There are few crafting supplies more versatile than clay. You can make just about anything you can dream up with clay—assuming of course that you are working with quality clay which doesn’t crack.
One of my favorite YouTube channels is Creative Mom. Her amazingly inspired fairy houses have captured my imagination. I’ve featured a number of her projects on the site as a result, like this one for turning old mason jars into fairy mushroom houses, and this one for a fairy tree house.
What blows my mind about her work is how detailed it looks at the end, but how simple her supplies are at the beginning.
Anyway, to make her projects, you need air dry clay. And unfortunately, all the clay I have tried using in the past has cracked. I’ve had site visitors write in about this problem, and as it turns out, her fans on YouTube have also asked her about it. So she made a tutorial for air dry paper clay that doesn’t crack!
Video Instructions:
Materials:
- ⅞ cup (100 grams) of all-purpose flour
- ⅘ cup (100 grams) of cornstarch
- 8.8 oz (250 grams) of joint compound
- 5.3 oz (150 grams) of school glue
- 1.4 oz (40 grams) of olive oil or baby oil
- 1 roll of toilet paper
Instructions:
1. Soak the toilet paper in warm water.
2. Squeeze out the excess water.
3. Put the toilet paper in the bowl.
4. Add the glue, joint compound, flour, oil, and cornstarch to the bowl, in that order.
5. Mix everything together.
6. If the clay seems too dry, you can add more water.
It really could not be simpler! I gave this a try, and the clay was awesome—it didn’t crack at al,l either while I was working or while it was drying. Give it a try!
Diana
Thanks,for,themrecioe, can't wait,to,try it on some visual art for texture.
Sandra
Thank you! Can’t wait to do this with my grand daughter!
Jenna
I made a double batch today with the intention of making a set of Game of Thrones inspired dragon's egg bowls tomorrow once I've picked up some balloons. Will this dough sand smooth if I use a fine grit paper once totally dry?
sam
what is joint compound?
judy
Joint Compound is the gypsum based "mud" used to smooth the seam where drywall panels meet, when constructing a wall. You can find it at hardware or building supply stores.
Anonymous
Rhinolight. Gypsum
mau
hello....what else can you make using this clay??
jewelry bowls, tea light candle holders...etc??
lorenz
hello! can i use recycled papers or egg cartons instead of toilet papers?
Yvonne
I have paper egg cartons. How many 1 dozen egg cartons do I need to make a batch.
Thank you
Cathi
Is this waterproof and can it be used for outdoor fairy houses ?
Thank you !!
cindy burke
so is it water proof and can I make things and will it crack and can I add colors to it thank you
Patricia Morgan
I would like to know if egg cartons can be used .and how do you get them smooth .do you have to use a blender
Anonymous
Yes it will
Anonymous
If it gets wet will it deteriorate?
Lily
What size roll of toilet paper? They seems to come in so many sizes from regular to mega roll. I don't want to get my ratio's off! Thank you so much 🙂
Vanessa Beaty
Regular/normal everyday roll 🙂 Check the photos to see the size I used!
Rishna
How long does it take to dry? Thanks.
sanja
Please, how long in advance can you make this clay? I mean, how long can it stay before you make something of this clay? Thank you!
Sally E. Goff
i`m thinking this will be the very thing I need to make my Fairy House. Thank You .How long will it last sealed up like you had it,before i must use it?
Lolita
Can you post a recipe in US measures? Like Cups and tablespoons...please!
How long will it keep while you are working with it?
Tessa
What are the amounts in cups? Thank you!
Vanessa Beaty
Hi Tessa, I have converted the ingredients to US measurements.
Deb Gordin
I made the clay for the fairy houses yesterday. What a flop! I did exactly as the recipe said but it was WAY too crumbly so I added more water. Too wet, Add more glue, patching compound, flour and cornstarch. Did not help. Tried adding more water and just patching compound. Finally got it to hold together but when trying to smooth it out on something, it would come apart. The only thing I can think of that might have made a difference was the size of the roll of toilet paper used. I used a roll from Costco which is bigger than a roll of some other brands. formed it into 4 balls, put it in a ziplock and left it until this afternoon. The balls were hard on the outside but broke apart easily. So I tried crumbling one up and mixing it with a patching compound paste. Too grainy and dried WAY too fast to work with. SIGH! Back to store bought air dry clay!
Vera Clyne
It looks like your joint compound is a powder in the video - is that so? I have joint compound that is more of a paste/wet plaster.
Alyssa Rainey
Can I make this without the joint compound and the cornstarch
renee newberry
question: I have stones white paper clay. I want to strengthen that. do you have any tips? thanks.
kang hyun woo
Hello! I am an artist living in Korea. I have a question. What is the reason for adding oil? Is it related to cracks? Please email me.
anonposter
Seems like it would mold because of the cornstarch and go rancid because of the oil. Who knows how safe joint compound is also?