Handmade Summer Flower Arrangement

Usually I need some inspiration or a reason to create something. I have been thinking of giving something handmade to my sister-in-law since long, but have not been able to do so due to some reason or the other. During the last long weekend when my sister -in-law and her family made a last minute plan to visit us, I thought what better occasion to give a handmade heartfelt creation.Like almost most of my creations this is also one of the creations which I created keeping the receiver and the occasion in mind. Since their marriage anniversary was also there in a couple of weeks I decided making a beautiful clay flower arrangement in bright colors to brighten their day. I decided on rose and hydrangeas as they depict the long lasting love and friendship which is the key to a happy marriage.



Well, time was a limitation this time too but since I had to do it, I had to find a way to do it. Clay flowers do take time and skill to create and this is one craft you cannot sit and do in one go. It does take time and I used any spare time I got during the day and the night.
For this lovely arrangement

Supplies used :
-Ceramic pot
-Deco Clay : white, red, yellow, green
-Foliage
-Wire
-Floral Tape
-Floral foam

Please refer previous posts for the step by step tutorial for the technique used to create rose.Hydrangeas are used as filler flowers along with contrasting foliage. The different shades shown in the flowers are achieved by mixing the basic colors of the deco clay (the japanese air dry clay).



The above pictures show the flower arrangement from various angles and close up too.
I am very pleased with the result and would love to know your opinion too.




p.s.: I am glad that my brother-in-law and sis-in-law also liked it along with my hubby. My hubby was there all along supporting me especially during the last phase of this project. Lucky me.

Pomander Ball with Clay Flowers

Happy New Year to all those who read our Blog. Thanks for all the encouragement and appreciation during the past year.
This new year we will have a new category for Gift ideas for Special Occasions. To begin with we will share Baby Shower Gift ideas.
This is one of my favorite creations so far. I think this is my best creation ever.
This project is closest to my heart. I made this for my sister for her Baby Shower. I wanted to make something special and unique. The idea was to create something that she will cherish for a long time to come. She is adorable and so truly deserves this beautiful creation. Since, she was expecting a baby boy I decided to make Pomander ball of blue roses. I used five petal white flowers to give a soothing effect and enhance the effect of blue color.
Pomander Ball, also known as Kissing Ball is the cutest thing I discovered recently. Pomander ball is used in Weddings, Christmas decorations and also as Baby shower decorations. Usually fresh flowers are used as it requires a lot of flowers. Making them in clay makes it extra special and this way it lasts longer. Pomander Ball with clay flowers is a labor intensive project, but once completed you really get the satisfaction of creating something magnificent.
Believe me when you make it for someone close to your heart and they appreciate it as much as you do, you feel all the effort was so much worth it.
Here are some more pictures of this state-of-the-art masterpiece of mine.


Let us know your views on this idea for baby shower gift idea.
Keep visiting there is more to come in this Category of Gift ideas for Special Occasions...

Tip: For Valentine's day this same idea can be used by replacing the blue roses by red roses.

Handmade Clay Roses and Cherry Blossoms

I have made clay flowers and gifted them to many of my friends but somehow never made one for my parents. They are visiting soon and I thought to make a flower arrangement for them. This flower arrangement has roses and cherry blossoms. Following are the supplies required for this project :

- Air dry clay
- Floral Wire and Wire cutter
- Pollens
- Floral tape
- Pointed clay tool or a bamboo skewer or a toothpick (for cherry blossom)
- Acrylic or any water based paint (to color the clay)
- Scissors
- Flower vase
- Ribbons ( I used them to decorate my vase)

You can refer to my previous post on clay roses to get the details on how to make roses. Here are the step by step instructions to make cherry blossoms. The supplies needed for cherry blossoms are shown in the picture.


Take a ball of clay and add a tiny drop of pink color in the ball. Mix it thoroughly till the entire ball gets a uniform color. Now make a small ball of 3/4th inch in diameter and taper it at one end to get a tear drop shape. Using pointed scissors make a cut slightly away from the enter of the tear drop. Now slit the smaller section into two and the bigger one into three.


Now using the pointed clay tool / bamboo skewer spread out each petal as shown in the picture. Support the petal with your finger while spreading it out. It may take you multiple tries to get a neat petal but once you get the knack of it you will be surprised how easy it is.

Take a bunch of pollens and twist wire around them as shown is the picture. You may prepare multiple sets of pollens before hand so that when you are making flowers you save time and hence prevent clay from drying. If the clay still gets dry, you can add a drop of water it to prevent cracks.

Insert the wire with pollens at the center of the flower and pull it down. Make tiny notches at the tip of the petals ( you may skip this step) to finish of the flower.
Leave it to dry. Before adding them to the flower arrangement wrap floral tape around the flower stem. These flowers look very pretty and can be used standalone or in an arrangement with other flowers.


For the vase I used a small wicker basket and decorated with ribbon and pearl. I preferred the wicker basket as it would not break during travel when my parents take it back to India.I loved the final flower arrangement especially the cool spring like colors.

Hopefully you enjoyed this tutorial and will get inspired to make these flowers. Here is another picture of the finished arrangement.

Beautiful clay roses

I made these roses for a friend who had invited me for a ladies only tea party. Daddies took care of the kids while the ladies enjoyed a sunny afternoon and lots of gossip over tea and snacks.It was a lot of fun.

My original plan was to make the arrangement in a pretty tea cup ( to go with the theme of the party) but I couldn't manage to get one in time. So it ended up in a glass vase.

Supplies used to make the arrangement :
- Delight air dry clay
- Floral wire
- Floral tape
- Glass vase
- Green marbles
- Fillers ( fall bush)

To make the rose :

Make seven 1/2 inch dia. clay balls. Use your thumb to press them into the shape of the petal.You can refer the template in this post for the petal shape. Take another clay ball and shape it like a tear drop. Keeping the pointed side up, completely wrap one petal around the teardrop so that you can not see the teardrop. Take the second petal and start wrapping it overlapping the first petal half way through. Add the remaining petals in a similar way.

Make seven more clay balls little bigger than the previous ones and press them into petal shapes. Add these petals similarly, this time flaring the outer edges a little for a open rose look. Remove extra clay from the bottom. Let the flower dry for 24 hrs.

Take a floral wire and cover the tip with glue. Insert it into the flower after it is dry. The clay becomes lighter after it dries. The wire won't be able to take the load when the clay is wet. Wrap green floral tape around the wire to finish the flower.

Add a drop of green color to the clay and mix well. Make tear drop shapes and using scissors slit them halfway to get the filler bud. Insert wire at the bottom and let the buds dry. Take three buds together and wrap floral tape around the stems. I used almost 12 buds for this arrangement.

Arrange the flowers as in picture.Use fall bush or any other fillers you have to give the arrangement a fuller look.Fill the glass vase with marbles.

An adorable arrangement of roses is ready for you to enjoy.