Create a Propagation Stand

Hello everyone and happy Friday, Cinnamon here and I am going to show you how I created this propagation stand for plant cuttings. I have been picking up these test tubes from Michael's for a dollar for over the past few years and I've finally found a way to make good use out of them.

Supplies:

• Creative Paperclay
• Test tube (Can be found in a local craft store)
• Steel Galvanized wire (16 gauge or lower in numbers for strength) 
• Pliers
• Sand paper
• Masking Tape
• Acrylic Paint
• Tape measure
• Sealer, varnish
• Xacto Knife (optional)

Make sure that the wire you use can hold it's shape and support the weight of a test tube filled with water and a plant cutting. I am using an 18 gauge wire here, but I strongly recommend going with a stronger wire that's at least 16 gauge. 

Start by making a a box out of the wire to start the base of the piece.

Use your tape measure if you want to make sure that all of your sides match up. 

I used it here to ensure that the back support beams were the same length for stability reasons.

Get your masking tape and start wrapping around the areas that you wish to have covered with clay. I left an opening in the top so that I would be able to put the test tube through it.

When you are done with the tape, begin covering the piece with clay. Keep in mind that the bottom part of the base should be heavier then the top so that it doesn't topple over while it is being used. Make it twice as thick as the top and a bit wider if you need to!

When covering the piece with clay, keep an eye on the opening on the top part that holds the tube. Check periodically by placing the tube in the middle to keep track with how wide the opening should be.

When checking the size and fit for the stand with the tube, push the tube down slightly into the bottom. You'll want to can make an indent for the tube to sit properly so that it doesn't slide around after the piece is done. 

Set the piece aside to dry.

When the piece fully dries, sand it down to get it to the level of smoothness that you would like it to be. I'm using a sanding stick to open up the center a bit more, the opening was too small for the tube.

Paperclay shrinks a bit while it dries, keep track of how the tube fits throughout the process and make adjustments if needed by either sanding the clay down or adding more. 

Paint your piece with acrylic paint. I used black here for the base coat so that I could top it with the a gold dry brush technique.

I am lightly brushing on gold paint on top of the black undercoat here to give the stand an antique look. Seal with varnish when completed.

Here's how it came out! I am accepting all forms of positive vibes to help encourage my little basil cutting to grow some roots!

Thank you all once again for stopping by, and I hope that you enjoyed today's tutorial! You can find Creative Paperclay® at the following retailers Creative Paperclay® Online Store, Michael's, Amazon, Joann's.

See more of my work at Melandolly.com, catch updates on 

my Instagram page and here is a link to my shop!

How to Create a Cameo Framed Art Piece

Hello and happy Friday everyone, Cinnamon here and I am going to show you how I created this cameo framed art piece.  Follow the steps below to see how this was done.

Supplies:

• Creative Paperclay®
• Small hand roller or something to flatten out clay
• Decorative frame
• Exacto knife 
• Sand paper
• e6000 glue
• Acrylic Black and gold paint
• Sealer, Varnish
• Sheet of black felt

 I have a few of these pretty frames that I brought from my local 5 Below discount store. It has a very vintage and distinguished look so I wanted to create a cameo piece and place it in the middle. I have always admired vintage cameo portraits and wanted to try to recreate one of my own.

***This is not a necessary step****, but I chose to create my own silhouette from an image I found online in Adobe Illustrator. You can just grab a silhouette from a quick Google search online or draw one by hand. 

I took the silhouette and made it to the size of the opening of the frame and cut it out. Again, you can just do this by hand and not get on the computer to do this step.

Once I cut out the silhouette, I used it as a guide to make sure that I create my piece to size.

I have a flat tool that I use to shape clay which allows me to cut pieces of the clay as needed to create fine details. You can use a pin or anything that allows you to shape those little details while the clay is still pliable. It's important to get you basic shape down at this point so that you don't have to do as much sanding and cutting into the clay later.

Keep building up the piece and focus on getting the profile just right. 

I wanted to add a braid to the hair of the piece. My clay was a bit dried out so it broke in a few places when I tried to rolled out thin pieces of it. If you use fresh paperclay, you won't run into this problem. If you do, it can easily be corrected by brushing a bit of water onto the pieces and blend them together.

I took the braid and pressed it into the piece with a wet brush to help it stick in place. I brushed the pieces on the braid with the damp brush to join some of the pieces that were splitting from each other. Set the piece aside and allow it to dry.

Once the piece dried, I did a light sanding to clean up the details and smooth it out.

Be sure to try the piece out in the opening of the frame to see if you are happy with the size. Adjust as necessary.

After I was done with sanding, I moved on to painting the piece with a black undercoat of acrylic paint.

After applying the undercoat, I painted gold acrylic paint onto the piece using the dry brush technique. The braid was fully painted in gold so that it could be the focal point. Set aside to dry and then seal it with varnish.

Take your felt sheet and cut it down to the size of the opening of the frame. After you cut it down to size, glue it onto the back of the frame with the the e6000 glue.

If your piece is dry, glue it onto the frame with the e6000 glue as well.

And this is how it turned out!

Thank you all once again for stopping by, and I hope that you enjoyed 

today's tutorial! You can find Creative Paperclay® at the following 

retailers Creative Paperclay® Online Store, Michael's, Amazon, Joann's.

See more of my work at Melandolly.com, catch updates on 

my Instagram page and here is a link to my shop!

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