Stamped Clay Coasters [SCULPTURE]
Stamped Clay Coasters
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
Air Dry Clay (We used Crayola)
Rolling pin
Wax paper (we used parchment paper — it became a little flimsy with the moisture, but worked just fine!)
Cookie cutter/mold (or some other hard-edged shape to cut your coasters out with…this could even be a thin rimmed glass or small bowl. If you’re going for more of an organic shape, you can skip this!)
Modpodge (we used matte, but gloss would work just as well)
Sponge brush
Adhesive felt sheets
Bowl of water
Stamps! (we collected branches and leaves from the yard to use as botanical stamps, but you can get as creative as you’d like! Think of anything that could leave a fun pattern imprinted into your clay…shapes, textures, your options are endless!)
HOW TO DO IT:
Use your hands to roll out your air dry clay
Lay a sheet of wax paper on your table and flatten your air dry clay to about a quarter inch thick.
Grab a second sheet of wax paper and lay it on top of your slab of clay.
Use your rolling pin to smooth it out (be sure to keep the thickness as even as possible). The wax paper in between the clay and the rolling pin will help to keep the rolling pin relatively clean. To make 4 coasters, your slab, once rolled out, should be about the size of a medium pizza.
Remove your top piece of wax paper. Grab your mold and cut out your coasters. Remove the remaining clay (put it back in the tub so it doesn’t dry out!)
Smooth out your edges and surfaces with a little water on your finger. This will remove the dust and most small imperfections.
Now it’s time to stamp! Grab your leaves, twigs, shapes; whatever you’re using to create pattern and texture on your coaster.
GENTLY imprint your patterns onto your coasters (remember: you don’t want to change the thickness of the clay! You just want to create a slight pattern on the surface). Use a toothpick to help remove your stamps (like leaves) if they are tricky to remove. Repeat on all of your coasters!
Allow your coasters to dry completely (this is usually like 3-4 days…be patient!). And store them somewhere safe so they don’t get bumped.
Once your coasters are completely dry, apply the mod podge in an even coat and allow to dry completely
Use one of your dry coasters to trace out your object on the felt sheets. You’ll want your felt to be a bit smaller than the surface area of your coaster (so for our circle, we cut out a smaller felt circle to apply to the bottom). Apply to your dry coaster. This will help protect your table from scratches and give your coasters some more stability.
OPTIONAL CREATIVE CHALLENGES!
Paint your coasters before you mod podge them
If your stamping devices are flat (like leaves or flowers), try leaving them stamped into the clay and seal them with mod podge!
Paint instead of stamp
Forget the coasters…you could easily make these into wall art! Change up the shapes, eliminate the felt and hang these babies on the wall!
