Bruce the Chef

Fill this clay-embellished box to the brim with aromatic potpourri for an irresistible display.

what you’ll need
White air-dry clay, such as
Crayola Model Magic Rolling pin Small heart-shape cookie
cutter Butter knife Thick white crafts glue 31/2-inch high round cardboard box with lid approximately 6
inches in diameter Acrylic paints in desired colors Fine-point and small, flat paintbrushes White gel stain; damp, soft cloth

i Roll out clay to a thickness of approximately 3/-e inch. Cut out four small hearts with cookie cutter. Set aside to dry.
2  Shape leaves by forming a marble-size ball out of clay. Flatten it into an oval shape and press a crease into the center with the blade of a knife. Let dry.
3  Form seven or eight small balls to place in the center of the flower. To make the blue flowers around the edge, form five balls of clay for each flower. Shape tiny leaves out of clay. Let dry.
4  Glue clay shapes onto the lid and sides of the box.
5 Coil a piece of clay into a Vs-inch-thick rope to trim the edge of lid. Place a thin line of glue around the edge and adhere the rope of clay around the edge, meeting at each flower. Let the clay dry on the box.
6  Paint the entire box, inside and out, using white. Let the paint dry. Paint the box pale yellow. Slightly overlap the paint onto the flowers and rope. Let the paint dry. Paint the large flowers red, the leaves and rope green, the small flowers blue, and the flower centers bright yellow. Let the paint dry.
7  Coat the entire outside of the box and the lid using a generous amount of white gel stain. Brush the gel stain into all of the crevices of the clay design.
8 Let the gel just begin to dry and gently wipe off with the damp, soft cloth. Wipe just enough to take the top surface off, leaving the white stain in the crevices. Let the stain dry.