want the surface to be clear and shiny and for the tackiness of the gloss to have completely gone.

The gloss finish creates a beautiful, shiny galaxy for Una to float in!

7. Decorate your dried clay Una shape. We have used watercolour and a permanent pen, then added some cute glasses made from florist wire. Simply bend the wire into shape, then use tacky glue to attach to Una’s face.

These cute little dioramas are perfect for decorating a special National Simultaneous Storytime reading area!

8. Place Una on top of a sheet of acetate and use a permanent pen to draw a circle around her head to create her space helmet. Cut out with scissors and glue in place on the back of her head. Adult supervision is recommended when using scissors. Cut a 6cm piece of florist wire and peel off the rainbow foil. Glue the wire to Una’s back – this will be used to ‘float’ her inside the bauble. 9. Once the bauble is dry on the outside, use glue to stick star sequins on the inside. Allow to dry. 10. Carefully thread the wire attached to Una’s back up through the hole where the hanger is. Bend the wire over once you have Una in position to hold her in place. Your Una Galaxy Bauble is now ready to hang!