Sculpey Bake Shop® Mini Whimsy Forest Scene

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 as metal, aluminum foil, an index card or the Sculpey® Oven Safe Work Mat at 275°F (130 °C) for 15 minutes per ¼" (6
mm) of 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.

Start by prepping the foam and the terrarium so that as we proceed, we have a general size to focus on for each or our little sculptures.

Use the dome of the terrarium to impress a circle line in the floral foam.

Use a sharp serrated knife or an Xacto with a saw shaped blade to cut the round shape out of the floral foam.

Make sure the circle fits inside the terrarium base. You will need to trim it further to make sure the dome of the terrarium can fit around the outside of the foam and inside the base.

Use the serrated blade to cut the floral foam in half if it is more than 1/2” thick.

Use a tool to poke a large hole in the center of the foam.
This is just a vent hole which will help make it easier to replace the dome when complete. Also shape the foam carefully so that it is more mounded like a little hill.

Make sure the floral foam sits well on the base and that the dome can be easily replaced.

If it is difficult to replace the dome you may need to poke a hole in the terrarium base to allow air pressure to escape. I drilled this vent hole in the base with my Dremel tool. Some terrarium bases come with a hole in them from the manufacturer.

Now lets work on the little sculptures.

Please keep in mind the size and shape of your little terrarium. The measurements that I am giving here are just for my terrarium which is about 2” wide and 3.5” tall. You may need to make adjustments to the sizes and shapes of your sculptures so that they will fit your terrarium.

For the mushroom stems use 1/2 bar of Beige for all three stems. One half of the amount for the large mushroom and 1/4 of the amount for each small mushroom.

Shape the stems into cones and vary the size and shape slightly. Remember! Mushrooms are really organic and should be randomly sized and shaped.

Push a toothpick up through the center of each one. If the toothpick sticks out through the top that is fine too. Just make sure the toothpick wont stick out so far that it comes through the mushroom hats later.

Definitely leave some toothpick sticking at least 3/8” through the bottoms. This will provide anchors to secure the mushrooms into the floral foam later after baking.

If you need to trim your toothpicks you can do this with wire cutters or heavy scissors before inserting them into the clay. You can also trim toothpicks later after baking.

Set the stems aside temporarily.

For the dingy yellow mushroom cap, mix 1/8 bar Yellow with 1/64 bar Brown. Shape into a flat-bottomed dome.

Use the Ball Ended Tool to impress a divot into the bottom of the cap.

Push the cap onto a small stem. Set aside.

For the teal cap mix 1/8 bar of Green with 1/16 bar of Blue. Shape this cap into a
flat bottomed teardrop.

Use the Ball Ended Tool to impress a divot into the bottom of the cap.

Push the cap onto a small stem.

Decorate the caps with little random White dots.

For the Red cap use 1/4 bar. Make a large flat dome.

Pinch off bits of Yellow from the bar so they make really random shapes. Decorate the top of the cap with the Yellow bits.

Repeat Steps 15 and 16 to place the cap onto the tallest stem.

Use tools to scratch the the stem as shown.

Texture the teal capped mushroom stem.

Texture the dingy yellow capped mushroom stem.

For the bunny, mix 1/8 bar White with 1/32 bar Black to make light gray. Roll the
light gray into a log. Divide the log in half for the body.

Divide the remaining half into 2/3 and 1/3. The 2/3 is for the head. The 1/3 will be
divided again into tiny ears.

Assemble
the little bunny on a toothpick. The body is a cone shape. The head is a ball.
The little ears are flat cones.

Add
a White ball tail to the side.

Mix a tiny bit of Red and a tiny bit of White to make light pink. Add details to
the face with a light pink nose and ear canals. Poke holes for eyes. Add
details to the ears with tools.

foeix

Before baking the sculptures let’s carefully make sure they will fit into our scene.
Place a small amount of moss on top of the foam.

Carefully place your sculptures on top of the moss and foam to make sure they will all fit without extending past the circumference of the foam. Also do a final check
to make sure your sculptures are not too tall for the dome.

If your items are sized appropriately, it’s time to bake them. For items that need
a little support during baking, you can wad up paper towels or even rags and
place underneath pieces. This will help balance and support caps from bending.

Bake the mushrooms and the bunny following the directions for Bake Shop®. Allow to cool completely before handling.

While the sculptures are baking, let’s prepare the foam. Place a small amount of
white craft glue on top.

Smear the glue carefully with your fingertips to make a thin layer all over, even
down the sides of the foam.

Glue moss to the top and sides of the foam. Don’t worry about covering up the hole.
The hole will be able to breathe through the moss. Allow the glue to dry completely.

Once the sculptures are baked and cool, if you need to you can carefully trim the
toothpicks with wire cutters or heavy scissors.

Push the toothpick anchors through the moss and into the foam anchoring your little
sculptures.

Place the mossy foam on top of the base. Push the dome down over the whole sculpture.

If moss is sticking out from under the dome, carefully pull or trim it away
before seating the dome in the base. I did not glue the foam into the base and
my dome is removable in case I want to change it for future designs.