Mini Clay Matchbox Dresser

Materials:

1 block each black, gold, copper Kato Polyclay
Shade-Tex texture plates
Kemper flower pattern cutter PC4F
black Liquitex Glossies acrylic enamel
Liquitex iridescent gold acrylic paint
Aleen's Original Tacky Glue
two-part 5-minute epoxy
3 same-size matchboxes
3 metal flat-head thumbtacks
4 straight pins
8" x 8" or larger smooth ceramic tiles for work/baking surface
pasta machine for clay (or 12" acrylic rod or PVC pipe)
Kato Polyclay blade
craft knife
wire cutters
Armor-All, Son-of-a-Gun or similar automotive protectant spray
acrylic rod or brayer
small paintbrush

Note: All clay must be conditioned (hand-kneaded for a minute or two or cut into thin slices and run through the pasta machine several times) before use.

1. Remove the matches and cardboard insert from each matchbox. Paint the front edges of each matchbox and their inserts with glossy black acrylic paint. Set aside to dry.

2. Roll out gold polymer clay on the thickest setting of pasta machine or to 1/8-inch thick with brayer.

3. Apply a thin layer of craft glue onto the top and bottom of one matchbox and let set up for a few minutes. Lay the glued bottom of the matchbox onto the gold clay sheet. Trim excess clay from the edges of the matchbox (figure A).

4. Turn the matchbox over and lay the glued top over the gold clay sheet. Trim excess clay away from the edges of the matchbox.

5. Apply glue to the top of the second matchbox and set the clay-covered matchbox on top.

6. Apply glue to the bottom of the third matchbox and set on top of the clay-covered matchbox (figure B).

7. Marble gold, black and copper clays together by stacking sheets of each color, rolling, and twisting them (figure C).

8. Cut thin slices from the marbled clay with a clay blade and lay over surface of black clay sheet (figure D).

9. Roll the slices into the clay with an acrylic brayer. Run this sheet through the first, then second and finally third largest settings of the pasta machine.

10. Roll half a block of black polymer clay though the largest setting of the pasta machine to make a clay sheet. Place the marbled clay sheet on the top of the black clay. (Be careful not to trap any air between the two layers. If air bubbles form, prick with the tip of a craft knife. Press out air and heal opening with fingertip.) Run these layered sheets through the largest setting of pasta machine.

11. Apply a thin layer of craft glue to the top, sides and bottom of the stacked matchboxes. Let glue sit for a few minutes to become tacky. Cut a straight edge along one length and end of the marble clay sheet and place face down on work surface. Lay the bottom of the stacked matchboxes halfway over the straight edge of the marbled clay end. The front edge of the stacked matchboxes should be aligned with straight edge cut along the clay's length. Wrap the clay sheet around the glued and stacked matchboxes (figure E). Trim away excess clay sheet from the edges of the matchbox with a craft knife as you wrap (figure F).

12. Roll gold clay into a sheet on the largest setting of the pasta machine. Apply a thin layer of craft glue onto the front ends of each matchbox drawer. Let glue set for a couple of minutes to become tacky.

13. Poke a hole in the front center of each matchbox drawer with a needle tool. Press the glued end of each drawer onto a sheet of gold clay rolled through the largest setting of the pasta machine (figure G). Trim excess clay away from the edges with clay blade.

14. From the inside of each drawer, push a flat thumbtack through the hole punched into the cardboard and into the gold clay. Roll three 3/8-inch diameter balls of black clay. Press each black ball over the end of the thumbtacks to form a drawer handle. Slightly press flat with finger. (figure H) Optional: Punch out a small flower using a pattern cutter from copper polymer clay rolled out on the third largest setting of the pasta machine. Press flower over the front of each handle to embellish. Add a small ball of black clay to the center of each flower to decorate.

15. Bake the wrapped matchboxes and drawer inserts on an index card placed on a smooth ceramic tile in a 270 F degree oven for 30 minutes.

16. When the baked dresser and drawers have cooled, insert the drawers into the dresser. Roll half a block of black clay out on the largest setting of the pasta machine. Apply craft glue along the clay edges of the back of the dresser and let set for a couple minutes. Lay back side of dresser over the black clay sheet and trim excess away from dresser top, bottom and sides with a craft knife (figure I). Smooth edges with fingertip. Leave the drawers in place to maintain the shape of the dresser. Slightly pull out each drawer to prevent them from sticking to the clay while baking.

17. Roll out half a block of black clay on the third largest setting of the pasta machine. Place a texture sheet over the black clay. Roll an acrylic rod or brayer over the texture plate to impress design (or texture with a deeply patterned rubber stamp). Trim the textured black clay to 2-1/4" x 4." Roll the ends of the black clay jellyroll-style two or three turns. Apply craft glue to the top and outer edges of dresser. Center textured clay sheet over the glued surface and press sheet in place. Roll the edges up snuggly towards the top of the dresser (figure J). Place the dresser upside down on an index card on the baking tile.

18. Roll four 1/2-inch black clay balls, four 3/8-inch copper clay balls and four 5/16-inch gold clay balls. Slightly flatten each black clay ball. Press the copper clay balls over the top of each black clay ball and slightly flatten with fingertip. Press a gold clay ball over each copper clay ball. Cut four straight pins to 5/8-inch long with a wire cutter and insert through the bottom of the black clay and through the copper and gold clay balls. Turn the dresser upside down and position the four feet (black clay against the bottom of the dresser) just inside the four corners (figure K). Turn the dresser right side up and slightly press the dresser down over the clay feet, making sure the dresser is level. Make adjustments by carefully pushing the dresser down anywhere that it sits too high.

19. Turn the dresser upside down again after leveling and bake over an index card placed on baking tile at 270 F degrees for 25 minutes.

20. When the dresser is completely cooled, carefully pull the feet off and reattach with 5-minute two-part epoxy.

21. Allow the epoxy to set for at least 20 minutes. Antique the top of the dresser by rubbing gold acrylic paint into the textured areas (figure L). Remove excess paint with a damp cloth.