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How to Make Pinch Pots from Clay

How to Make Pinch Pots from Air Dry Clay

Looking for a simple craft to make and help you decompress? Make these cute clay pinch pots and use them around your house.

How to Make Pinch Pots from Clay

I hope you are ready to get your hands a little messy! Today’s tutorial is all about making some easy pinch pots out of inexpensive clay. Right now, it feels like the days are long, and life is still so uncertain. I find that immersing myself in an enjoyable activity really helps to pass the time. Working with the hands can be good for the soul!

The good news is, you don’t really need anything special other than air dry clay and your hands. Plus, you don’t have to leave your house to create this project. The terracotta clay I purchased is from Amazon and was shipped right to my door.

This is a great craft for the kiddos too, so be sure to involve them with learning how to make pinch pots if they are looking for something to do.

Let’s dive right in!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Crayola Air Dry Clay (I used terra cotta, but you can also use white)
Parchment Paper (so you don’t dirty up your surfaces)

Instructions:

This project is easy, inexpensive, and very therapeutic! Let your mind focus on shaping the clay and put your worries aside for a little bit.

Step 1: Shape your clay into round balls

Layout a piece of parchment paper. Grab a hunk of clay and shape/roll it into a nice ball. My clay balls are about the size of the palm of my hand. You can go bigger or smaller, it’s up to you!

Step 2: Form your Pots

Now that you have your clay ball formed, take your thumb or finger and stick it into the center of the ball. Use your fingers to “pinch” the clay outward, slowly creating a bigger hole in the center. Keep going around and around until you are satisfied with the shape and size of your pinch pot.

Clay is forgiving, you add more if you pinched it too thin. Add a little water to your clay to avoid cracking. The thicker the sides (or bottom), the longer it will take to dry. Keep that in mind when shaping your pinch pot.

Step 3: Dry your Pinch Pots for Several Days

We left our clay pinch pots to dry on the parchment paper for several days. When they are fully dry, the pots will turn a lighter color and be hard to the touch. Once dry, you can paint them with acrylic paint or just leave them plain. Being the simplistic girl that I am, I just left mine plain. But kids might enjoy a painting project.

That’s it! As I said, this is a simple, inexpensive project. Luckily, you should have plenty of clay leftover for next time.

You might be wondering what in the heck to do with pinch pots?

Aside from the fact that it’s just a fun craft, there are tons of ways to use your new pots! A quick google search will bring up some ideas for you. But I’ll give you a few here to get you started.

Plant faux succulents
Use as a ring tray on your nightstand
A decor dish to decorate with

Since you can’t get the clay wet, planting a real plant in them is not going to work. But that’s ok because those faux succulents have to go somewhere and they look great in these little pinch pots.

You could also use them as a small catch-all dish on your nightstand or console table. In fact, that’s how I’m using my pinch pots! I have one sitting on my nightstand because I somehow always forget to take off my earrings at night – so this has become the perfect little spot to put them before I go to sleep.

Finally, you can just use them as decor pieces to decorate shelves and bookcases or tables. They look very earthy, so depending on your decor style, they add a nice collected feel to your rooms. Plus – you made them! Take a little pride in your handiwork.

If you like this clay project, be sure to check out my tutorial for a heart-shaped jewelry dish.

Stay safe, stay healthy!

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint. I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children, and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths, sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands. I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

May 27, 2020/1 Comment/by Karen Decor Hint

I’m a serial upcycler. When I can find relatively free materials and turn them into something worth displaying, I’m thrilled! This Magnetic Chalkboard frame is one of those upcycled projects I am proud of.

Upcycled Magnetic Chalkboard Frame

Earlier in the week, I showed you the changes I made in my oldest son’s bedroom. One of the switches I made was to replace his bedroom door because the old one had cracked after one too many slammings. Ugh, cheap hollow door.

In an effort to keep my son from taping all types of signs to his new door, I found an ugly old frame and married it with some scrap metal from a junky set of shelving a neighbor was throwing away.

That’s not real wood, it’s metal…fake wood metal. Yuck. Wait until you see how they were transformed. You won’t believe your eyes, so watch closely how I made this Upcycled Magnetic Chalkboard Frame.

Before you leave this tutorial thinking you can’t possibly make this project because you’ll never be able to find cheap faux wood shelves, let me share with you some alternate materials you can use!

