Sweetbrier Studio! Unique Baby Shower invitation Project using flexible mold and polymer clay.

Materials needed:

• Sweetbrier Studio Flexible mold #1012 Lullabye Time
•If a release agent is needed, you will need to dust the openings with baby powder (or corn starch) or lightly mist with water depending on which is best for your molding material.
• Choose a pretty heavyweight paper in an appropriate pattern and color of your choice. For this project, we used a pale green heavyweight paper featuring lavender flowers with yellow centers.
• Vellum – can usually be found at hobby and art stores.
• Invitation envelope size 4 3/8 inches by 5 3/4 inches
• Fancy, decorative scissors to cut paper
• Polymer Clay: White, Purple, Yellow & flesh color for the nipple. • Before starting to mold the parts, condition all of the clay, mix all the colors and place in plastic bags. • Make pale colors by mixing very small amounts of the darker colors with white to make lavender and pale yellow.
• 5/8” Flower Kemper® Pattern Cutter (or you can use a small round ball of clay and flatten to a circle for the trim.)
• Brushes: small brush for water based glue (and for paint if needed.)
• Glue: White, water based glue. Strong glue like E-6000®.
• Optional: Pasta maker to condition the clay.
• Optional Air Dry Clay: Paperclay® or Delight™ air dry modeling compound by Paperclay®. If you use air dry clay, you will also need acrylic paints.• Optional: Acrylic Paints for air dry clay: Lavender and light yellow or any color you need to match the paper.

1. • Cut a rectangle from the fancy paper 5 1/2” by 4 1/4” .

2. • Prepare a rectangle that is 3 3/8” by 4 1/2”. on the vellum paper where the words will go. The vellum will be cut along these lines, after printing. If you wish to hand letter the invitations, you can cut the vellum before lettering.

3. • If you have a computer or typewriter, type your invitation and information using a fun font into a box that is 3 3/8” by 4 1/2”. Keep the type about 1/4” from the edge. If you are making a number of invitations, put multiple copies on the document. Print on the vellum, cut out the invitation. • You may also hand write the invitations. Stay within the border as suggested above. •Refer to the picture for suggested placement and wording.

4. • Glue the vellum to the fancy paper, centered from side to side and 1/4” from the top edge. Only use a very thin line of white glue. Optional if vellum wrinkles when glued: • Put a small sheet of wax paper over the card. • Place a weight on the wax paper like a book. • Allow to dry.

5. • Mix lavender by adding a tiny amount of purple clay to the white clay. Do not add too much at first. You can add more if it needs to be darker. • Mix soft yellow by adding a tiny amount of yellow clay to the white clay. Do not add too much. You can add more if it needs to be darker.

6. • Test the mold with a scrap of the clay you will be using. • If the clay sticks a little you can use a mist of water as a release agent, or a light dusting of baby powder or corn starch.

7. • Mold the following: Two of Bl-1, one each of Bl-2 and Bl-3 using lavender and white clay (or you may mold the blocks in white using 9/16” ball of clay and paint the edges and letters after baking.) • Mold one Bt-1 using white, lavender & flesh color. (or, you can mold it in white using 13/16” ball of clay and paint the nipple and ring after baking.)

8. •TRIM: Roll the light yellow to about the thickness of a toothpick (#3 on a pasta machine). Cut using a 5/8” Flower Kemper® Pattern Cutter. •Make a dent in the center of the flower using a paint brush handle or similar tool. •Roll a tiny amount of lavender clay, press into the dent in the center of the flower. (You may substitute a small round circle of yellow clay with a lavender center if you do not have the flower cutter.)

9. • Make the baby blocks by first putting a thin rope of the lavender clay in the edges and the letters. We used the end of the handle of a small brush. • Push the clay away from the ridged area that will be white. • Roll a small ball of white clay, flatten slightly and press into the block mold, pushing the clay to the edges. Remove any excess if needed, add a bit more to the center if not enough.

10. • Flatten the back. • Bend the mold backwards first one way and then the other to loosen. • Bend mold backwards and remove the part. • Avoid touching the soft, molded part with your fingernails. Use the pads of your fingers to handle the molded parts.

11. • Repeat for all the parts needed for the invitation.

12. • Place all parts on a baking surface. We use a smooth ceramic tile to bake on. • Bake following the manufactures instructions. • Allow to cool.

13. • Glue parts to the invitation as shown using strong glue like E-6000®.

If you desire a lighter weight invitation, use an air dry clay like Paperclay®. When it dries, it is very lightweight.

1. Mold the parts using air dry clay.

• We dusted each opening with baby powder before molding to prevent sticking. • Dust well after each molding if doing more than one part. • After molding, bend mold backwards, first one way, then the other. • Bend mold strongly backwards and remove the part.

2. • Place molded parts on a smooth surface. • Be sure the part is flat. • Allow to dry thoroughly, about 24 hours.

3. • While the parts are drying follow the directions to prepare the paper and vellum.

4. • When dry, paint the parts to match or complement your fancy paper.

5. Glue the parts onto the paper and vellum as shown using white glue.