Clay Cottage's

This is my tutorial on how I make my Clay Cottages!

Item's Needed

Clay Pot and clay saucer
Clay (various colors)
Knife
Garlic Press
Super Glue
Small tools, like a tooth pick, a nail (to help attach clay)
Acrylic Paints
Pledge Floor Wax
Small soft Paint Brush (like 1/2 inch or so) to apply wax

Making the Cottage Roof

First, I made a 1/2 in layer of clay on the saucer bottom and attached to the pot with super glue. This will bevel the roof to stack the straw. After that I made a square section of clay for the chimney and added small colored stones for the rock. You can press these rocks onto the clay chimney (no glue required) clay sticks to clay. Then I used the color of clay that I wanted to start making the straw roof. I layered the clay (straw) from bottom to the top, starting at the bottom row then working my way to the top, row by row. Make sure that when stacking the straw up by the chimney to make it flush.

Cottage Wall Design

Due to the ring around the pot, I added the white layer of clay (shown in the photo) to accommodate for the ledge in the pot (glue will be required for this step).

Then I took about 3 packages of clay to make the ground/base of the pot and glued as well.

After that I started making the walls/doors and window after which I started making the frames. The white cottage walls are about 1/4 of an inch thick. The walls don't need to be perfectly smooth due to the rocks that I will be adding later.

Adding Grass and Rocks

On this step I started pressing different shades of green through the garlic press to add texture in the grass. I put pressed green clay (grass) all of the way around the Cottage to make it look like grass.

Then I started adding rocks. I used different shades of grey swirled together to make different shades of rocks (don't over mix). I laid a layer of rocks in the grass to make a walkway.

Making Clay Figurines for the Cottage

In this step I started making small figurines that I wanted outside of my Cottage. Like, Flowers, pumpkins, turtles, mouse, bails of straw and a scarecrow just to name a few.

Adding a Grass Rim for the Roof

In this step I made a straw rim for the straw roof (Straw and Grass made by pressing through the Garlic Press). I used super glue to attach it to the pot rim. I trimmed the inside pot opening with a knife to remove the excess straw.

Baking the Pot

In this step I laid parchment paper on a cookie sheet and Baked the pot at 230 Degrees for about 45 minutes. Then I turn the oven off and left it in there until the oven is completely cool, then I took it out.

Painting

Paint any details that you want on your pot, like eyes, highlights etc.

Next, I painted the inside of the lid and pot with the acrylic paint (what ever color that you want). After the paint is dry I took the floor wax and coated the inside of the painted pot, lid and let it dry. After which I coated the outside of the pot with wax and let it dry too.

When the pot was dry to the touch I smeared white Elmer's school glue on the base and set it on a sheet of felt. After it dried I trimmed around the base with a pair of scissors.

**If by chance anything breaks... Just add a drop of super glue to reattach it.**

That's it!! Enjoy making a Clay Cottage!

I have made and sold more than 50 Clay Cottages so far.

Have fun!

Karen