Clay Molding Crafts

Make sculptures out of paper clay.clay figurines image by fabersky from Fotolia.com

Make a unique and creative craft out of clay. There are many ways to mold clay, and the medium you use is up to you. When working with children, using paper clay is one of the easiest ways to get the look and feel of molding clay. Paper is an art medium that has a similar look and feel to potter's clay that an adult would use for advanced pottery pieces. Paper clay dries "to a hard finish that can be carved or sanded--perfect for artists and crafters of all kinds," according to Paperclay.com.

Standard Cereal Bowl

Make a bowl or vase out of paper clay.To do this, put on disposable plastic gloves, open the package of paper clay and put into a bowl. You can add a bit of acrylic paint to the clay if you would like to tint it or you can wait until your sculpture is completed to paint on a finish. Work your hands through the clay to soften it. Pull the clay out of the bowl and pat it down into a small dome. Cup your hands around the dome, and then press one of your palms into the center. This is one way to center the clay to make a bowl. Then use your hands to "pull up" the sides of the clay to form a bowl.

Make a decorative pencil holder by making rings of paper clay. Roll long strips of paper clay. Cut them into equal sections using a plastic knife. Curl the paper clay strips into rings, and stack them one on top of the other to make a pencil holder. Allow your sculpture to dry, and then add embellishments. You can paint it, spray it with glitter and even alter it. The greatest attribute of paper clay is that you don't have to wait for it to dry in a kiln, and you can work with it even after it dries.

Make a unique tree ornament. Cut out slabs of paper clay by rolling out the clay "on a soft surface like pastry dough with a rolling pin," according to Paperclayart.com. You will want to roll the pin over the clay multiple times on both sides to evenly flatten it and to prevent the clay from sticking to your work surface. Use cookie cutters in various shaped to cut out your tree ornament base. Use a pencil or skewer to make a small hole in the top of the ornament. You will slip a ribbon through the hole once the ornament dries. Allow the ornament to dry and paint or embellish.