Love Birds & Rose Wreath
Clay Casting Project
Use painted clay castings from two Rycraft cookie stamp designs
to create this beautiful wreath to decorate your home or give as a gift!
Materials Needed
1 Rycraft cookie stamp or craft stamp each: #215 – Love Birds and #125 – Rose
Clay – we recommend Creative Paperclay® which is non-toxic and air dries to a paintable white
4 clay castings* #215 – Love Birds and
1 clay casting* #125 – Rose (see Basic Clay Casting Instructions)
1 2″ diameter scallop cookie cutter
1 heart shape cookie cutter
Sandpaper or emery board
Acrylic paints: cranberry wine, boysenberry pink, island coral, mistletoe green
Rub ‘n Buff®, foam brush or Spouncer by PLAID®, soft cloth
1 9″ grapevine wreath
Moss, silk flowers and leaves
Gold berry decorations
2 flying birds
2 3″ pieces of floral wire
Hot glue
*Note: Alternately, the casting for this project may be made from paper instead of clay (see Basic Paper Casting Instructions).
Instructions
1. While clay is still wet, use scallop cookie cutter to cut out love birds castings. Use heart cookie cutter to cut out rose casting. let castings dry. Then sand any rough edges smooth.
2. Prime the castings on both sides with the dark background color (cranberry wine). This may take 2 or 3 coats to achieve the desired effect.
3. Use a small-tipped paint brush to paint rub ‘n buff on the small heart in the middle of the love birds.
4. To achieve the color highlights, use a foam brush and the dry brush method (see Techniques for Special Effects) to dab a tiny bit of boysenberry pink paint onto the raised surface of each casting. While the pink is still wet, dab your foam brush into a tiny bit of island coral and apply it (1) to the base of each flower, the tips of the tails, and the tops of the birds’ heads; and (2) to the rose petals.
5. Make the light green by mixing a small amount of mistletoe green with the island coral. Brush this light green onto the stems and leaves on each casting.
6. Apply rub ‘n Buff (see Techniques for Special Effects) onto the edge and sides of each casting, especially the tips of the crimped edges on the love birds castings.
7. Arrange all the elements of the wreath. Think in terms of groupings or areas of interest.
8. Hot glue the moss, leaves, flowers, berries, and castings onto the wreath.
9. Insert the end of a 3″ piece of floral wire into the bottom of each bird. Then insert the wires into the top of the wreath and secure with hot glue.
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