Instructions:

BEFORE STARTING: Knead clay until soft to make it easy to work with. Cover working surfaces with wax paper, then clean surfaces and wash your hands thoroughly after kneading.

1. Cut a pattern for your plant stake from scrap paper. Roll out the conditioned clay to make a sheet about 1/8” thick. Cut two identical shapes from the clay sheet using the paper pattern.
2. Position the leaves (veins down) on one shape and press in place. Remove leaves. Use the sharpened pencil point to “carve” selected word(s) like: dream, love or plant names.
3. Sandwich craft stick between patterned clay piece and the second matching shape. Hold the clay gently in your hand and pinch the edges of the two shapes together all the way around. Make sure the clay is sticking to the craft stick.
4. Bake the plant stake on an oven proof glass surface in a 275ºF oven for 15 minutes per ¼” thickness. DO NOT USE A MICROWAVE OVEN. Avoid over baking. Allow to cool completely.
5. Apply acrylic paint to the baked clay plant stake and spread it around with a foam brush or paint brush. Use the cotton rag to remove most of the paint so that color is left in the impressions. If the paint dries too quickly, wet the rag slightly and rub the baked clay to remove more paint.