Clay Box

After a week of being out of commission, I was able to finish a box I've been working on. This was a major experiment for me! I've seen such great boxes done with polymer clay, but not much info on how to achieve a nice shape. I wish I had taken pictures of the process, but for those that may be hunting for a way to do this, I'll go ahead and write it out very simply.

I used Super Sculpey for the base (just because I have a few boxes of it laying around and it seldom gets used.) I conditioned it and rolled it through the pasta machine on the thickest setting. I decided what size I wanted the box to be and cut four sides and bottom. (I did this on a flat piece of glass so I wouldn't have to move any of it, risking distorting the pieces. The glass can go into the oven for curing the clay.) Once cured and cooled, I glued the sides to the bottom and to each other. (I used Gorilla Super Glue.)You're ready to create something beautiful now by covering this base with whatever colors and design you choose!

p.s. Depending on the design of your box, you may want to cut and cure a piece to cover. I didn't go that route with mine. I wanted to try a stained glass look instead. If there's any interest, I can explain that process later.

For the finishing touch I decided I wanted a black satiny fabric interior. I cut a strip of fabric to go around the inside of the sides of the box and used Gorilla Glue to anchor it. I then cut a piece of lightweight cardboard to fit in the bottom and covered it with the fabric. I secured the back with tape because the glue wouldn't hold. Lay it in, pretty side up of course, and that's it. I think next time I'll cut cardboard for the sides as well. The glue was very difficult to work with. I glued my fingers together, to the fabric, got it on the work table and just made a huge mess. lol (The glue soaked through the fabric...) But, all in all, I'm happy with how it came out.

I'm hoping to try making a box with glass sides and mirror bottom soon, using clay at the corner seams. I'm just sure I can make it strong enough. (And I'm just sure I could be entirely wrong! But, I'll never know unless I try!) At my local True Value Store I can buy a 14"x16" sheet of glass for about $4.00 and then they'll cut it to whatever sizes I want for free. What a great deal!