Making A Family Clay Wall Hanging
Date of experience - 29th December 2023 / New Experience Number 43
Trying new things, especially craft experiences, is often a brilliant way to create unique and personalised gifts, which is what happened when I had a go at making a family clay wall hanging.
For this new thing I’d be making a decorative hanging consisting of shapes that I would embossed with the names of my family.
I had a kit for this craft, but it is relatively easy to source all of the materials independently. However you decided to have a go, I hope you enjoy it.
5 Reasons I Enjoyed Making A Family Clay Wall Hanging
Before I dive into my experience of making the decoration, I thought I’d share five of the reasons I enjoyed this craft, which may spur you on to giving it a go.
1. It’s really straightforward
Everything was provided in the kit, and the instructions were easy to follow. If you don’t have a kit, you can still easily make something similar and will easily be able to pick up the materials.
2. It’s unique
Every single kit that is completed will be unique. From the finger prints and the names, to any added flourishes and decorations that you might choose to add, there won’t be another one quite like it.
3. It’s personal
The idea of the hanging decoration is to use names of family members, so it will be individual to each family. Of course, you could use nicknames, or put anything you like on the clay shapes. Whatever you do, it will be personal to you.
4. It makes a great gift
The finished hanging can make a lovely gift for someone, and equally the kit itself is a nice gift idea for someone to make their own hanging.
5. It’s a good way to quieten the chattering mind
When tasks and to-dos are running through your thoughts at a million miles an hour, taking time out to focus on something else can be a great way to re-set and recalibrate the thinking mind, and this is a great kit to do it!
Giving It A Go
The kit contained everything that I needed to complete the make, so I settled in at the table and followed the simple instructions. It was like making cookies but with clay.
Step 1- Making The Individual Pieces
Firstly the block of clay needed warming up. It was firm, a bit like plasticine that has been left out in the air for too long, but soon became malleable as I rolled it in my hands.
Once flexible enough, I used the wooden tool in the kit to roll it out into a thin flat layer. Next I used the two cutters provided in the kit to press out the shapes.
I used the lid from a pen to make holes in both the top and the bottom of each shape. I’d use these to thread the string through later.
Whatever you use, don’t forget to make the holes!
I found there was enough clay in the kit to make the house at the top, and 9 additional hearts to hang underneath – however, it will depend on how thin you roll the clay, and I think mine could have done with being a bit thicker.
Making A Family Clay Wall Hanging - Step 2 -Adding The Names
Next I used the letters in the stamp kit to press the names of the family members into the clay.
Short names were nice and easy, anything over 5 letters was a little more fiddly. On more than one occasion I screwed my clay heart back up into a ball and re-rolled it out to start again. It took creative thinking to get some names to fit neatly.
Step 3 - Baking
A hot spell in the oven firmed up the clay shapes and set the names in place. This was a good time to make a delicious cup of hot chocolate whilst I waited.
Making A Family Clay Wall Hanging - Step 4 - Optional Decoration
A black pen had been included in the kit. This was to fill in the names and add a bit more depth. I tried it on one of my less essential shapes, and I didn’t like it. I thought it looked a bit scrawly, so didn’t mark up the rest of the pieces. It’s personal preference though so you might like the effect, and you might do a neater job than I did!
Step 5 - Hanging All Of The Pieces Together
Lastly it was a case of threading the string through each individual shape. This was a little bit fiddly, so took concentration and perseverance until all of the shapes were attached.
The string that was included wasn’t quite long enough to be able to thread through all of the 10 different pieces. I do have some redundant hearts, but they had cats names on them rather than people so I don’t feel too bad about not using them.
The End Result From Making A Family Clay Wall Hanging
That had been a lovely make, and a great mindful activity too.
My finished hanging doesn’t look as polished and perfect as the ones you might see from people who regularly work with clay, but it’s most definitely unique, and ready to be given to one of my family as an original gift.
Want To Try It Yourself?
You’ll find lots of kits available on line and in many high street shops.
The kit that I used was from The Works (who sell lots of different craft kits) and was a collaboration between them and Prima magazinewho offer lots of crafting ideas and advice.
Cost Of Experience
I picked this kit up in the sale for just £4. Don’t you just love a bargain?!
Prices will vary depending on where you purchase a kit from, or if you buy the materials individually.
Recommendations
Use a flat clean surface for the make. The white clay easily picks up small stray threads and fluff so try and work somewhere as fluff free as possible.
Don’t worry if you mess up the lettering, you can squidge your clay back into a ball, roll it, cut out the shape again, and have another go.
Don’t forget to make holes in both the top and bottom of the shapes so that you can hang all of the pieces together.
It’s helpful to make at least one spare shape, even if you don’t use the cutters, use the letter stamps. That way you can try adding the ink, and if you don’t like it you won’t have used one of your actual pieces.
You don’t have to use the cutters in the kit – you could get more creative and use other shapes, or even go free hand.
- If you like craft experiences, have you considered making embossed tin decorations, or trying a fused glass craft?