Introducing our air dry clay kit from London Wildflower!
Welcome to the Cosy Craft Club's air dry clay month! We really want to encourage you to have a go at working with clay, it’s so fun! You can find all our air dry clay posts in one place here.
Each month at Cosy Craft Club we send out a lovely kit to try a different craft to our subscribers (if that sounds like fun and you’d like to subscribe, you can do so here). This month’s kit is this air dry clay kit from London Wildflower.
It's packed full with all the tools and clay you need to have a go at making your own designs - and it includes a little booklet with useful techniques and inspiration to get you going. The clay that is included is a lovely terracotta coloured mineral clay. Here’s a little peek inside the box:
This kit is one that doesn’t come with a specific thing to make with it - it’s completely up to you! I find that some people prefer to work this way, while others are a bit scared of it! I am definitely in the latter category, I like to know what to do. But the instruction leaflet does give you some ideas of things to make, and there is also a wealth of inspiration online - check out our air dry clay Pinterest board for lots of lovely ideas!
The first thing I attempted to make was a little pot. I rolled out the clay for the side, and decided I wanted to do a scalloped top to the pot. I didn’t have any cutters that were the right shape, so I cut a piece from a toilet roll inner and used that! It wasn’t a perfect curve but it did the job. They say that necessity is the mother of invention :)
Sadly, my little pot cracked as it was drying. I was really disappointed. I think the main reason was that I was rushing to finish as I had to pick my children up from school! Lesson learned there: allow lots of time when working with clay. Also, take real care to ensure your joins are really well sealed - it was the join that cracked.
With my second make, I decided to try something simpler - a pressed flower wall hanging. I had learned a lot about working with clay from my first make, especially regarding handling the clay. I found that the best way to keep it looking neat was to handle it as little as possible and be really careful not to poke your fingers into it unnecessarily. You can cover up marks by wetting the clay a little and smoothing it, but it never comes out quite as neat as when it is freshly rolled!
To cut out my circle shape, I covered the rolled-out clay with cling film and pressed out a circle using a bowl. The cling film gives the edge a nice rounded appearance, which looks really smart! (Thanks to Alice from Twinkle and Twine for the tip!) I chose some flowers and plump grasses from my garden (you need to choose things with a good thickness for them to show up), placed them on top of the circle and pressed them in with a rolling pin. I was so pleased with how it came out!
One of my favourite things about Cosy Craft Club is seeing what my subscribers make with their kits, and I loved seeing all the clay makes. Here are a few that I was sent photos of, aren’t they amazing?!
This kit is so great if you want to try something completely new and just play around and try things! You never know what you will end up with. This kit is available from the Cosy Craft Club shop here if you’d like to make your own clay creations!
Rachel x
Cosy Craft Club is a craft box subscription - receive a beautiful kit to try a different craft every month! All our kits are suitable for beginners and contain everything you need to sit down and get crafting. Our kits are also available to purchase individually (subject to availability).
