Rebecca's Corner: Polymer Clay Dish

Make your own... Polymer Clay Dish

Here's a fun weekend activity for family and friends! What's better? It's kidfriendly! Visit your local craft store for supplies and follow these easy steps to create your own dish.

Supply List

• Polymer Clay - I suggest at least three colors and to buy the small packs. (Depending on the size, you may want more or less clay)

• Taco Salad Shell Baking Dish or Any small ovensafe dish

• Rolling Pin

• Knife • Small Paintbrush

• Clear Spray Sealer

• Gold Paint

Directions

1 Preheat your oven to 225 degrees OR what the temperature on your polymer clay package states.

2 Take your clay and rip/tear it into smaller pieces; the pieces do not need to be uniformed; this helps with the marbling effect.

3 Once you have a mix of the different colors, start kneading it like dough, pushing it all together to form a thick disk.

4 Use the rolling pin to flatten the disk. Then fold in half and roll again. You want to do this several times to get the clay marbled.

5 Once it is marbled to your taste, roll it out one last time to 1/4 of an inch thick.

6 Using your knife cut the clay into a circle of the desired size. Polymer clay has been on the market since the 1970s. Still, within the last couple of years, it has gone from a medium to make cute figurines to popular material for artisans to make earrings, pendants, and even ring dishes. Unlike its cousin, the air dry clay, polymer clay needs to bake in the oven to harden and become durable enough for wear and use. Heading into the polymer clay world can be overwhelming, with the color options and plethora of tools available. Luckily this project is perfect for beginners if you want to make something cute, usable, and with a minimum skillset.

7 Place this circle of clay into your taco salad shell dish or the oven-safe dish of your choice.

8 Place on the middle shelve of your oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Check your clay packaging for the exact baking time. You do not want to cook it too long or not long enough because it will not harden correctly.

9 After it is baked, gently take it out of the dish and let it cool.

10 Once cool, it will be completely hardened. Now it is time to paint. Take your small brush and carefully paint only the edge of the dish with the gold paint. It may take several coats to cover the clay fully.

11 After the paint is dry, spray the piece with a clear coat sealer to add an extra layer of durability.

12 Fill with your favorite baubles!