MAKE YOUR OWN DIY STAMPED CLAY BOWLS USING AIR DRY CLAY.

Learn how to make your own beautiful stamped clay bowls using air dry clay. No firing or baking required. You won't believe how easy they are to make.

I'm obsessed with air dry clay. It's easy to use, cheap to buy and doesn't need firing. If you've never worked with air dry clay before I promise you're going to love it.

These diy stamped clay bowls are a lovely project to make on a rainy afternoon. Customise them by changing up the ink and stamps and create your own decorative works of art. You can use them to store jewellery, loose change, keys or even craft supplies. I have mine out on my desk and use them to hold washi tape and paperclips.

SUPPLIES:

Air dry clay,

A selection of stamps or anything else you could use to make an impression,

An ink pad,

A set of small bowls,

A rolling pin,

A craft knife,

And some sandpaper.

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How to Make Your Stamped Clay Bowls:

1. Take your air dry clay and knead until soft. Roll your clay out to about 3mm thick.

2. Ink up your stamp ( I used these stamps) and press firmly onto the clay. Repeat until you have covered the clay with your stamped design.

Try not to press too hard as you want to be able to lift the clay away from the table easily and not stretch out the design.

If you have problems with the clay sticking to your work surface you can roll the clay out onto some greaseproof paper first.

3. Take your bowl and place it upside down on your clay. Use your knife to cut around the edge of the bowl.

4. Peel away the remaining clay to leave the circle of clay behind that will form your bowl.

5. Lift your clay circle carefully and place it inside your bowl. Using your thumbs press the clay down gently into the bowl.

I found it works best if you try and apply even pressure as you work your way around the bowl. Where I pressed too hard the clay bunched up and creased and the pattern became warped.

6. Repeat until you have as many bowls as required and leave to dry overnight.

By the next day the printed side of the clay should be hard enough for you to remove it from the bowl. You may find the clay is still damp where it's been touching the glass bowl. Place your bowls upside down on a baking cooler rack to allow both sides to dry fully.

I found the drying time for this air dry clay differed greatly depending on the weather. In warm weather the clay dried quickly (around 36 hours) but in cold, wet weather it took up to 72 hours to dry.

7. When your bowls are dry, sand away any rough edges.

Please remember these bowls are not food safe. They are to be used for decorative purposes only.

If you want you could add a gold or silver edge to your bowls like I did with these coasters or maybe even varnish them for a glossy finish. I've left mine as they are for now although I have been thinking about this tutorial for marbling with nail varnish and wondering whether or not it might be just what these little guys need to finish them off.