Make this Santa votive with only two paper punches and some thin baked clay sheets. This is so easy that you'll want to make lots of them to give as gifts. Or have a Santa craft party and have friends come over and make their own.

Finished size: 4 1/2" x 6" Votive

Skill: 1   Time: 1   Cost: 1

You will need:
•  4 1/2" x 6" flat-sided glass votive or vase
•  Oven bake clay*:
                Poppy- 2 blocks
                Whipped Cream- 1/2 package
                Clover- 1 block
                Blush- 2 blocks
•  Oven-bake polymer clay adhesive*
•  Acrylic roller*
•  Clay blade*
•  Pigment powders*: Pearl White, Spring Green
•  Frosted glass spray*
•  Small paper punches: holly leaf, snowflake, teardrop shapes (or similar)
•  1/2" wide soft craft brush
•  4mm round black seed beads
•  Permanent adhesive*
Foil lined baking sheet, glass cleaner & soft cloth, plastic placemat, small scissors, toothpicks

*The following products were used for this project: Beacon Adhesives Quick Grip glue • Jacquard Products Pearl Ex Powdered Pigments • Krylon Frosted Glass Finish • Studio by Sculpey clay, Bake and Bond oven-bake polymer clay adhesive, Super Slicer, and acrylic roller.

Note: For product information, see end of article.

•  Condition all clay until soft and pliable before starting.
•  Use plastic placemat or similar to protect work surface.
•  Use spray paints only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
•  Follow manufacturer's directions for all products.
•  Allow glue to dry between steps.
•  See photo for details and placement.

STEP 1: Make beard, leaves, & snowflakes. Roll out a sheet of Whipped Cream to a paper thickness. Use craft brush to apply Pearl White pigment powder to surface. Place on foil lined baking sheet. Repeat process for a 3" square of Clover. Brush Spring Green pigment powder onto surface and place on baking sheet. Bake clay sheets as directed. Let cool in oven before removing.
When cool, punch out approximately nine snowflakes from white clay for each side of votive. For beard, punch about 21 teardrop shapes. Cut one in half to make eyebrows. Use holly leaf punch to make two leaves from green clay sheet. Set all aside. Note: If you don't have all the punches available, e.g., substitute a small round punch for beard for teardrop shape, use any leaf punch in place of holly punch, or just use teardrop to punch out all pieces.

STEP 2: Make Santa face. For face, roll a large marble size ball of Blush and flatten with palm of hand to about a 1 1/2" circle. Roll a pea size ball for nose. Place face onto foil lined baking sheet. Spread a very thin coating of oven-bake clay adhesive to lower 1/3 of face. Flatten a small string of white clay and press onto that section. Apply a tiny bit more of the clay adhesive to white clay. Starting around edge of clay, press on about prebaked teardrop shapes to start beard. Overlap next row using about seven more shapes. Add one to each side of face and two more to form moustache. Apply a dot of clay adhesive to center of face and press on nose. For eyes, use toothpick to add two dots of same adhesive above nose and press in black seed beads. Add eyebrows in same way.

STEP 3: Make hat. For hat, roll a large cone shape from Poppy clay and flatten. Curve point slightly to left. Place at top of head. Note: Wash hands after using this clay to avoid transferring color.
To make hat trim, roll a small rectangle of Whipped Cream clay about 1/4" thick. Use clay blade to cut a 1/2" x 2" band and press onto hat. Use ends of craft brush bristles to texture. Roll a larger pea size ball of Whipped Cream tassel. Press at point of hat and texture in same way. Use brush to apply Pearl White pigment powders to hat trim.
Add another dot of clay adhesive and press in holly leaves at upper right of hat. Roll a tiny berry from Poppy and press over leaves. Bake according to manufacturer's directions. Let cool in oven before removing.

STEP 4: Prepare votive. Clean glass votive with soft cloth and glass cleaner. Let dry completely. Shake can of frost finish spray. Take votive to a well-ventilated area or outside and spray one side at a time with a light coat of frost finish. Apply up to two additional coats, letting dry between applications.

STEP 5: Finish. Use permanent glue to attach baked Santa head to center of votive. Randomly glue clay snowflakes around head. Glue snowflakes to each side in same way, allowing each side to dry several minutes before moving on to the next.

Sources:

Beacon Adhesives
beaconcreates.com

Jacquard Products
(800) 442-0455
jacquardproducts.com

Krylon
(800) 4KRYLON
krylon.com

Studio by Sculpey (Polyform)
studiobysculpey.com