How to Make an Air Dry Clay Napkin Holder

It's useful to knead the clay to loosen it up before you roll or shape it.

Having a small pot of water nearby can help join clay pieces and smooth down any rough edges. You can stir small lumps of clay into the water to create slip, which helps act as a sort of glue when you join pieces together.

To help achieve the right thickness when rolling sheets of clay, tape stacks of lolly sticks together to the height you want. When rolling out the clay, place the stacks at either side of the clay slab to roll a flat, even surface!

Start by rolling out a long strip of clay, make sure it is not too thin and flimsy, ideally no less than ½ cm in thickness.

Use the spatula to cut a strip approximately 3 - 4cm wide - it can be as long as you want at this stage!

Place the small heart cutter roughly in the center of the rectangle and press out a heart shape (you can use a knife if you don't have a cutter). If the edges of the hole look rough or uneven, you can smooth them down with your finger and some water or slip.

Once you've cut your heart shape (or whatever pattern you like!) wrap the strip around a circular object in order to make a tube shape.

Tip: If you don't have anything that's the right size or shape, you can roll some tin foil into a sausage shape and wrap your clay around that.

Cut the excess clay so there is a slight overlap and carefully remove it.

Once removed, use water, or slip to smooth down the overlapping edges until they are completely joined.

Try to keep the thickness of the clay even, you may need to use the spatula to cut any excess off the top or bottom.

Leave the clay to dry for 24 - 48 hours.

Once it is dry and you can no longer see any dark patches of wet clay, you can lightly sand the edges and surface to remove any lumps, bumps or roughness.

Shake off any dust and your napkin holder is complete!