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How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine’s Heart Garland

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It is that time of the month again when I join my friends from all over the world.   I am talking about the International Bloggers Club. 

A few months ago we started a new theme that involves using the Anniversary years as our guideline.  We featured projects with paper and projects with cotton.  The last time we did Christmas  And now we I am going to show you how to make a natural clay Valentine’s heart garland.

Make sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post to see what my friends have made this month.

Clay heart garland for Valentine's Day, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
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My daughter came home with some of this clay and I thought this project would be the perfect opportunity for us to do a project together. 

What We Used:

Package of Oven Bake Clay, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com

The How To:

Since we are doing Valentine’s Day, I cut out a heart on a piece of paper as a template by folding a piece of paper and making the half shape.  Once unfolded, it looked like a full heart. 
Paper Heart, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
And replicated it on a piece of cardboard because I needed a sturdy template. 
Cardboard heart, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
My girl then rolled out the clay on a cutting board. It was about 1/4 inch in height. 
Rolling out the clay on a cutting board, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
AntiqueFarmHouse
Using the cardboard heart as a template she was able to cut out a shape.  You can also use cookie cutters if you have them. 
placing cardboard cutout on top of clay, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
She used plastic clay tools, but a knife will do just as well. 
Cutting clay shape with tools, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com

​We didn’t worry about the rough edges since we were going for a rustic look, but this would be the time to smooth them out if you want a more finished look. 

heart shaped clay, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
As an afterthought I took sprigs of pine and pressed them into the clay. I was trying to achieve a bit more texture. I’m sure you can use anything with a pattern on it. I just liked this idea. 

We also poked holes near the tops of the years for the twine to go through. 

Adding pine branches for more texture, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
$1 Craft Supplies at Dollar Tree!

​We placed them on a non-stick sheet made for baking clay.  And baked them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Putting the clay in the oven to bake, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
This is how they looked when they came out of the oven.  I let them rest a few days but you don’t really need to wait that long. 
After the clay has baked, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com

​And here is where the fun begins.  I had three different waxes to choose from.  I wanted to experiment so using the furniture polish (that’s the one in the center which is really clear) I went over all of the hearts. and wiped them with a clear cloth. 

Daddy Van's Waxes, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
On the left is the heart with the clear wax.  On the right I have added the dark wax on top of the clear.  It looks like a mess but wait…
Adding clear wax and dark wax, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com

​Once the dark wax is wiped back you can clearly see all the markings on the heart. 

wiping back the dark wax to reveal the indentations, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
I then took another heart and applied white wax on top of the clear.  That is the one on the left and you can see how it compares to the dark wax on the right. 
Adding white wax verses dark wax, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com

​But I was not happy with either one.  The one was too bland and the other too dark.  To soften up the darker one I added white on top.  This process was trial and error but that’s how you figure out what you like. 

Adding white wax on top of the dark wax, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
I had finally found something in the middle that made me happy!  And just look at that shine!  It is as smooth as a well worn rock and the color is a nice oatmeal. 
Smooth as a rock finish, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com

​You may have noticed that I had made holes in the hearts before baking them.  My intent was to create a garland with the hearts. 

finished heart garland on wall, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com

​I think it turned out just right!

close up of hanging hearts, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
Not too bland.

And not too dark!

Detail of pine branch indentations, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
Now that I’m done I’m giving it a second look and it would not be a stretch to say that the hearts look a little like they have fossil indentations on them. 
Two clay hearts hung from twine, How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com

​I hope you’ve enjoyed our how to make a natural clay Valentine’s heart garland. I got to spend a wonderful afternoon with my daughter and we made a heart garland which can pretty much stay up all year round.  That is definitely a win-win in my book!  How do you decorate for Valentine’s Day?  Do you go all out or are you like me?

And now scroll below to see what my pals from the International Bloggers Club are up to.  If you’d like to see more past challenges click here

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Using baked clay and twine to create a neutral heart garland for Valentine's Day #farmhouse #neutraldecor #minimalism #bakedclay #Simplecraft #DIYHeartGarland #Valentine'sDayCraft #ShabbyChic How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
Using baked clay and twine to create a neutral heart garland for Valentine's Day #farmhouse #neutraldecor #minimalism #bakedclay #Simplecraft #DIYHeartGarland #Valentine'sDayCraft #ShabbyChic How to Make a Natural Clay Valentine's Heart Garland www.theboondocksblog.com
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More Valentine’s Day Ideas:
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Tuesday 10th of December 2019

Your style is гeally unique compared tⲟ օther folks I've read stuff fгom.

I appгeciate ʏou for posting wһen you have the opportunity, Guess Ӏ will just bookmark this web site.

Carol

Monday 21st of January 2019

I really like the look of the clay hearts. Well done! Pinned and shared

Mary

Monday 21st of January 2019

Thanks so much Carol. I wanted a different look for this year.

Kari Wagner Hoban

Monday 21st of January 2019

This is so pretty and fits in with all of the Hygge during winter. LOVE.

Mary

Monday 21st of January 2019

Exactly Kari, that is the word that fits it to a T!

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