Lace Clay Bowl
We celebrated my sister’s birthday last weekend in Austin (happy birthday, Steph!). I thought I’d share how I made one of the presents I made for her here.
I got this idea from a great post at Wholly Kao. She has a wonderful tutorial there, but I did a few things differently, so I’m sharing them here.
Supplies:
- Polymer clay (I used one package of Sculpey)
- Wax paper or a smooth surface to roll out clay on
- Lace applique or doily
- A rolling pin
- Round object to trace (bowl, can of veggies, cookie cutter, etc.)
- Medium grit sandpaper
- Acrylic paint
- Clay glaze (in the craft store next to the clay)
First, roll out the clay. I rolled mine out to 1/4″ between two layers of wax paper to avoid getting clay on my table on on my rolling pin. My rolling pin (Joseph & Joseph) is actually really cool and perfect for this in that it has wheels on the edges that you can add/remove to keep whatever you’re rolling at your desired thickness. Then press whatever round object you’re using to trace the bowl onto the clay and use something like a butter knife to cut it out. Don’t worry about rough edges – we’ll fix those later.
Next, place your lace applique wherever you’d like it on the clay circle, place the wax paper back on top, and roll it all flat again. I had a hard time finding the right kind of lace, but Esther at Wholly Kao helped me out. I couldn’t find anything at my local JoAnn’s, Hobby Lobby, or Michaels. But, if you look online (somewhere like etsy) for either applique lace or venice lace there are tons of options. And then you’ll just have to find a shape you like. Most of them are only about $3 each for the size I used here (plus shipping, of course, so I got a few 
). And, if you’re using them for something like this, they’re reusable! You could also use something like a crochet doily for similar results.
Now, place the clay in a small bowl and bake according to package instructions. When it comes out, take some medium grit sandpaper and smooth out the rough edges on the sides of the bowl as well as any imperfections on the surface.
At this point, the bowl would be lovely if you left it alone, but I wanted to add a little color and shine. I tested several methods on some spare clay imprinted with the same lace, and ended up finding what I wanted on accident. I used really watered down acrylic paint to fill in the lace detail. I found that this worked best to add color without covering the lace texture. It settles into the lowest places, so I did a few layers and let them dry with the bowl tilted to get the lace detail on the edges even colored. Then I used Sculpey gloss glaze (found at the craft store next to the polymer clay) over the whole top and edges of the bowl, which gives it a nice shine.
I wanted to give my sister a little something else too, so I made her a zippered pouch like the one I made for my stitch swap partner last month.
I made something similar today using the premo! sculpey. I did roll mine thinner than 1/4 of an inch, probably closer to 1/8. But to my dismay the sides bubbled/puckered a little while baking. Do you think it I’m having this problems because of the thickness?
This is really pretty I would love this as a gift your sister is very lucky !
Beautiful, what a lovely gift. Thanks for sharing.
good afternoon love this idea, did you use a baking dish? please let me know.
I’m not quite sure what you’re asking. I used a glass bowl to bake the clay in so that it would have a slightly rounded shape – is that what you were asking for? If not, comment again or email me and I’d be happy to try to help you out
Julia
If I wanted to make plates which People could eat on, what supplies would I have to change?
I saw this featured at Happy Hour Projects! SO adorable! Where did you buy your clay?
Kelsey
Embracingmessy.blogspot.com
This is so pretty! I love the purple! I would love for you to come and link your project up at my party – Well Crafted Wednesdays! You can find it here:
http://thewellcraftedhome.blogspot.com/2012/04/well-crafted-wednesdays-link-party-1.html
I really like your pretty plate!
I’ve been wanting a little dish just like this to hold my rings in my kitchen windowsill. This is perfect! Thank you! I hope to make one ASAP!
Thanks! I’d love to see pictures when you’re done!
This is beautiful! My sister would love it too! Saving it in my “projects to make” file
This looks fantastic! I want to try basically this same idea but with fondant for my sister’s wedding cake!
That sounds like it would be beautiful!
Another great project! Do you know if you can make them bigger? I’ve never used polymer clay, and it’d be awesome to have a slightly larger one.
I’m sure you could make them bigger – that’d be great! You’d just need a larger circle to trace and a larger bowl to bake it in. I just meant for this to be a small jewelry holder – like on a nightstand for earrings or something. Polymer clay is super easy to work with, and is nice because you can play with it without really needing any specialized tools
FABULOUS! I’m totally featuring you tomorrow! XO, Aimee
Such a great little plate – love it.
This is so beautiful! I love the soft lavender color.
Please consider sharing this on Thingamajig Thursday going on now… http://radcrafter.com/2012/04/thingamajig-thursday-21/
Alida
It’s beautiful. What a great gift.
that is sooooo pretty. great idea! love it.
Beautiful. So elegant and simple.
Wow, that is absolutely gorgeous! What a neat trick! The lace pattern is so elegant and feminine. Thanks for sharing at Shine on Fridays!
So very elegant! Thanks for linking up on Mauvin’ Monday!
So cute! I would love for you to share this with my Unveil Your Genius link party! http://taylornorris.blogspot.com/2012/04/unveil-your-genius-link-party-6.html
(New linky every Thursday…each linky runs for a week)
Happy Sunday!
Gorgeous! You did a great job. I love the color too!
Thats brilliant! Such a great Idea! I love it also a great gift too! thanks for the tutorial!
Sarah @ http://www.allthingsblogs.blogspot.com
AMAZING!! I’ve never seen this before!!
Wow, that is lovely. I want it to hang on my wall. It would make a gorgeous Christmas ornament, too. Great job!
This is beautiful! I think I just found the perfect gift for my mom this year.:) Thank you!
This is a really great project! I would love it if you would come link this up at my Pinworthy Projects Link Party.
This is BEAUTIFUL! I would LOVE to have you share this at my link party going on right now!
http://www.pincushioncreations.com/2012/04/homemade-by-you-7.html
This is so beautiful! I have some extra clay laying around from ornaments, I will have to try this out!
What a lovely birthday gift! I really like the idea of baking it IN the bowl. I would love it if you would consider linking to Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy, a Sunday through Thursday link party for ideas that make life easier, better and more fun!
This is super pretty! I coulda make these for favors or simple gifts nthanks for sharing at Handmade Tuesdays.
That is so sweet and cute! I would love for you to share this (and any other creations) at my new linky party starting this evening “Pin It and Win It Wednesday” @ http://www.cheapcraftymama.com!
I’ve seen this and have been meaning to try it. I should try it today, since it’s cold outside. I like the idea of putting it inside the bowl instead outside, like I had seen. I even have the lace appliques that I’ve had for YEEEEARS and the clay & of course, paint.
Love this!
this came out really great! the purple is a nice touch.
and thanks for the pingback.
This is so darn cute! I bet you could make a great mother’s day gift with it
this is so pretty! i am totally pinning it!
I never thought to bake the clay in a bowl! What a cute gift. So pretty.
Brilliant! You are a really fun sister! I’m so copying this! Thanks! Love your pics, do you have a fancy camera? Happy Spring! New follower.
Aw, thanks! I wouldn’t call my camera fancy, but its not a point and shoot either. I have my dad’s old Canon 20D that I got a couple years ago when he got a new one.