Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Raised Oak Leaf Dish DIY


I recently made flowers using clay for the first time and really liked working with it! So naturally I looked on Pinterest for inspiration for other projects. I saw lots of ideas including this dish that I really liked, bowls, magnets and jewelry to pin but nothing really peeked my interest to actually make for this month's Pinterest Challenge.   If you aren't familiar with the Pinterest Challenge, it's a monthly event that's hosted by Erlene @ My Pinterventures and challenges us to not just be pin hoarders, but to make it happen! 

I wanted to make a dish that looked different from the usual. And then, while perusing through one of my favorite online sites, I came across a lovely oak leaf dish 

source
and had a light bulb moment! How easy would this be to re-create in clay - at least something similar! In fact, check out how easy it really was!

Materials needed:
  • Oven baked clay
  • Oak leaf template
  • Parchment paper rolling pin
  • Skewer stick 
  • Glass bowl/small glass
  • Acrylic metallic paints
  • Mod Podge 
First, I had to find a picture of a leaf that I thought would make a nice dish shape. I found an oak leaf image online that I copied, printed and cut out!



Next, the clay that I had in my stash was more than a few years old. It was ok for the flowers that I made, but that was just a small piece removed from the corner of the block and was easy to manipulate!   
 But I found the entire clay block very hard to knead. In fact, after trying to pound it with a hammer with no luck,  I had to put it between parchment paper and stomp on it to help get it soft - for crying out loud!  And that worked somewhat!
I was able to then roll it out using my rolling pin - but still, it was hard rolling and I had to ask hubby to help me with that!
Next, I laid the leaf template down on the clay and started cutting it out using a craft knife.
I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to remove the excess clay from the leaf pattern.
Then I used a wooden skewer to add vein lines to the leaf.
Next, it was time to bake! Since the dish that inspired me was curved with a flat base, I used a small glass to lay the leaf on to curve the clay dish after placing parchment paper down on the glass bowl to prevent sticking.

Following the baking directions on the package, the clay dish was placed in a 275 degree oven for 15 minutes. Once the dish reached the full baked time, I turned the oven off and let the clay dish cool down in the oven (my idea).
I left the dish sit out over night and then used an emery board to help smooth and round out all of the edges. 
As for painting the clay dish, I did a bit of research on how to paint polymer clay and read never to use spray paint or nail polish on clay. The chemicals in the spray can and polish will eventually break down the clay and colors, destroying the item.

So, I painted the leaf veins a berry metallic color using acrylic craft paint.
Then used a copper metallic to paint the leaf all over. 
I also blended the berry and copper colors together and added the mix around the edge areas for a shaded look. I loved how it was coming together!
And finally, sealed the leaf dish with mod podge.
Don't you just love how this turned out! And it was really that easy!
How's this for a unique clay dish!


I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post also contains affiliate links.  I may receive a very small commission.  It does NOT result in additional charges to you or cost you anything extra.  The affiliate money I earn per month helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!




Let's meet this month's Pinterest Challenge hosts!Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop


To join next month's #pinterestchallenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ September Pinterest Challenge

 Now, let's see what the other hosts have created ⇓⇓

21 comments:

  1. Your leaf dish turned out very pretty-enjoy:@)

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's beautiful! What a perfect color for fall. haha! That was some very hard clay. I just bought some modeling clay for the kids, I hope it's not that hard.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That really did turn out great! I never know what to do with polymer clay. Pinned.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, Gail, this is really really cool!! So clever and so attractive, I just love it!!!!
    Jenna

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is so beautiful, you really did have a brainwave there!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful dish! I absolutely love it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is so very pretty!! I LOVE it!!
    Thanks so much for stopping by and for commenting on my post about my resignation and retirement!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  8. That turned out really great, and how creative to make it curved like that! It will make a nice addition to your Fall decor!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Felicidades amiga por tu esplendido trabajo, te quedó de maravilla.
    Me parece muy bien que participes con Amazón porque eso nos permite ver todos los materiales que utilizas.
    Saludos

    ReplyDelete
  10. wow, another beautiful project. I love the fall colors and especially with the added acorns.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your DIY leaf bowl is beautiful, Gail and very creative! How you painted it in beautiful Fall colors is lovely too. Thanks for sharing it with us at the Talk Of The Town Party 😊

    ReplyDelete
  12. Very pretty Gail! I love the combination of colors you used!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, my gosh I had to laugh at you stomping on the clay. At least you got it soft enough to work with it. The leaf dish turned out great and I love the copper colors. Pinned.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is gorgeous! Looks like a fun project to get us ready for fall! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have a hard time kneading clay by hand, too. I think it's funny that you had to step on it. We were just watching a video about how ancient people worked clay to prepare it for use. Guess what? They stepped on it, too!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What an impressive project! This is beautiful and perfect for fall!

    ReplyDelete
  17. our dish turned out lovely, visiting from Homemade Monday

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wanted to thank you for the inspiration, I made one for my Barbie blog:
    http://www.diybarbieblog.com/2019/09/clay-fall-leaf-serving-platter-or-dish.html
    Lynn

    ReplyDelete
  19. Stunning Gail!!!! It looks like you bought it at a high end decor store. Love love, love the colors you used to paint it.

    ReplyDelete
  20. That is beautiful! I love using oven baked clay, in fact, I just reorganized all of my clay and supplies to make it easier to use. Pinning!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...