This winter I wanted to make something pretty but very simple, that I could give to my mother and mother-in-law for Christmas. To make these little ring bowls, you will need:
air drying clay
rolling pin
doily of piece of lace
acrylic paint
Mod Podge (or clear varnish)
Firstly, soften your clay: air-drying clay has an odd texture and it needs working a lot to really soften it.
Once softened, roll out your clay to a depth of about 5mm.
Using a bowl as a guide, cut rounds from the clay. Using damp fingers, rub the edges of the circle to smooth rough edges.
Lay your doily across your round, then roll over it firmly: this gives the texture.
Press into a shallow bowl and leave to dry overnight.
Once dry, remove ring bowl from the bowl it has been drying in.
Paint across the textured portion of the bowl carefully. I used a dry brush, dipped it into the paint and then dabbed again on a dry cloth to remove excess, then brushed from the solid edge of the doily (across the middle of the bowl) to the edge of the bowl. Keep going with the brushing: you think there’s no colour but there is, and this way you get a lovely petering out effect, so that the colour is strongest across the middle and fades towards the edge.
Leave again to be sure that the bowl is dry. Cover in several layers of ModPodge or varnish. For the first layer, coat the non-coloured side of the bowl before painting across the colour, which prevents any colour transfer and avoids spoiling the effect.
You can see I made several colours: pink for me, gold for Mum and blue to match my Mother-in-Law’s bedroom. I hope they will be as delighted as me.
And if you don’t think you’ve got the skills to make this pretty bowl, you could always buy some spray paint and upcycle one. Take a look at my Spray Painted Bowl tutorial for full instructions.
*originally posted as part of Crafty Christmas on NetMums
They are so pretty 🙂
Love the idea of using a doily, bet it feels great to the touch.