Baby Blocks
By Heather Roselli

Materials:

• Baby I Love You - Sculpey Flexible Push Mold
• Premo! Sculpey Polymer Clay in:
  • White 5001
  • Pearl 5101
  • Black 5042
  • Cadmium Yellow 5572
  • Orange 5033,
  • Seagreen 5305
  • Cobalt Blue 5063
  • Fuchsia 5504
  • Purple 5513
  • Beige 5092
• 2-1/2", 2", and 1-1/2" papier-mâché blocks
• Old toothbrush or coarse sandpaper for texturing
• Sculpey Super Slicer blade
• Needle or Needle Tool
• Clay Shaper tool or cuticle stick
• Tiny Black Glass Beads
• Translucent Liquid Sculpey (TLS)
• ~1/4" Tiny Letter Rubber Stamps
• White Acrylic Paint
• Blush or pink chalk

Directions:

Pearl White = 1 part Pearl + 1 part White

Light Gray = 1 part Black + 8 parts White

Baby Yellow = 1 part Cad. Yellow + 4 parts White

Baby Blue = 1 part Cobalt Blue + 12 parts White

Baby Orange =1 part Orange + 8 parts White

Baby Pink = 1 part Fuchsia + 12 parts White

Baby Green = 1 part Seagreen + 10 parts White

Baby Purple = 1 part Purple + 6 parts White

Baby orange for the beak & legs

Baby yellow for the hat center

Baby purple for the hat

Pearl white for the body
Remove from mold and press in black beads for eyes and add eye creases with needle tool.

Baby pink for the heart

Baby green for the leaves

Pearl white for the wheel centers

Baby blue for the trim, handle, & wheels

Pearl white for the body

Remove from mold and set aside.

Beige for the front arm

Pearl white for the diaper

Baby yellow for the hair

Beige for the body

Remove from mold and press in black beads for eyes, add a tiny ball of beige for a nose and add eye creases with needle tool.

Light gray for the legs and snout

Pearl white for the body

Remove from mold and press in black beads for eyes.

Baby pink for heart

Pearl white for body

Remove from mold and press in black beads for eyes and add eye creases with needle tool.

Baby orange for wheels and beak

Baby yellow for body

Remove from mold and press in black beads for eyes and add eye creases with needle tool.

Baby pink for heart

Baby purple for cap

Beige for nipple

Pearl white for bottle

Remove from mold and set aside.

Baby yellow for trim

Baby green for bootie

Remove from mold and set aside.

Baby pink for center stripe

Baby purple for top trim

Baby blue for handle

Baby yellow for body

Remove from mold and set aside.

Mold one each from baby orange, pink, blue and purple. Use rubber stamps to impress a letter in the center of each block. Spell out B-A-B-Y, L-O-V-E, or A-B-C-D, etc

Cut a strip slightly wider than the width of the block from a thin sheet (#4 setting on an Atlas pasta machine) of baby green clay. Starting at one corner, wrap the strip smoothly around four sides of the block, pressing out air bubbles as you go. Cut strip where it meets the original edge of clay and smooth seam. Lay 5th side of block onto another #4 sheet of baby green clay and cut around block. Do the same for the 6th side. Smooth seams all around 5th and 6th sides. Use a roller or brayer to smooth all sides and corners.

Texture all sides with an old, clean toothbrush or coarse sandpaper.

Decide on the placement of the molded objects or refer to the detail pictures below. Apply baked items to block using just a little TLS on the back of the molded piece. Use only enough TLS to make the clay tacky, not slick or slippery. Carefully place objects on opposite sides of the block so that pressure can be applied to the baked pieces and not to the unbaked textured surfaces of the blocks themselves. Apply lettered blocks (three on the bottom and one on top forming a pyramid) to the top of the block using TLS. After all molded objects have been applied to the top block, poke air holes into the clay down to the box using a needle tool. Air holes can usually be hidden at edges and inside corners of molded objects.

Bake top block for 15 minutes at 275ºF. Cool.

Cover middle block in the same manner as top block. Use a #4 sheet of baby yellow clay cut slightly wider than the block.

Texture all sides with an old, clean toothbrush or coarse sandpaper.

Decide on the placement of the molded objects or refer to the detail pictures below. Apply baked items to the block in the same manner as before. Apply a small amount of TLS to the bottom of the top block and place it at an angle on top of the middle block. Push blocks together firmly by applying pressure only to the baked block and pieces. Poke air holes in middle block and at edges where top and middle block meet.

Bake both blocks for 15 minutes at 275ºF. Cool.

Cover bottom block in the same manner using a #4 sheet of baby blue clay cut slightly wider than the block.

Texture all sides with an old, clean toothbrush or coarse sandpaper.

Decide on the placement of the molded objects or refer to the detail pictures below. Apply baked items to the block in the same manner as before. Apply a small amount of TLS to the bottom of the middle block and place it at an angle on the top of the bottom block. Push blocks together firmly by applying pressure only to the baked block and pieces. Poke air holes in bottom block and at edges where middle and bottom block meet.

Bake all 3 blocks for 30 minutes at 275ºF. Cool.