Crafts

In my humble opinion, the best way to feel creatively inspired is to try new things.

Lemme tell ya – I definitely tried something new with this DIY centerpiece bowl project! Creative inspiration: check!

Thank you to Sorfeo for sponsoring this post. The project and all opinions expressed herein are my own. Also, this post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.

Using InstaMorph moldable plastic I created a marble-look centerpiece bowl. And the best part? I had so much fun figuring out how to bring this vision to life!

What is InstaMorph Moldable Plastic?

Before I jump into showing you HOW I made this centerpiece bowl, I need to tell you about InstaMorph.

Otherwise you’re going to be totally confused as I take you through the steps of the project, because it involves turning these small plastic balls into the bowl pictured above.

So, what is InstaMorph? Well, the “sciency” description is that it’s non-toxic thermoplastic that can be melted and molded by hand when warm (like clay), but hardens to a strong plastic when cooled.

Here’s my description: InstaMorph is magic. It’s small plastic beads that you melt in hot water and use to create all kinds of amazing things, from practical (think household repair solutions) to theatrical (think cosplay and costuming). There are all kinds of InstaMorph project ideas on their website.

DIY InstaMorph Bowl Supplies

Now that you have a better understanding of what we’re working with, here’s a list of the supplies used to create the project as shown in this post. Of course you can modify it to fit your own style!

• InstaMorph moldable plastic (12 oz. bag)
• InstaMorph Pigment Pack (The Pigment Pack comes with red, blue, yellow, and black pellets, but the InstaMorph website has a color mixing chart to show you how to create any color imaginable.)
• E6000 glue
• Ceramic bowl (to use as a mold)
• Wood bowl (to use as a pedestal base)
• Stove, pot, kitchen tongs, and water

How to Make a DIY Bowl with InstaMorph

For this project, my goal was to create a bowl that looked like a sculpture. InstaMorph was the perfect medium to achieve that goal!

Preparing the InstaMorph

To start, I boiled water on the stove and let the water cool down ever-so-slightly. I then poured InstaMorph into the pot, along with a few black InstaMorph Pigment pellets. (A little goes a long way with the pellets, so don’t overdo it. Start with one or two, and add more if needed.)

I watched in amazement as the white pellets turned clear within minutes of being added to the hot water.

After about two minutes, I used tongs to carefully remove a piece of InstaMorph from the water. I shook off the excess water into the pot, and then carefully kneaded the InstaMorph together to create a swirled marble effect.

Use extreme caution when removing InstaMorph from the hot water. You do not want to burn yourself.

Creating the Bowl

Once the InstaMorph was heated and moldable, it was time to start creating the bowl.

Working with a small chunk of InstaMorph at a time (I left the extra InstaMorph in the pot on the stove, on the lowest heat setting), I kneaded and flattened the InstaMorph. Then I pressed it onto the side of a ceramic bowl.

I pressed each piece together at the edge in order to connect them, and I repeated this process all the way around the bowl.

As the InstaMorph hardened on the bowl, the pieces got lighter as they turned from clear and black to white and black/gray, much like marble.

Once the ceramic bowl was covered with InstaMorph pieces, I set it aside for a couple of hours to fully harden. (**Full disclosure: I actually left it for hours to take my kids bowling, where I was destroyed and humiliated. Ha!)

Then I gently removed the InstaMorph “bowl” from the ceramic bowl, and was relieved it all came off in one piece!

Had it separated, I could have either glued the pieces together or melted them back together by dipping them into hot water.

To reinforce the seams or connections, I dipped part of the bowl into hot water for a few seconds, and rotated the bowl until every piece got a little extra “melting” time.

Attaching the Pedestal Base

To give this centerpiece bowl some warmth, and to contrast the marble look, I then flipped over a wooden bowl and glued the InstaMorph bowl to it.

This created a pedestal of sorts, making this DIY centerpiece bowl even more lovely. (Note: if you don’t want a pedestal stand, you can simply cover the base of the ceramic bowl with InstaMorph in the same way as you did the sides.)

The Finished InstaMorph Moldable Plastic Bowl

After the glue hardened, I displayed the bowl in my living room and was thrilled to see how pretty it looks against the wallpapered bookcase!

The swirled marble appearance is very cool, and I’m dreaming up all the ways I can use InstaMorph on other projects. Next up I’m thinking of trying InstaMorph in silicone molds to create furniture embellishments.

Let me know how you would use InstaMorph moldable plastic – the opportunities are endless!

