Miycreations Project article and photographs
by  MaddyLane

“Kick off the Summer with Maple-leaf Lanterns”

Celebrate Canada’s birthday with family picnics, barbecues, and fireworks. To
add to the national celebration, why not show off our maple leaves with pride
and make festive leaf lanterns? Maple-leaf shapes are fashioned out of clay,
decorated with leaf imprints and then placed around plain glassware, votive
holders, items that you already have and transform them into spectacular
summer patio lanterns. Make it a family activity and get the kids involved, its a
super cottage or day camp activity!

Hands-on time: Under three hours.
Total time: Plus drying time for the clay, the waterproofing agent and the
silicone adhesive.
Skill: Moderate.
Project cost: Under $25.00 for the supplies.
Materials & tools:
•  3 tall cylindrical clear glasses, 4 votive glasses
•  Natural red non-firing (no bake) clay by Gedeo
•  R pin or clay roller, a knife, and clay tools
•  Ruler
•  Bowl of water
•  Maple-leaf cookie cutter (available at specialty cookware stores)
•  A few real maple leaves (to make leaf imprints onto the clay leaves)
•  Large empty bottle wrapped in cellophane paper
•  Damp cloth and a clean cloth
•  Waterproofing agent by Gedeo
•  Paintbrush  2.5 cm
•  Clear silicone adhesive
•  Tea-lights and votive candles
•  3 decorative plates
(Materials for this project are available at arts and crafts stores.)

Gedeo is a natural modeling clay that air dries to achieve high stability and
strength, it hardens without needing firing. Once dried, a waterproofing agent
treatment can be applied to produce waterproof containers or accessories for
decorative use.

Wash the glassware with soapy water, rinse and towel dry.

On a clean surface such as a plastic placemat, cut the clay brick into three
equal parts. With clean hands, knead one part until it is soft and smooth. With
a rolling pin, roll out the clay into a 30 cm diameter circle, about 5 mm thick.

Use a knife to cut one strip measuring 7.5 cm wide by the circumference of
your glassware. Use the cookie cutter to cut out two maple-leaf shapes within
the strip. Use the remaining clay to cut several more maple-leaf shapes with
the cookie cutter. Add leaf texture to the strips and onto the leaf shapes by
pressing real leaves into the clay for a few seconds. Roll the strip onto the
bottom half of the tall glass, bonding the join with water and your finger tip.
Bend clay leaves to take the shape of the glasses and votive holders.

Knead another section of clay, and repeat the above steps.

Knead the last section of clay, and make a larger, wider lantern band by
following the steps above, only make the strip bigger and roll it around a
larger bottle wrapped with cellophane paper.

Cover your work with a slightly damp cloth to avoid cracks. Set aside to dry for
10 to 12 hours.

Apply a coat of the waterproofing agent (an acrylic resin-based product)
which is ideal for waterproofing containers made from non-firing clay. The
agent has a yellowish colour which makes it easy to see areas that have not
been coated. The colour disappears and becomes transparent within a few
days in full light. Drying time is about 10 hours. Clean the glasses again after
applying the waterproofing agent, if needed.

Apply clear silicone adhesive to the back of the clay maple leaves, and gently
press them into place around the glasses and votives. Let cure for 6 to 8
hours.

Place the clay lanterns onto decorative plates, and simply add candles to
enjoy the festive glow throughout the whole summer season.

Tips: If you can’t find a maple-leaf cookie cutter, you can use a stencil with a
maple-leaf cut-out as your guide.
If cracks appear in your work, simply place small pieces of clay over the
cracked area and smooth with a bit of water on your finger tip.
Prior to applying the waterproofing treatment the clay pieces can be painted if
desired using acrylic paints or Ceramic paints by Pébéo and let dry. For clay
items to be used as decorative accents onto frames, mirrors, and boxes a
regular varnish or glaze can be applied over the clay painted pieces.

Variations: This is an ideal project to do at the cottage or summer camp. Let
children make clay shapes of their choice using assorted cookie cutters, then
let them paint the shapes as they wish. You may be surprised with what they
come up with!

Make extra maple leaves to place around a festive table. Write your guests’
names or mark the names of assorted cheeses with a paint marker. Make
napkin rings or embellish a plain wine bottle holder using leftover clay.

EXCITING MIY NEWS
ME Magazine
Montreal's Classy Lifestyle Magazine
as of July 2008 will have an all new
HOME DECOR
Section that will be featuring
Home Decor MIY Projects by MaddyLane
Miy Decor Project
Canada Day Lanterns
C r e a t i o n s  & I n s p i r a t i o n s
"f o r   t h e   p u r e   j o y   o f   m a k i n g   t h i n g s"
Stylish clay leaf accents;
Gedeo clay is a natural
modeling clay that air dries
to achieve high stability and
strength, it hardens without
needing firing.
• Make extra maple leaves to place
around a festive table. Write your
guests’ names or mark the names of
assorted cheeses with a paint
marker. Make napkin rings or
embellish a plain wine bottle holder
using leftover clay.
.......................................................................
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