Sculpey Premo™ Fiery Planet Vase

Getting Started:

Please make sure your work area is covered and you are not working on an unprotected surface. We recommend working on the Sculpey® Oven-Safe Work Mat, wax paper, metal baking sheet, or disposable foil. Uncured clay may damage unprotected furniture or finished surfaces. Be sure to cover your crafting area appropriately.

Start with clean hands, unwrap and knead clay until soft and smooth, or condition by running clay though a Pasta Machine. We recommend using a designated machine for clay purposes only. When working with multiple colors, clean hands with soap and water or baby wipes (we have found that baby wipes work best) before switching colors. Shape clay, pressing pieces firmly together. Wash hands after use.

Baking:

Begin by preheating oven to 275 °F (130 °C). After you are done creating; for best results bake clay on an oven-proof surface such metal, aluminum foil, an index card or the Sculpey® Clay Mat at 275°F (130 °C) for 30 minutes per 1/4" (6 mm) thickness according to package directions. Oven safe glass or ceramic surfaces are also acceptable for baking; however please note that the baking times may take longer as the glass or ceramic surfaces take longer to heat up. For best baking results, use an oven thermometer. DO NOT USE MICROWAVE OVEN. DO NOT EXCEED THE ABOVE TEMPERATURE OR RECOMMENDED BAKING TIME.

Ahead of time: If your White clay appears to be its normal softness, slice it and sheet it through the pasta machine on the widest setting and then lay the sheets between sheets of clean white paper. A heavy book on top will help. I found my oldest package of clay to use for this.

Pinch off a lima bean size of the Clay Softener and add it to about 1/3 of a package of the Burnt Orange and thoroughly mix together using the Clay Conditioning Machine. Set aside and repeat for at least one more 1/3 of a package of clay. NOTE: These mixed clays should go on a sheet of waxed paper.

Starting with a piece of the, now stiff, White clay, add a small piece of the mixed Burnt Orange. This is not something that really has to be measured, but here is my starting mix and when I sheeted it through the Clay Conditioning Machine. The final sheet is on a #3 or middle setting.

Now let’s reverse the colors and use a sheet of the mixed Burnt Orange and a pinch of the stiff White clay (This one is literally pinched right off the block!) Again, nothing here is measured or mixed because we want each batch to be slightly different for the vase. Run this mix through just once or twice so that the White clay breaks up in a kind of crackle through the softer Burnt Orange.

Here is a look at the two mixes so far. You can repeat this again using different amount of each color to make 2 more mixes, but reserve some of the plain Burnt Orange to circles as well. The final sheet is a #3 or middle setting on the Clay Conditioning Machine.

Use the circle cutters to cut out your favorite pieces of the mixes.

Cut out and add your pieces using different sizes of the cutters and don’t forget to add some plain Burnt Orange circles. There is NO pattern here, just add them around the vase.

Once all the circles are in place, use a clean sheet of paper to gently pat the circles flat against the glass. Bake according to the directions above and allow the glass to completely cool in the oven before removing. NOTE: Glass will hold the heat for a long time so be careful when you touch it.

Once the vase is baked and cooled, I decided to paint an all-surface White paint on the inside of the vase. I put about 3 coats to make sure that it looked solid color. As with all hand-made art, please don’t put this into the dishwasher! Wash gently by hand if needed.