Springtime Swirly Carrot How-to

This project is for personal, non-commercial use.

What’s a bunny without his favorite treat!
This sweet little Carrot how-to project is perfect for your springtime display. Or you can make a string of garland of mini carrots for your entry way, or a few can decorate your gardening tool tote.

Materials
• 2 oz White Polymer clay
• Craft glue
• green twine or ribbon
• 3/4" eye pins
• orange, yellow & red craft paint
• Extra fine crystal glitter
• Glossy varnish
• green floral tape
• paint brush
• toothpick
and
• oven
• ceramic tile



Step 1.
Condition the white clay. (If you prefer not to paint you can use pre-colored orange clay.)
With the palm of your hand, roll the clay into a snake-like form 6" long or so. Have one end smaller, then gradually getting thicker toward the end.

Step 2.
Then with your fingers pinch the small end of the clay and start to swirl the clay around into a spiral.



Keep swirling it to the length of the carrot you desire. You can see the carrot taking shape.

Step 3.
Your piece should look like this. Cut the excess clay off the top. This one is about 1 1/4" big, but you can make yours any size.

Step 4.
Take the eye pin and gently insert into the top of your carrot so that just the loop holder is showing. Cut the eye pin to size, so it doesn't stick out the bottom of your carrot.

Step 5.
Using a toothpick, place four holes around your eye pin hook. These holes are for the green leaves of your carrot.

Step 6.
Then place your carrot on the ceramic tile and bake in the oven according to the packaging. (if you don't want to use baking clay, you can also try air-dry clay which could work too)

Step 7.
Once it is baked, let it cool for about 20 minutes or so. Give it a quick sand with fine sand paper.
This makes the paint adhere to the carrot better. If you don't want to paint, you could try using pre-colored orange clay. We like painting them, it gives the carrot more depth and the color pops because of the white clay.

Once the paint dries add two coats of a glossy varnish and let dry.

Step 8.
Now you can add the glitter!
Take some craft glue and put it into a little cup and add a tiny bit of water so the glue won't be too thick. Adding glue and glitter to small parts is easier than adding glue all over. Don't forget to glitter over a piece of paper or a paper plate so you can put the excess glitter back in the jar.

Step 9.
Take your green floral tape and with your scissors cut out 4 leaf shapes in various sizes
from 1 1/4 to 2".





Step 10.
Place a little glue in the hole on top of the carrot. Take your toothpick and insert the bottom (1/8 - 1/4) of the leaf info the hole. Repeat this for each of the four holes.

Step 11.
Take green wax twine or ribbon and insert into the eye pin hole and tie a knot.

That’s it - that is how you make your very own Swirly Mini Carrot!