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Magnetic Material:

Sheet metal from the filter and HVAC aisle
Masonite painted with magnetic paint
Magnetic Bulletin Board

Non-Magnetic Material for Chalkboard:

Now that you have some additional material options, let’s get busy making a Magnetic Framed Chalkboard (or just a framed chalkboard).

Materials:

Optional: You may need some Goo Gone, a scraper, and rag to eliminate any glue on the back of the frame.

Instructions:

Begin by cutting your metal (or backing) to fit into the back of the frame.

Paint one side of the metal with chalkboard paint. Let it dry. Apply a second coat of chalkboard paint. Let it dry.

While the chalkboard paint is drying, time to work on the frame.

If your frame has paper on the back, peel it off and use Goo Gone, a scraper, and sander to remove any of the glue residue.

When the chalkboard paint has dried, insert it into the frame, chalkboard side up from the backside of the frame (are you seeing where I’m going with this?)

The back of the frame is much prettier than the front, but in order to hold the chalkboard in place, we need to cut some picture molding. Cut the end of your molding at a 45 degree angle. Fit it into the frame and mark where to make your second cut.

Continue fitting and cutting molding around your frame.

Once all four pieces of molding fit, you are ready to secure them.

Apply a bead of wood glue along the inside edge of the back of the frame.

Set the molding pieces in place and wipe up any glue that squeezes out.

Clamp the molding pieces and the frame. Allow the glue to dry for at least an hour.

When the glue has dried. Attach two D-rings to the back of the frame.

Season the chalkboard with the side of a piece of chalk. Then use a dry rag to buff it off.

Time to hang it up! (In my case, I hung it on my son’s door.

To keep the frame from bouncing any time the door is opened or closed, I put a 3M Command velcro strip between the bottom of the frame and the door.

Now my son can put up pictures, messages, and more without damaging the door.

Pretty cool huh?! Would you ever guess the back of an ugly frame and metal shelves could look this beautiful?

I especially like the little metal fasteners showing in the corners of the frame.

Tell me, do you have an ugly frame hanging around your house? Have you ever looked at the back and found it more beautiful than the front?

Pin for later!

May 22, 2020/2 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Crafts, decor, Decorating, gifts, Home Decor, kids art, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, Pillows, Sewing

How to Make Thumbprint Design Envelope Pillows

Envelope pillows are the easiest pillow covers to sew. Combine a beautiful pillow with a personalized thumbprint design and you have a great gift idea for parents or grandparents!

How to Make Thumbprint Design Envelope Pillows

Hello, it’s Cristina from Remodelando la Casa once again happy to share an easy and fun project where kids are more than welcome to give a helping “thumb” 🙂

Envelope pillows are the easiest pillow covers I’ve sewn and let me tell you, my sewing skills are not that good. A fabric rectangle is folded to create an “envelope”, four simple straight lines to sew and your cover is done! No zippers, no Velcro, the envelope holds the pillow really well.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Fabric (I used drop cloth material), and all the necessary sewing materials.
- If you don’t have a sewing machine, this is a project you can put together using Stitch Witchery.
Fabric paint colors:
- Glacier White, Royal Blue, and Marine Blue)
Contact paper
X-acto knife
17″ x 17″ pillow forms

*Pre-wash and iron the fabric

Instructions:

For a 17″ x 17″ pillow insert, use the following dimensions.

Once the fabric is cut to size (18″x 40″), hem the left and right edges. (Fold in ½” twice, as seen in the picture below. Iron it flat and hem.) Do the same on the other side.

To create the opening on the back, fold the left side over and iron.

Do the same on the other side. These folded lines are a good visual point to help you center the design on the front face of the pillow later on.

Before sewing across the top and bottom of the cover, let’s work on the design (the fun part!) Print the starfish and seahorse silhouettes. (for these pillows print at 120%.)

Place each design on top of a big piece of contact paper, tape it in place.

Using the x-acto knife, cut through the printout and the contact paper following the outline of the silhouette.

After cutting, peel off the outer piece of contact paper and center the design on your pillow cover. Press the contact paper firmly all around the design to prevent paint from seeping through.

Now it’s time to call all those little artists and give them each a set of fabric paint.

The thumb-printing / painting can begin…

…until the shapes are filled.

Let it dry according to the paint manufacturer’s instructions. After the paint dries you can sew across the top and bottom, making sure the designs are on the inside.

If desired, wash and iron the pillow covers. Insert your pillow form.

Place it on your favorite chair and enjoy!