I tend to decorate with neutrals, but sometimes I need a blast of color to wake things up or brighten my mood. Making rainbow polymer clay candle holders fulfilled both of these needs. Not only were they super fun to make, but DIY rainbow decor makes everything happy!

This post is sponsored by Polyform Products. The project and opinions are all my own.

Not to mention, rainbow decor works for a wide variety of celebratory occasions: St. Patrick’s Day, Pride celebrations, birthday parties, and more. Because of that, I think everyone needs to make these clay candle holders!

Materials Needed to Make Polymer Clay Candle Holders

These are the materials I used to make the clay candle holders as shown in this post. Feel free to substitute colors to make them just how you like!

• Sculpey III oven-bake polymer clay (2 oz.) in Candy Pink, Just Orange, Yellow, Granny Smith, Teal, and Turquoise
• Sculpey Tools Acrylic Clay Roller
• Sculpey Tools Oven Safe Work Mat
• Knife with serrated edge
• Toothpicks
• Cookie cutter or shape cutter
• Cookie sheet or baking pan
• Oven

Why Use Oven-Bake Clay?

The clay I used for these DIY candle holders, Sculpey III, is oven-bake polymer clay.

There are two main reasons to use oven-bake clay over other types of clay. First, unlike air dry clay, Sculpey III stays pliable for as long as you need to work with it. In other words, you have as much time as you need to get the project just right. It will not harden until you bake it in the oven. This means you can smooth surfaces, tweak designs, and more – all without feeling the pressure of the clock ticking!

The second reason to use Sculpey III is that the colors are amazingly vibrant and they do not change when baked! So whether you want a totally neutral look or a bold look like in these rainbow candle holders, you can be certain that the colors will remain true after baking. This is definitely not the case with air dry clay, which either dries to a different color or has to be painted to add color upon drying.

How to Make Rainbow Clay Candle Holders

I had so much fun working with Sculpey III polymer clay that I got a little crazy and made two different types of rainbow candle holders. I’ll show you how to make both of them!

DIY Rainbow Ball Candle Holders

The first set I made would look awesome on a dinner table (think about at a St. Patrick’s Day corned beef feast, for example)!

Start by breaking each 2 oz. Sculpey III brick in half. You’ll use 1 oz. of each color to make two rainbow ball candle holders.

Roll each of the 1 oz. pieces into balls. Get them as smooth as you can – you don’t want to have cracks or ridges in the balls.

Next, gently press the Sculpey Tools Acrylic Clay Roller onto the top of the ball that will be the base of the candle holder. This will help flatten the bottom of the ball, and it will also flatten the top of the ball slightly.

Here I’m working on the Sculpey Tools Oven Safe Work Mat, which protects the work surface, gives a clean work space for the clay, and goes right into the oven for baking (protecting the baking sheet).

Using a knife with a serrated edge, rough up the top of the base clay ball (the flat part you just made), and then rough up the bottom of the clay ball that will go on top of it. Press the two balls gently together, with a toothpick in between them, and then repeat this process.

Next, gently press the end of a taper candle into the top clay ball. Make the impression slightly larger than the base of the taper candle, because the clay will shrink a bit during baking.

Repeat this entire process with the other three Sculpey III balls.  When both candle holders are constructed, place them (still on the Sculpey Tools Oven Safe Work Mat), onto a baking sheet.  Bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 45 minutes.  The rainbow clay candle holders will be hard when they’re finished baking.

DIY Rainbow Shape Candle Holders

When I finished making those cute taper candle holders, I had half a brick of Sculpey III clay left for each of the colors. Of course I could’ve saved them for another day, but what fun would that be?

Instead, I used a star-shaped cookie cutter to make a different clay candle holder set. And these are equally as easy to put together!

Begin by mixing 1 bar of each of the Sculpey III colors together in small pieces, and then using the Sculpey Tools Acrylic Roller to flatten them.

Cut out a star shape (or use any other shape cutter you like)!

Take the last bar from each of the Sculpey III colors, and roll them together to form a ball. Carefully press the end of a taper candle into the ball, and move it around to create a slightly larger opening than needed.

Use the end of a serrated knife to rough up the top center of the shape cutout, and the bottom of the candle holder piece.

Press the two pieces together and repeat the process to create additional candle holders. Place the candle holders and the Sculpey Oven Safe Mat into the oven, and bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 45 minutes.

These rainbow candle holders are so adorable and the perfect addition to any bright decor or celebratory looks you might be styling in your home.

You can find Sculpey III oven-bake clay in-store at most craft supply stores, and online at Sculpey’s website.