How to Make a Floral Wreath With Clay

Brighten your mom's day with this colorful clay floral decoration.

Clay might not be the first thing you'd think of when it comes to creating something from the material. But this clay wreath, designed by artist Yukiko Miyai, yields a stunning result and will have you rethinking projects to create out of clay.

What You'll Need

Materials

  • Crafter’s Clay Nature Starter Kit (Martha Stewart Crafts Crafter's Clay Nature Starter Kit)
  • Scissors
  • Fan
  • Craft glue
  • 20-gauge wire (Anezus 20-Guage Jewelry Wire)

Instructions

  1. Create desired colors of clay by mixing small amounts of chosen primary colors with larger amounts of white clay. (Tip: Pull and knead clay like taffy to thoroughly incorporate color.)

  2. To make a two-tone flower, choose two colors of clay and press a small ball of the first color into the center of the desired mold. Fill in the rest of the mold with the other color, smoothing as you go and trimming any excess clay with scissors.

  3. Carefully remove the completed flower by gently pulling the edges of the mold while pushing up in the center. Set flower aside, under a fan, to air-dry for two to three hours.

  4. Create the base of a wreath by mixing two 2-inch balls of green or brown clay and rolling each into a 26-inch long rope. To roll out a rope of even thickness, use the base of both palms and apply pressure from the center toward the ends as rolling.

  5. Twist the ropes together and join the ends by pressing the clay together with your fingers. Place it on a firm surface and shape the wreath as desired.

  6. Attach the flowers as desired using craft glue. For an overlapping effect, flowers can be cut and trimmed with scissors and glued underneath or beside whole flowers.

  7. Create embellishments by forming butterflies and birds from the desired clay, affixing to 20-gauge wire and inserting into the dry wreath as desired.

  8. Set the wreath aside, under a fan, and let it dry completely for at least 24 hours before hanging.

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