Decorative Photo Memory Box

Materials:

block of Kato Polyclay:
- red
- blue
- yellow
- green
- orange
- black
flower-shaped cookie cutters
Kemper 1-1/2" circle cutter #PCAR
Aleen's Original Tacky Glue
8" x 11" cardboard photo storage box
pasta machine (or 12" acrylic rod or PVC pipe)
Kato polymer clay blade
craft knife
two-part epoxy
double-sided tape
knitting needles (or similar tool)
8" x 8" or larger smooth ceramic tiles for work/baking surface

1. Make three to five polymer clay flowers using several colors and cookie, circle and pattern cutters.

Flower 1: Use a six-pointed star cookie cutter to cut out two yellow flowers from clay rolled out on the third-largest setting of the pasta machine. Lay one yellow star over the other with ends positioned so that they alternate, making a 12-petal sunflower (figure A).

Flower 2: Use the 1-1/2-inch circle cutter to cut six round flower petals from orange clay rolled through the third-largest setting of the pasta machine. Lay each petal halfway over the other to create a scalloped-style circle (figure B).

Flower 3: Roll a 1/2-inch ball of red clay and flatten. Cut six teardrop shapes from a sheet of red clay rolled through the third-largest setting of the pasta machine. Place the six red teardrops around the flattened ball of clay (pointed ends in) (figure C). Optional: Press lines into the petals to create texture with a knitting needle or similar tool.

2. Cut out the center of the each flower with the 1-1/2-inch circle cutter (figure D).

3. Roll 1/8-inch diameter snakes (in a contrasting color clay). Wrap them around the outside edges of the flower petals and line the inside edge of the photo opening (figure E). Trim excess clay.

4. Make perpendicular indentations every 1/8-inch along the lengths of the clay snakes (we used a knitting needle for this) (figure F). This will decorate the snakes while securing them to the flower petals. Bake the flowers on a ceramic tile in a 270 F degree oven for 25 minutes.

5. To make the grass, roll an 11" x 3" sheet of green clay through the third-largest setting of the pasta machine. Cut a straight edge along one length of the sheet with a craft knife. Cut a wavy line along the opposite edge. Apply a thin layer of craft glue to the wavy clay sheet and attach to the lower edge of the photo box lid (figure G). Trim excess clay from the sides of box with craft knife.

6. Roll green clay into three to five 1/8-inch diameter snakes for the flower stems. Trim the stems to various lengths so that the flowers will be positioned at various heights along the box. Glue the stems above the grass, spacing them evenly across the box's surface.

7. Roll half a block of bright green clay into a 3-inch-long snake. Make dark green clay by mixing one part black clay with five parts green clay. Roll the dark green clay into a sheet through the second largest setting of the pasta machine. Wrap the lighter green snake with a layer of the darker green sheet. Trim the ends and roll the wrapped clay to 8 inches (figure H). Trim off edges with clay blade.

8. Pinch the snake into a teardrop shape between thumb and index finger along the length of the snake. Cut two or three leaves for each flower stem. Glue the leaves along the stems with craft glue (figure I). Press vein lines in the leaves if desired.

9. Apply craft glue along the edges of the photo box lid. Allow the glue to sit for a few minutes to get tacky. Meanwhile, cut several dozen thin (approx. 1/16-inch thick) leaf slices from the teardrop-shaped green cane (figure J).

10. Lay the leaves tip over end around the glued edges of the box lid until all the edges of the lid are covered (figure K). Press vein lines in the leaves if desired.

11. Drag vertical lines in the green clay with the tip of a knitting needle tool to create a grass-like texture. Bake the box lid in a 270 F degree oven for 30 minutes.

12. Remove cooled flowers from the baking tile by carefully sliding the clay blade underneath them. Attach selected photos to the back of flowers with adhesive tape (figure L).

13. Glue the flowers to the top of the stems with five-minute setting two-part epoxy.