Flower Pot Pen Holder

Materials:

Fimo polymer clay:
- sunflower yellow
- emerald green
- tropical green
- black
- caramel
- cherry red
- brilliant blue
- white
ink pen
Fimo clay cutters:
- large leaf teardrop
- small leaf teardrop
- flower shape
craft knife
pasta machine or brayer (optional)
orange decorating chalk
1-3/4" tall clay pot
scrap clay or aluminum foil
4" of 20-gauge green Fimo wire
about 3" black wire
pliers
toothpick
glue

1. To make the sunflower pen: Remove the ink cartridge from the pen with pliers.

2. Flatten emerald green clay to 1/8-inch thick or to a #3 setting on the pasta machine.

3. Cut a rectangle approximately 1 inch wide by the length of the pen. Place a pen along the edge and roll clay over pen until it meets at the seam (figure A).

4. Trim excess and gently roll back and forth along the seam to smooth). Smooth seam with fingertips.

5. Flatten tropical green to #5 setting or 1/16-inch thick. Cut a 1/4" x 8" strip and wrap this in a spiral around the pen. Trim excess.

6. Flatten emerald green to a #1 setting or 1/4-inch thick. Use teardrop cutter to cut 17 leaves (figure B).

7. Flatten the emerald green to 1/8 inch. Place clay pot upside down on flattened clay and cut out a circle. Set this aside.

8. Flatten sunflower yellow clay to the #1 setting or 1/4-inch thick. Cut seven teardrop shapes for petals. Draw vein marks on the petals with a toothpick (figure C). Press rounded ends together.

9. Flatten a 3/8-inch caramel ball and press this into the center of flower. Draw marks with a toothpick (figure D).

10. Press two sets of three leaves together. Press one set of leaves on left side of pen and one set on the right side (figure E).

11. Press the flower in the center (figure F).

12. Flatten a 1/2-inch emerald green ball and press onto back of flower. Make sure all parts are securely attached to pen. Bake according to manufacturer’s instructions.

13. To make the pen holder: Fill clay pot half full with aluminum foil and top with scrap clay.

14. Press emerald green circle over opening. Press remaining leaves around clay pot, allowing them to hang over edges (figure G).

15. To make the bee body: Shape a 1/2-inch sunflower yellow ball into a teardrop.

16. Flatten black to 1/8-inch thick and cut strips approximately 1/8-inch wide. Wrap strips around the body for stripes.

17. To form a head, roll a 1/4-inch ball of sunflower yellow into a teardrop. Bend the point slightly to the side. Poke a hole on each side of point/nose. Press in two tiny glass seed beads for eyes and draw eyelashes with a toothpick.

18. Use a toothpick to press into the clay and draw a mouth like the ones visible in figures H and K. Press the head on to the body.

19. Cut the 3 inches of black wire into two equal pieces and slightly bend each in half. Insert one into the bee's head on either side. Then roll small balls from the yellow clay scraps and press one onto each of the remaining ends of the wires for antennae.

20. Flatten two 1/4-inch white balls and shape into teardrops (figure I). Press together for wings and repeat this step. Press one set of wings to each side of bee body (figure J).

21. To assemble: Curl green wire around pencil leaving 1/2 inch on ends straight. Press bee onto one end (figure K) and poke the other end down into the pot.

22. Press the baked pen down into the clay pot about 1/2 inch and remove. Make sure the pen stands upright.

23. Bake the clay pot and let cool. Place the pen into the holder.