How to Make Beautiful Polymer Clay Vases - With NO Experience

Laura Kennedy
by Laura Kennedy
5 Materials
$20
3 Hours
Easy
I made these cute rose covered vases with a small package of polymer clay and a simple vase purchased from the dollar store.

The method for making the roses is so easy that no experience with polymer clay is required.
  • Polyform Sculpey III Polymer Clay 8 Oz: Whiteicon
  • Sculpey Bake and Bond, 2 Fl Oz icon
  • Polymer Clay Silicone Tip Tool Set
  • 1 square vase (I purchased mine at the dollar store)
  • Fondant ball tool set
  • sandpaper


 I used Sculpey III for my clay craft roses.  I found the clay to be very pliable and easy to use.  If the clay was too warm, I found I had to do a lot of fiddling with tools to separate the layers.


I rolled out and shaped my roses on a piece of brown paper bag.  I found it worked well for me and reduced sticking.  I’ve also heard that using plastic wrap works well.


I kept a tiny bit of cornstarch on hand for my fingers and gloves to reduce sticking.


There are several ways you can make your roses.  I thought I would use the easy way which was to roll out strips of clay and shape them into petals with a ball tool.


Once the strips are rolled out making them into mini flowers is a snap.
 
  1. Start with a small rolled up tube of clay
  2. Using the ball tool start to flatten your clay in sections.
  3. Use the ball tool to flatten and ruffle the edges.
  4. Roll your flattened piece of clay around to create a flower.


You can use your silicone tip tools to smooth out any rough or broken petal edges. 


I also used the silicone tip tool to pinch and press some of the layers into the center to make individual petals.
PREPPING YOUR VASES


Ok, so polymer clay doesn’t always play nice with glass. 


If you prep your surface you’re going to have better results.  I choose to sand my glass to rough it up, so the glue had a better chance of making a bond.


You can do this with a simple piece of sandpaper but using a hand sander makes quick work of this step.  I gave my flower vases a good pass with 120 grit sandpaper and created a very rough surface with very little effort.



I added a layer of glue all around the front and corners of my vase and started to place my roses. 


The roses were set in place with a soft silicone pointed tool.   The tool allowed me to fiddle around to get the flowers in place at the base without marking or ruining any of the visible flower petals.


I continued up the front and added a layer of flowers on top of the previous layer.  I was sure to add extra dabs of glue to attach the flowers to each other and the glass vase.


When I  completed the front and corners, I gave the entire thing a good look over and any small areas that were open I just added a little petal here and there and attached it with glue.
My vases went into the oven at 275 for 30 minutes.  They are a bit thick through the center, and this amount of time was perfect.   Sculpey recommends 15-25 minutes.


My vases were VERY thick glass, and I was not concerned about it cracking, but you need to be aware that any glass in any oven can crack, shatter, or break.  Keep this in mind if you decide to give this clay craft a try.
This project turned out so well! I just love these little vases.


If you need additional details or have any questions there is a more detailed tutorial over on the blog.



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Laura Kennedy
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  2 questions
  • Lilpixiestixxx Lilpixiestixxx on May 14, 2018

    Would it have been easier to bake the flowers then glue to the vase so it eliminates the chance of glass breakage? This is so pretty!

  • Agapegirlac Agapegirlac on May 14, 2018

    If one wanted to paint this little

    lovely, would it best best after the oven? Is there a particular paint that would work best?

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