Sandy the Happy Crab, Beachy Trinket Box

I used STAEDTLER's Astrological Artist Mold to make this happy little crab box. The mold is heat and frost resistant and can be used with a heap of different mediums. I chose one of the new STAEDTLER fimo effect sorbet colours.

I think I may have to find some larger cardboard tubes and try this technique out on a bigger scale.

It sure was fun to make and it holds some of my beachy treasures. Teeny starfish and shells form the best vacation ever!

Here's what I used to make this project:

One STAEDTLER Art Mold (I used the Astrological Signs)

One STAEDTLER Push Mold (I used Jewellery)

One 56 g block of STAEDTLER fimo effect clay (I used ice blue quartz #306)

STAEDTLER karat soft pastel chalks 

STAEDTLER fimo gloss varnish

STAEDTLER liquid fimo deco gel

Stampendous golden sand embossing powder

Tools I used to create this Crabby Box:

Empty toilet paper or paper towel roll

Craft blade

Clay roller

Parchment paper

Small soft round paintbrush

Water in a spray bottle

I rolled out the fimo clay to a 1/4cm thick and wrapped strips around the paper tube. A thicker strip is the base of the box and was about 4cm tall. The thinner band is about 2cm tall and will be the lid. Blend the seams where the clay meets by gently rubbing with your fingertips. Make sure all the edges are even and there are no fingerprints. Place the pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet still on the paper tube, and bake in a preheated 230 degree oven for fifteen minutes and allow it to cool before moving on to the next step.

Push the ends of the tube onto a sheet of 1/4 cm thick rolled out clay and use the craft knife to cut the circles out. Place a circle on each end and blend in the edge seams with your fingertips. Bake the piece again for another fifteen minutes and allow it to cool.

Mist some water into your STAEDTLER mold and press in an appropriate amount of clay to fill the mold. The water will act as a release agent. 

Remove the baked clay pieces from the paper tube and place the molded crab (or whatever shape you picked) onto the top of the box. Blend in the edges as before. Bake on parchment paper lined baking sheet in a preheated 230 degree oven for twenty minutes.

Roll out some clay to about 1/8th cm thick and cut a ribbon to go along the inside of the top of the base of the box. Blend in the bottom edge of the ribbon.

Mist some water into the smaller flexible mold and press in small amounts of clay to make the shapes.

Press the shapes onto the box and when you're happy with the positions, bake the piece again for another twenty minutes and allow it to cool.

Paint the fimo liquid onto the piece where you would like the sandy embossing powder to stick. Dust the powder over the wet fimo liquid and re-bake the pieces for ten minutes at 230 degrees.

Rub sme of the STAEDTLER chalks onto a piece of clean paper and dip your soft paintbrush into the glossy varnish. Pick up a small amount of the dusty chalk and paint colour onto the piece. Clean out your brush before you re-dip into the varnish so you don't put colour in the varnish pot. I think this is my new favorite way to add colour to my fimo projects.

I used the same technique to add some watery looking blue to the sand edges.

This was a blast to make and I really am hunting around for some shipping tubes to make a bigger version. I am smitten with the translucent cool watery look this clay has. 

Hope you give it a try too!