Holiday Cards - Sculpey Clay Projects

Handcrafted Holiday Cards 'n Ornaments
Designs by Lisa Pavelka

Materials for both Projects:

Premo! Sculpey in the following colors:
Miniature snowflake motif rubber stamp (available through Hero Arts, All Night Media, Personal Stamp Exchange)
Silver Leafing sheets
Colored Cardstock (Available through Paper Adventures, Hot Off the Press, Design Originals, etc.) - red, green, white
Holiday and plaid themed papers (available through Paper Adventures, Hot Off the Press, etc.)
Colored Mulberry Paper (available through Papers by Catherine) - green, red
Fiskars Rolling Decorative Edge Cutter with zig-zag Blade or Fiskars Decorative scissors
Gingerbread boy/girl cookie cutter (available through Wilton, Off the Beaten Path, etc.)
Dedicated pasta machine, PVC pipe roller, or Acrylic brayer to flatten the clay
X-Acto knife or craft knife
Decorative punch from Marvy Uchida or McGill in cherub shape.
Colored wire (Artistic Wire) in a light-medium gauge

Directions:


Make your card	Send to a friend	Hang on tree

Gingerbread Man Ornament:

Condition ½ package of the Raw Sienna 5392. Add a small ball of white 5001 and knead and mix until the color is a nice, gingerbread brown.
Roll the gingerbread colored clay through the pasta machine on a #2 setting.
Press the cookie cutter firmly and carefully onto the clay. Remove excess clay from around the cut shape.
Take a small pinch of white and roll into a thin snake about 1/3" long for the mouth. Condition ¼ package of the red clay. Roll 5 tiny balls of clay for the eyes, nose, and corners of the mouth. Position eyes, nose and mouth onto the head as shown in the photo.
Condition ¼ package of the green clay. Take a section, add a tiny pinch of the Raw Sienna to make the green darker and mix well. Roll out to 1/8" thickness. Cut out two holly leaves with an X-Acto knife or craft knife. Vein the leaves and add three holly berries made from the red clay. Place on the gingerbread body below the face. Add three more red balls for "buttons."
With the remaining bright green clay, cut out a small box shape for the present which will be positioned on the hand.
Roll a small piece of white clay through the pasta machine on a very thin setting. Do the same for a small piece of red clay. Place the red clay on top of the white clay. Use the X-Acto knife or a Sculpey Super Slicer to cut a thin strip. Fold and pinch into a bow shape so that both colors show.
Roll a couple of tiny balls of yellow clay and place on the bow and box.
Condition ½ package of the white clay. Roll through the pasta machine on a #3 setting.
Use the Fiskars rolling Decorative Edge Cutter to cut a long strip of clay, longer than the perimeter of the gingerbread figure.
Place the zig-zag strip of clay around the edge of the gingerbread figure to form the decorative "icing."
With a needle tool or larger size sewing needle, poke a hole in the gingerbread figures head. Gold cord will be strung through later for an ornament holder.
Bake the figure in a household or toaster oven at 275 degrees F (130 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

Card:

Use a stylus and a ruler to score your colored cardstock. This will make a sharp fold possible. Fold the cardstock and trim to desired size with a paper cutter.
Trim the decorative paper slightly smaller than the cardstock and adhere with glue stick or double faced tape.
Trim the mulberry paper into the gingerbread shape, making it about ½" larger overall. (You can trace around the cookie cutter onto white paper and make a template.)
Adhere the mulberry paper to the decorative paper.
Feed gold cord through the gingerbread figure's head, and tie off.
Use double faced tape to secure the gingerbread figure to the card.

Picture Frame Ornament:

Use a scalloped, round cookie cutter at least 3" in diameter. Have another small, round cutter about 1-1/2" in diameter.
Condition the blue clay until soft and pliable. Add a small amount of white and mix until you have a lighter shade of blue clay. Roll a small amount of the blue to a very thin, almost paper thickness through the pasta machine. Bake this thin sheet at 275 degrees F (130 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Let cool. When cool, use the cherub punch to punch out embellishments from the flexible, baked thin sheet of Premo! Sculpey. Set aside. They will be flexible.
Roll the white clay to 1/8" thickness. Cut out the frame with the two cutters, being certain that the opening is centered. Texturize the front of the frame with the snowflake motif stamp. A small amount of glitter may be added if desired.
Take tiny balls of blue and red clay and decorate the front of the frame in an orderly pattern.
Take a small amount of the mixed blue clay, and roll out to 1/4" thickness. Press silver leaf onto the clay. Send through the pasta machine on a #3 setting or roll with a brayer to a 1/8" thickness.
Take thin strips of the silver leafed clay and roll into a thin snake, longer than the perimeter of the scalloped frame. Press the snake all around the border. Press additional snake around the opening.
Use a purchased star embellishment, or use a Kemper cutter to create one. Use a needle or needle tool to poke hole in both frame and clay star.
Bake frame (and star if necessary) at 275 degrees F (130 degreesC) for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Attach star embellishment with lightweight wire (Artistic wire) to frame.

Card:

Use a stylus and a ruler to score your colored cardstock. This will make a sharp fold possible. Fold the cardstock and trim to desired size with a paper cutter.
Trim the decorative, plaid paper slightly smaller than the cardstock and adhere with glue stick or double faced tape.
Trim the mulberry paper into scalloped circle shape, making it about ½" larger overall. (You can trace around the cookie cutter onto white paper and make a template.)
Adhere the mulberry paper to the decorative paper.
Glue or tape the picture into the picture frame ornament.
Use double faced tape to secure the holiday frame to the card.

SEND TO YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES AND WAIT FOR THEIR RESPONSES!!!