Hey all, I am going to be doing something a little different! I am going to show you how to diy your own clay that you can bake after you’ve made it into something adorable or fun and then paint or varnish (or gift – that’s up to you!)
Even though I’ve always had clay ready to go out of the bag, I remember as a kid I heard about people actually making homemade dough out of a few simple household ingredients like white flour, but I must not have gotten the memo. So now I am going to get caught up on that little activity I missed out on.
Pin for Later? ❤️️
I got inspired the other day when I was trying to clear the pantry or all these “baddie” foods like white flour and cornstarch. Yep, I’ve jumped on the gluten free bandwagon and now cook with coconut and rice flour instead – but I digress😉.
White flour and cornstarch are two essential ingredients you need to have on hand if you’re serious about learning how to make baking clay!
I put the above two ingredients in the freezer just for a time like this…. to turn them into something. That something is homemade clay. Win – win, huh?
OK, disclosure….I need to give credit to Wikihow for the ingredients and method (I needed a reference for how much of each ingredient to use and the oven baking times) Here ya go! Let’s make some clay!
DIY Oven Bake Clay Materials List
Cornstarch – 6 oz BoxSee on Amazon
You will need to get “cooking” with this one….Don’t worry, it’s like making pudding or something. Cornstarch is used to thicken food-related items like gravy, pudding, etc., so you will see how it will work its magic into a homemade clay.
2 cups of cornstarch
2 cups baking soda (Tip: A small, 16 oz box will equal exactly this amount)
1 and 1/4 cups cold water
Optional – food coloring, mica powder
, or something to add color with, if you’d prefer colored clay
Getting Started
This approach is different – We’re going to heat the ingredients on the stovetop. Place all of the above list (except the food color) into a saucepan on medium heat and stir until it reaches the boiling point and gets thicker.
My spoon kept braking at first, but when the heat kicked in….the mixture became as smooth as silk. You can add a few drops of glycerin or baby oil while working with it so it will be more pliable.
At that point remove from heat and let cool before you start working with it.
Adding Color
This would be a good time to add the food color if you want; you may want to break it off into smaller pieces for different colors.
If you want you can get even more imaginative and add some loose glitter or mica powder
(it will stick) into the mixture before you knead it fully. Mica powder is very popular with crafters adn will give your work a nice sheen to it. A little bit of fine glitter will also look really dope too.
Mica Powder 21 Colors Shake & Pour Jar AssortmentSee on AmazonExtra Fine Glitter, Set of 36 Colors Glitter, Resin Crafts Loose Glitter PowderSee on AmazonWatkins Assorted Food Coloring, 1 Each Red, Yellow, Green, BlueSee on Amazon
Here’s what it looks like after about 4-5 drops of food dye – not very intense color give or take.
OK, I’ve done a fleur-de-lis, an owl, a heart…..what design am I doing this time? Thinking about doing a clover leaf since St Patrick’s Day is coming up. I’m going to make it a four leafer so I will feel lucky 😁 🍀
In addition to making the mixture green. I sprinkled in a little loose white glitter, because, well, fun ❤️️ Now I did have to re-moisten it a little bit later, in which I added a little dab of glycerin. Here’s my design so far…
I did have to use a few of my sculpting tools…the mixture was a little softer than I anticipated (or maybe I put a little too much water in…😫) I also made a little dimensional embellishment by pushing in beads and pulling them out as I didn’t know how they’d hold up in the oven.
How to Bake Your Finished Clay Projects
Excited about the baking part to set your creations? First I like to do some preparatory work. If you’re making something you plan on hanging up later, the best approach would be to pierce it with a thumbtack or straight pin, so you can thread something like wire or thread through it.
My approach is to take a gem clip and insert it into the back at a 45-degree angle. (you can see how I did that up close here)
Bake your art projects at 250 degrees for 10-20 minutes. That’s pretty close to how long you bake Sculpey in the oven if you’ve ever worked with that.
You can also paint your finished work later on…it can also be lightly sanded, anywhere there may be rough edges or small imperfections that mar the outside.
Tips for Working With Your Clay
If the dough is sticky at any point (this is normal) , add a little flour and work it into the ball of dough.
Avoid the potential of cracking by making your objects thicker than a fourth of an inch.
To store any unused clay, use Ziplock bags….(separate by color if you dyed them) It will keep for several months at most, in the refrigerator.
Did you enjoy this? Step it up a notch and try out my other homemade clay recipe right here…this is what I ended up doing with all that white flour I had earlier!
Hope this was fun….Let me know how it goes for you!
