Clay-Pot Graduates
By: Sheila Spencer
Issue: Crafts 'n Things, May, 1999
Skill Level: beginner
Time: less than 1 hour for each (not including drying time)
Con-grad-ulations! With just a little paint and some glue, you can surprise your favorite graduate with his or her own clay-pot cutie. Personalize diploma with student or school name; match school colors for cap, gown, and tassel.
Materials (for one graduate)
Clay pot, 2-1/2" tall, one.
Wooden ball-knob, 1-1/2" diameter, one.
Paints: spray, black and white; acrylic, blush and white.
Posterboard: square, 1-1/2" strip, 3-1/2" x 5/16".
White paper, 3" x 4-1/2".
Satin ribbon: black, 1/8" wide, three inches; picot-edge white (for girl graduate only), 3/16" wide, 12 inches.
Embroidery floss (for tassel), color of choice, 17 inches.
Spanish moss, small amount.
Powdered blush.
Bow-Tie pasta (for boy graduate only), one piece.
Black ultra-fine point permanent marker.
Supplies: Scissors, thick craft glue or glue gun and glue sticks, cotton-tipped swab, toothpick, paintbrush.
Instructions
1. Make the cap. For cap base, overlap short ends of posterboard strip, forming a circle. Glue together. Center cap base on 1-1/2""posterboard square and glue; let dry.
2. Paint the pieces. Spray paint hat and clay pot black, inside and out. Paint wooden ball blush. If making boy graduate, spray paint bow-tie pasta with white. Let dry.
3. Assemble the grad. For head, glue flat side of ball-knob to bottom of clay-pot body. For hair, form a nest-shaped piece of Spanish miss and glue to top of head. Leave hair long for girl; trim short for boy. Glue hat to hair.
See Fig. 1 for girl and Fig. 2 for boy.) Draw facial features with black permanent marker. Use toothpick to paint white highlight in each eye. For girl, apply powdered blush to cheeks with cotton-tipped swab, using dashed-line circles as a guide. For boy, add freckles if desired.
For tassel, cut two 3" lengths and one 9" length from embroidery floss. Lay two 4" lengths of embroidery floss together. Fold 9" length of floss in half. Center loop-end under 4" lengths. Pull cut ends of 9: length through loop; pull tight. Knot 4" lengths 1" above loop. Trim ends above knot. Glue knot to center-top of cap. Glue loop-end to either front corner of cap. Separate loose ends of floss into individual strands. Trim ends of tassel to 1-1/4".
4. Finishing. For boy, glue bow-tie pasta where head meets body.
For girl, cut 12" length of white satin ribbon in half. Lay pieces together and tie a two-loop bow. Separate loops and glue where head meets body; trim ends.
For diploma, roll white paper into a scroll along 3" edge. Lightly glue loose edge. With black ribbon, tie a shoestring bow around center of diploma; trim ends. Write "DIPLOMA" or gradÆs name to right of ribbon. Glue diploma to front of body at an angle.
LITTLE TIP FOR YOU:
INSTEAD OF USING THE WHITE PAPER FOR THE DIPLOMA I USED MONEY INSTEAD. I ROLLED UP A $100 BILL FOR MY NIECE LAST YEAR. SHE WAS THRILLED AND SAVED THE CRAFT FOR A SOUVENIR. SAVES YOU THE HASSEL OF FINDING THE PERFECT GIFT. MOST GRADUATES NEED THE MONEY ANYWAY SO IT WORKS OUT FOR BOTH OF YOU.
Cute graduation gift
Thanks
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