Polymer Clay Egg

Figure A

Steps:
1. Condition clay thoroughly by kneading or rolling through the pasta machine for several minutes before starting.

2. Start with an emptied egg shell (goose) that can be emptied at home or ordered through an egging supplier.

3. Paint the egg with copper acrylic paint (this may require two coats).

4. Once the paint is dry, place a rubber band around the middle of the egg and mark along the top edge with a pencil.

5. Use a rotary tool with a carbide bit to cut out a small rectangle (slightly larger than the width and slightly narrower than the height of the hinge) along the pencil line (Figure A). Touch-up the cut edges of the shell with copper paint.

Figure B

6. Glue the hinge over the hole with five minute, two-part epoxy (Figure B). Allow the glue to set up for a couple of hours. Be careful to not get glue to close to the hinge mechanism. (Tip: apply a little petroleum jelly over the working sections of the hinge to prevent glue from making contact with this section.

Figure C

7. Punch out various size flowers using the pattern cutters using copper and pearl clays rolled through the fourth largest setting of the pasta machine (Figure C).

Figure D

8. Cut out several leaves from copper clay rolled through the fourth largest setting of the pasta machine. Glue the leaves randomly around the outer, top half of the shell with the high-temp bonder. Roll 1/8 thick snakes using copper clay and glue these at the base of each leaf and curl them around the shell, gluing them in place after forming them as desired (Figure D).

9. Bake the egg shell on polyester batting at 275-degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

Figure E

10. Cut around the remaining pencil mark using the rotary tool to separate the egg into two halves (Figure E). Apply copper paint over the cut edges and just inside the shell.

Figure F

11. Glue a large ball of conditioned, scrap clay into the bottom of the egg to give it weight and balance. Fill in around the ball with a snake of scrap clay (Figure F).

Figure G

12. Roll out two sheets of conditioned copper clay on the fifth setting of the pasta machine and cut two circles using a circle cutter. Glue the center of one sheet to the scrap ball of clay on the bottom of the egg using high temp bonding glue. Form gathers and pleats into the clay to make it look like fabric (Figure G). Use the second circle of clay to cover the inside top of the egg, forming gathers and pleats into the clay. Trim with a clay blade and glue the edges to the egg.

13. Bake the egg shell on polyester batting at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

Figure H

14. Once the shell is cool, glue crystal cording around the outer edges of the top and bottom of the shell using two-part epoxy. Trim excess crystal chain with wire cutters (Figure H).

15. Bond the flowers to the inside faux fabric of the shell's top and bottom halves. Be sure to leave enough room around the center of the base to place a figurine.

16. Glue a cardboard disc (made with a circle template) over the scrap clay to create a platform in the base.

Figure I

17. Place a crystal figurine, knickknack or curio inside the egg attaching it to the clay base using removable poster tack (Figure I).