January is Get Organized Month! - Cole Hardware Cole Hardware

Do you like making things from modeling clay? Do you enjoy sculpting silly creatures, fabulous ornaments and other things to display? Whether you've been using modeling clay for a long time, or you're only just now thinking of trying it, hold it right there! Don't go to the craft store and spend hard-earned money on expensive clay! That would be a crime when you have everything you need to make the clay already in your kitchen cupboard. It's easy to make cornstarch clay that will allow you to work with it just as though it were the more expensive modeling clay. You can make statuettes, decorative dishes, one-of-a-kind decor pieces and much, much more. 

To make the clay itself mix two-thirds cups of salt and a third-cup of baking soda in a small saucepan. Stir in a third-cup of water, place over medium heat, and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl combine a half-cup of cornstarch with a quarter-cup of water. Stir this mixture until smooth. When the salt and baking soda mixture begins to boil, remove it from the burner, then pour it into the cornstarch liquid. Stir the combined liquids until they begin to form a dough. Turn the new clay onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. The clay should be allowed to cool completely before you begin molding it. 

The cooled cornstarch clay is really easy to work with and allows you to use molds or simply sculpt things yourself. Double the recipe - or even triple it - if you intend to make large pieces or you want to make several different things. The original recipe will allow you to make three or four small items or one large decor piece. The finished projects dry with a white, pearl-like finish. To make the dough colored simply add food coloring to the liquid after removing it from the stove. After sculpting the design you can then add any number of items to embellish. You can also use solvent resistant glitter for nail polish, which will perfectly decorate the result of your work.

Kids will have fun using the cornstarch clay to make monsters, aliens, pets and more. They can use cookie cutters to make ornaments, roll the clay into shapes to make characters, or just press the clay onto a flat surface to make geometric shapes. Poke a hole at the top of the design to later make a necklace or insert a cord piece so you can later hang the finished object. Make traditional holiday designs, like snowmen or Easter bunnies, or create unique characters with three eyes and four arms.

You have many choices when it comes to embellishments for the finished creatures or characters. A short list of these include b-b's, beads, buttons, pipe cleaners, small pom-poms, yarn, sequin, stickers, metal nuts and washers, ribbon, small bottle lids, or even pieces of decorative paper. With these items you can create eyes, earrings, hair, hats, arms and other characteristics for the aliens or creatures.

While the kids are making fun people from the dough you can create much more impressive artwork with the new clay. Make vases, decorative bowls, finials, beads, plaques, blocks, and much more. Embellish the finished creations with fake jewels, tiny roping, ornate buttons, lengths of wire, sequin, scrapbook paper and other choices. Browse through a craft store and you'll find zillions of things that will make great accents for the new decor piece.

With a wide array of paint choices you can create many more designs. Nowadays, you can purchase paints that will give the piece a metallic or pearl-like finish. Use various techniques, like patting the paint on rather than brushing, to create different textures. Incorporate other craft items into the finished piece to give you thousands of additional choices. For example, create the piece you want, make it flat on one side, then use glue dots to stick it to a flat, shaped piece of painted wood. Or, set the finished piece on a wooden cube to create a statuesque appearance.

After you're completely finished with the new object set it on a sheet lined with waxed paper to dry. It takes a few days for the clay to dry in open air; you can speed up drying time by implementing fans and/or keeping the new pieces in a heated area. Do not put them in the oven to dry as the clay will often crack. Make sure that, when the exposed areas of the object are dry, you turn the piece over so that the unexposed area can also finish drying.

Cornstarch is cheap and the cornstarch clay is very simple to make. With the various techniques, combinations and designs you can create new decor pieces for a mantle, the centerpiece for your table, candy bowls, kids' creatures, window ornaments, tree ornaments, rearview mirror hangers, fake soaps for the bathroom, unique flowers, and assorted gifts for others. You'll become so addicted to this craft that you'll be forever mixing new batches and creating beautiful new things!

Author: www.lrisy.com