Our pillows are a present for a special person close to our hearts.

Of course, the artists had to sign it, or thumbprint it! Well, we did both!

Are you ready to give the thumb printing a try? Kids love it! Hint, hint… this could be a nice project for Father’s Day (or Mother’s Day).

~ Learn more about Cristina ~

May 21, 2020/27 Comments/by Cristina Garay

accessories, arts and craft, Before and After, Crafts, Decorating, gifts, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, painting, Très Frugal

Painted Trays with Scrapbook Lining

Scrapbook Paper Lined Painted Trays | Pretty Handy Girl

Look around your house or the next time you’re at a thrift shop. Find either an unpainted tray or a tray that needs a makeover. This is a quick project to create a Painted Trays with Scrapbook Lining for a beautiful and elegant tray to display or organize things in your home.

Painted Trays with Scrapbook Lining

Today I have a really adorable and easy DIY idea for you! Scrapbook paper-lined and painted trays. These trays are so versatile, they can be used in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, or anywhere you want to corral items or have a flat surface available. They also make a great gift if you want to load them up with some smaller gift items. But best of all, you can change their look in a snap.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

As I mentioned above unfinished trays can be purchased at many places. If you want a new one, look at your local craft supply store or order one online on Amazon for cheap.

You’ll also want some decorative scrapbook paper, gift wrap, or fabric to line the bottom of your tray.

Materials:

Unfinished tray
Fine grit sandpaper sheet
Damp & dry rags
2 sheets of scrapbook paper per tray
Paint (I prefer chalk paint)
Primer (if you are using other than chalk paint)
Paintbrush
Optional:
- Antiquing Wax,
- Plexiglass cut to fit bottom of tray

Instructions:

Lightly sand and wipe off tray with a damp rag.

Prime tray (if using non-chalk paint.) Paint tray desired color. For this tray, I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen.

After the paint has dried, brush antiquing wax onto your tray if desired. Buff off excess with a dry rag.

Cut scrapbook paper to fit inside the tray. When overlapping paper, make sure to line up the repeating pattern.

For the best durability, line the tray with a piece of glass or plexiglass cut to fit inside the tray. (Ask your local home improvement store to cut or order online.) If you want it to be permanent, seal the edges of the glass with clear silicone.

The paper you use to line the tray doesn’t have to necessarily be scrapbook paper. I got this paper from Ballard Designs. It’s actually cheese paper, but I loved the design. It doesn’t quite match up, so I just rotated the paper.

When you put something on top of the tray, you hardly notice the seam.

The nifty thing about these trays is the decorative paper can be swapped out when you bore of the design. (Unless, you seal the edges.)

Once again, I’m loving this idea too much…I might be keeping this one for myself ;-).

Do tell me if you love this idea or have any unique ideas for lining the bottom.

Pin for later!

May 6, 2020/9 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, DIY, DIYLikeaBoss, Do It Yourself, Furniture, Home Decor, night stand, power tools, Tool Tutorials

DIY Circle Cutting Jig for the Table Saw

So, you love making DIY projects but want to expand your talents further than squares and rectangles. I’m going to show you how to make DIY Circle Cutting Jig for the Table Saw. Yes!! Your table saw.

DIY Circle Cutting Jig for the Table Saw

Hello!! It’s Kristen, from In Her Garage, back again to bring you a super exciting and simple tutorial!

Making circles with the table saw sounds counterintuitive, right? Table saws are supposed to just rip straight lines, but table saws are one of the most versatile tools in your shop and with just a few pieces of scrap wood, you’ll be cutting circles and making gorgeous side tables and decor pieces in no time at all!! Let’s get started making this DIY Circle Cutting Jig for the Table Saw!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

3/4” plywood or MDF roughly 12”x12”
3/4” x 1/4” x 10” strip wood (usually ripped from scrap 1″ scrap lumber)
1″ x 2″ x 12” piece of scrap or something similar
Several pennies
CA glue
5/8” brad nails
1 ¼” brad nails or screws
1 ¼” nail for center rotation point

Tools:

Please read through the instructions in their entirety before making this project.

Safety! Before starting, UNPLUG your table saw and completely retract the blade below the level of the table.

Instructions:

The 3/4”x 1/4” strip of wood will be used as a guide for the jig and will travel within the miter slot to the right of the table saw blade.

Standing at the table saw, place a few stacked pennies within the miter slot and lay the strip of wood over the pennies so it is just slightly above the level of the table.

