So What About Those Cauldrons?????!!!!!!

The last couple of days I have been playing with all sorts of different ways of making cauldrons.

This is the collection of shapes and sizes I have got together. It includes a range of lids, various mini glass bowls, some lovely cast iron cauldrons from Sussex Crafts and some bubble floats in different sizes (I was given this idea by Brea, whose blog is a must for us dabblers!!)

 Plus the water balloons for the paper mache idea.....Suffice to say Lily loves them!!

 I tore up lots of newspaper and made up a weak PVA mix just like on Blue Peter many, many years ago. 

Let me just say my preparations took longer than it took me to realise that my paper mache idea was not going to work. My balloons were too small and too slippery. My newspaper pieces were too big. My patience was running too thin......End of that plan.

 So, I covered all my shapes with foil and moved on to plan B and C, using Paperclay and Fimo. 

I would cover the shapes in my chosen material and the foil would stop any sticking.

I had some grey Fimo in the drawer so I started with that, thinking that if my first attempts by some miracle turned out fabulous I could always paint them.......Optimist is my middle name!

Here are my prototypes in the oven, no Nigella cup cakes for me!

 Only three survived the baking. The tiny one simply refused to be separated from its cap.

Whenever I get out the Fimo or clay I am further filled with admiration for all the wonderful clay artists who make the most wonderful tiny pieces. I just find it impossible to get a smooth, untainted finish.

Maybe I will be able to refine the finish but the shapes work. 

 Impatient as always I did try to remove the inners too quickly which resulted in some cracking. Must remember to let them get cold next time.

Here are my Paperclay efforts. Even got a little creative here, woooo hoooo, tried a little pumpkin thingy idea with one of them! Once again they are a little rough and ready, maybe I can tidy them up when they are fully dried? Maybe they will look better once they are painted?

It seems as if the foil idea is working and the clay hasn't stuck fast. 

I will be good with these and let them dry completely over night, and then sigh....

I have yet to try the ping pong balls. I might try cutting up the bubble floats and covering them completely in the clay or fimo, I might build a stack and then cover the whole stack in clay/fimo rather than build from individual cauldrons, I might.........

I know I'm burbling but maybe I'll get it right tomorrow!