July Craft of the Month: Air Dry Clay!

HEYYYY CRAFTING QUEENS! Can you believe it is already July?! I am here with the CRAFT OF THE MONTH! This month we are trying out.... AIR DRY CLAY!!

I have to be honest, I was incredibly skeptical of this craft. I have tried oven dry clay in the past and absolutely hated it, but as I am sure many of you have seen, everyone and their mother is making clay magnets on tiktok so I had to give it a shot. Do I like it more than oven dry clay? Absolutely. Is it my favorite craft? Definitely not hahahah BUT IT COULD BE YOURS!

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Here are the materials you will need to get started with air dry clay:

Air Dry Clay

• I used Crayola Air Dry Clay and I really liked it. It comes with a ton of clay, so you can make so many projects with it. It is also only $10

Sculpting Tools

• I bought a multi-pack for $10, but I honestly only used the metal tools

Magnets

• These worked great! & I got 100 for $5

Mod Podge

• I got the 8 oz bottle and I wish I had gotten the 4 oz

Paint Brushes

• I have struggled with finding decent (cheap) paint brushes but these were great

Acrylic Paint

• I use this acrylic paint from Michaels and it works realllly well

This is definitely a more expensive craft (compared to our last two). If you have to buy everything above your total will come out to roughly $50. BUT there are cheaper options available!

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ON TO THE TUTORIAL!!!

Step 1:Grab a small amount of clay.

• For magnets, I grabbed about the size of two quarters.

Step 2: Start Molding your clay

• Water is going to be your best friend in this phase.-

• When you want to smooth it out, add a drop of water.

• When you want to connect two pieces, add a drop of water.

• Use your tools too! They help prevent fingerprints and add texture!

Step 3: Let the clay dry for 24-48 hours

• I am an impatient person and this is the worst part. BUT YOU MUST WAIT! If you don't wait it will break, or the paint will peel off. It turns out they tell you to wait for a reason...

Step 4: Get painting!

• YAY the waiting period is over!!! I thought this was the most fun part of the whole craft. This is where you get to make the creation YOURS.

Step 5: Wait 30 minutes

• After painting, wait 30 minutes (or until your paint is dry) before moving to the next step

Step 6: Add a thin layer of mod podge to seal the paint

• This will need to sit for another 30 minuntes after being painted on
  

Step 7: Glue the magnets onto the back

• I used hot glue, but you could probably use any glue of your choice

Step 8: Appreciate your work and put those magnets on the fridge!!!!

Lessons I learned:

• You actually need to wait for the clay to dry fully, if you do not the paint will peel off

• You also need to actually wait for the mod podge to cure, if you don't the magnet will fall off
  

  • ( I am sure you can see a theme here with my impatience)

• If you are making something thin, make sure you are VERY securely attaching the pieces. My favorite magnet broke because I did not do this

• If you don't like how it was painted, you can paint over it! Acrylic pain is very layerable

• HAVE FUN WITH IT!!!!

& that is all!!!! This was my first time ever trying this, so I am no master. I am REALLY looking forward to seeing what you all create, and hearing all the helpful tips you have to share. PLEASE share what you learned and what you made!!! HAVE FUN CRAFTING!!!!!

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Bonus suggestion: If magnets aren't your thing you can make little dishes for your jewelry, trinkets, etc.

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RIP Pink Bow 2024-2024