Place a line CA glue on top of the strip of wood and place the plywood on top of it so that the plywood piece is covering the saw blade about ¼”.

Apply weight on top of the plywood and wait for the glue to adhere to both the miter guide strip and the back of the plywood.

While you are waiting for the glue to dry apply the 12” piece of scrap wood to the front edge of the plywood. Simply apply some wood glue between the two pieces and nail it down with 1 ¼” brad nails or screws. This will act as the handgrip for the jig.

By now the plywood and the miter gauge strip of wood have adhered together. Gently lift the plywood and turn it over.

Using 5/8” inch brad nails or screws secure the strip in place being careful not to split it.

Remove the pennies from the miter slot.

Use some fine-grit sandpaper to smooth out the edges of the miter guide strip to help the jig travel smoothly. Applying some paste wax to the bottom the plywood and miter guide strip will also help with smooth travel. (Not necessary, but will help with smooth movement.)

Flip the jig back over placing the guide strip in the miter slot.

Pull the jig back enough to raise the saw blade just above the level of the hand guide. Plug the saw in.

With the saw on push the jig forward to completely cut off the left side of the jig. This will make the jig perfectly in line with the blade and act as a zero-clearance for clean cuts.

Turn off the saw, lower the blade and unplug.

Circle Cutting Instructions:

Using your speed square draw a line in the middle of the jig perpendicular to the saw blade.

Now mark the radius measurement for the circle that you want to make on this line. For example, if you want to make a circle that is 10” in diameter measure to 5” with your speed square.

Tap a 1 ¼” nail into the mark.

Make a mark in the center of the square piece of wood that you’re wanting to cut into a circle. This is easily done by drawing two lines from each opposite corner. The intersection of these two lines in the center of the square.

Drill a small hole through this center point.

Place the 1 ¼” nail through the hole and into the hole on the jig and tap securely into place making sure that the square lies completely flat on the jig. Rotate the piece be sure it spins easily and securely.

Pull the jig back and raise the blade to just above the level of the square to be cut.

Plug the saw in. When operating a table saw always try to stand off to the right side and never directly in front of the blade.

Rotate the piece 45 degrees so a corner of the square overhangs the jig. Turn the saw on and push the jig forward to cut off the overhanging corner. Pull the jig back.

Rotate the piece 90 degrees and repeat until all corners have been cut off.

At this point, you can turn the saw off and wait until the blade comes to a full stop so you can remove the scrap pieces from near the blade. I typically do this for larger circles.

Now continue to rotate the piece, pushing and pulling the jig back and forth until all overhanging corners have been cut off.

Once the piece of wood looks like a very rough circle push the jig forward until the bottom of the piece is in contact with the blade and rotate until the bottom has been cut into a circle.

Push the jig forward slightly and rotate the piece again making a full circle. Repeat until the top of the piece has been cut into a circle.

Pull the jig back and turn the saw off.

Wait until the saw blade has come to a full stop before removing the jig, the circle, or any scrap pieces.

Pretty simple right?! After I made this jig I went on to cut 14 circles for a few tables I was building!!! It was so easy.

Now that you have a perfectly cut circle and a jig that you can use over and over what are you going to make?

Hi! I’m Kristen, from In Her Garage, and I am a self-taught woodworker and DIY fanatic from Minnesota where I live with my husband and our two daughters. Between being a wife, mom and, registered nurse, I try to make as much time for DIY as possible. My love for building came after our family built our current home in 2015. After we moved in, we needed furniture and instead of spending massive amounts of money to order the pieces we wanted I decided that I would build them myself. I started with a buffet table plan from the fabulous Ana-white and quickly set out to remodel my entire home office.

Since then I have started a side business building furniture for the people in my community. I love hearing my clients talk about the pieces they wish they had whether it be a rustic buffet table, a one drawer side table, or a toy box and then making it a reality for them. While starting my small business it made perfect sense that I would document my building journey so I simultaneously launched the In Her Garage blog and I love sharing my plans, tips and tricks.

Making something beautiful with your own two hands through a little preparation and determination is an amazing feeling. I hope to bring inspiration and know-how to those looking to tackle a big or small project.
I am so glad that you found me here and please feel free to connect with me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook to see what I am working on right now.

If you liked this post and want more tips about working with table saws then you’ll love this post on Table Saw Safety Guidelines.

April 15, 2020/1 Comment/by In Her Garage