The countdown is on, with less than a month to go before the festive season, and it's time to get your decorations ready if you haven't already! In this tutorial, we'll teach you how to make pretty decorations in polymer clay. To do so, you'll need a silkscreen. For those unfamiliar with this technique, it's a silkscreen that you place on a polymer clay plate to create a pretty pattern. The pattern is applied with acrylic paint, which you scrape onto the silkscreen. You'll find all the detailed steps below. If you're a beginner, don't be afraid to take the plunge - this tutorial is accessible to all levels!
In this tutorial, we suggest you make decorations that can be used as place cards for your festive tables. But this tutorial is infinitely adaptable, so let your imagination run wild and have fun! For example, you can use this technique to make tree hangers or simple table decorations.
Want to discover more Christmas decorating ideas? Don't hesitate to take a look at our tutorials to embellish your home and make this festive moment unforgettable! Don't hesitate to tag us on social networks if you do this DIY again.
To begin, cut a piece of your red fimo clay and warm it between your hands to make it easier to work with.
Roll out the dough with your rolling pin. You can use dough rollers to obtain an even thickness of dough. Alternatively, you can use a dough machine.
Next, take your silkscreen. Place it on your dough sheet and roll it over to expel air and ensure good adhesion.
Then use the acrylic paint of your choice. Here, I've chosen gold to stay in the holiday spirit. Use a card (like a credit card) to spread the gold paint over the stencil. The paint is applied directly along the length of the card. Clean your stencil and card immediately, then allow the paint to dry on the paste.
Then take the cookie cutters of your choice to cut out shapes. Here, I've chosen circles. I also took some very small round cookie cutters so that I could make a hole at the top of the circle. I'll use this to thread jute thread through later.
Then take a second color. Warm it up to work it better, and roll it out with your rolling pin (or pastry machine). Then take a cookie cutter smaller than the one used for the red color and make several circles in your baking tray.
Using a spade, form a letter (the initial) on the green circle you've just created.
Place your creations in an oven (ideally reserved for hobbyists). Be sure to respect the temperature and time indicated on the packaging of your polymer clay. Here, I baked my polymer clay at 110° for 30 minutes.
Once your creations are baked and cooled, you can move on to the finishing touches. For this, I've taken two sanding sheets, 800 grit and 1200 grit. Depending on the imperfections of your creations, you'll need a coarser or finer grit.
To sand your creations, immerse them in a bowl of warm to hot, soapy water. Start with the coarsest grit to sand away the biggest imperfections, then move on to the smaller grit.
Finally, you can varnish your creations. Be sure to wait for the drying time indicated. For fimo varnish, you need to wait 15 minutes for the creation to be more or less dry, and 24 hours for it to be completely dry.
You have a question about this tutorial? Ask it to our team and the people who have already tested it. The Perles & Co community is here to help you!
Credits
Perles & Co, Internet & E-Commerce company [27/11/2023] Any reproduction, representation, adaptation, in any form whatsoever, even partial, is prohibited, except for reproduction for private use not intended for collective use, representation in the family circle (art. L 122-5 CPI) and online publishing on condition that the source is mentioned and a link is included to the corresponding page of our site www.perlesandco.com.
