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Countdown
to Christmas
Design by Shelly Comiskey
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 Materials:
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USING FLEXIBLE PUSHMOLDS TO
MOLD IN COLOR:
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 Practice
to determine how much clay will fill your selection. It
takes less than you might think!
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When building in color layers, a little goes a long way.
Use a clay shaper, paintbrush handle or a pencil eraser
to pull any excess away from the lower boundaries.
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You want to just fill the lower boundaries, even leaving
them a little shallow. The final layer of color will
fill into the shallow areas, leaving a neat border. But,
if the first colors are "domed" up, the final molding pressures
will force the "dome" out of its boundaries, leading to
a smeared look. LESS IS MORE in this case.
-
 When
the lower boundaries are filled with their colors, press
the main clay color into the center of the mold. Gently
press and pat so it flows into the shape. When the clay
is nearly level with the top of the mold, use your index
finger to gently pull any excess away so that you can see
all edge boundaries of the mold. This eliminates a "skin"
that would need to be trimmed away.
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Let the clay "rest" for some time; or, put the mold into
the freezer compartment for 3-4 minutes.
-
 Remove
from freezer, and "pop" your molded piece out by pressing
from the backside of the mold. It will come out like an
ice cube.
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If any color residue remains, wipe the mold out with a baby
wipe or a Windex dampened paper towel
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Directions:
- Paint the
frame of the chalkboard and give it plenty of time to dry
- Base of Chalkboard:
- Roll a
2" ball of white clay to about 4" long. Press so the bottom
is flat to the table -- this will provide a sturdy base. The
top will remain rounded. Be certain to have this roll about
1.5 to 2" high.
- Press
the chalkboard into the base so it is about 1 " deep. Press
the clay around the back and along the base for support.
- Embellishments
for Chalkboard:
- Following
the directions for Molding In Color with Flexible Pushmolds,
create Santa first. Use black for Santa's shoes, white for his
mustache, beard and eyebrows, yellow for his buttons, and red
for the overalls. Use green for the arms and red for the mittens.
- While
Santa is still in the mold, press the red berries first into
the holly, then the green for the leaves. Let leaves remain
in the mold.
- Press
the ornament colors and the star into the tree mold, then the
green for the tree.
- While you
let the clay set in the mold for a few minutes to firm up (or, you
can place the mold in the freezer for a few minutes), press all
over the snow base with an old toothbrush for the snow texture.
Be sure to cover the back and the front.
- Release the
molded pieces:
- After
letting rest (or removing from the freezer), you can release
each piece. Bend the flexible mold and "pop" the pieces out.
- Blush
the cheeks of Santa with some pink chalk. You can scrape with
a knife, and then pick up with a makeup applicator or paintbrush.
- Add black
seed beads for his eyes.
- Bend Santa's
arms slightly so you can rest a piece of chalk in his hands.
- Gently
place the Santa and the tree to the base and the chalkboard.
It is now ready to be baked. (The holly is baked on an index
card and glued onto the chalkboard later.)
Baking Instructions:
- Sculpey III
items bake at 275 degrees for 15 minutes per 1/4" of thickness in
a calibrated oven. Always check your oven's accuracy with an external
thermometer. Premo! Sculpey items bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes
per 1/4" of thickness in a calibrated oven.
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