Enjoy the process--wise and true words. Creating, crafting is and should be just as much about the process as it is about the outcome. Play is important for adults too. So, while I had no idea how this Valentine's Day project would turn out and while it looks completely different than what I was planning, I had fun making it and I like what I came up with to add a golden touch of love to my winter centerpiece.
I wanted to make a few, chunky, wood looking hearts to place in the winter centerpiece. I wanted to use what I had and decided to make a DIY air dry type of clay. The clay was the perfect medium for this project. I wanted the hearts to be chunky and irregular with lots of texture. I definitely achieved that look with the homemade air dry clay. What I didn't get was the look of wood that I was after.
First, let me share how to make the clay. Combine 1 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add 3/4 of a cup of water and turn heat on to medium low. Stir constantly until a ball of dough forms. Remove from heat and kneed until cool on a surface floured with cornstarch. At this point, shape, roll, form dough into whatever shape you'd like.
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Okay, so this is the point where my chunky hearts went astray. I decided I need to add some texture to them. I should have donned my old lady reader glasses so I could better see what I was doing, especially in the white clay. I decided to use my faux wood graining tools (BUY HERE), but didn't clearly see just how well they were working and how much texture they were adding. In retrospect, I think using a toothpick to add some wood grain and lines would have been better. I did push divots and lumps into the hearts.
I let the clay air dry and it took a couple days. You can dry it in a 175 F oven if you want to speed up the process. So, when I put my readers on and actually saw how textured the clay hearts were, I said, "Hmmm...they don't look like wood, but I think I work with this." I decided to try and make it look like a funky, bronze paperweight.
and then I rubbed Antique Gold Rub-n-Buff all over them (Buy RUB-n-BUFF HERE).
I dabbed some black paint on over the gold to add a little more age and patina. The Rub-n-Buff gives these hearts a great look and feel. They are smooth and feel like real metal.
I made three hearts, each about 3.5"-4" tall and placed them in my winter, kitchen table, centerpiece that I shared HERE.
The chunky, golden hearts add subtle Valentine's Day decor to my home without going overboard. I love that I didn't feel the need to create an entire new Valentine's Day centerpiece--these are the perfect, simple addition to the centerpiece.