“You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.” -Alan Watts
Inspiration can come anywhere and today it came from beneath the earth while digging some holes in the yard. We hit some roots and pulled them out, then decided some were too interesting to throw away in our yard waste. We made this unusual and quirky Tree Spirit.
The root looked like it had a couple arms and legs and almost looked like it was dancing. It didn’t have anything that looked like a head so we had to make one. We had just picked up some FIMO clay from the store so we used that to create a head.
You can begin by kneading and working the FIMO clay to make it softer for easier molding. FIMO clay comes in many colors and you can also mix different colors together to make more colors.
We shaped the clay into a creature – we inserted a piece of wire into the clay so each end would extend a few inches outside the head. Later we used the wires to attach the head to the root.
Then we baked the finished clay head in the oven. A toaster oven works well too as long as you can select the exact temperature.
Instructions from Package:
Knead and shape clay then harden it in oven. For best results bake it at 230 F / 110 C for 30 minutes. Do not heat above 265F / 130 C or exceed the 30 minutes hardening time when baking. Do not use a microwave!
Let the clay cool before you touch it. After ours was done we gave it a coat of Hard as Nails which is for fingernails to prevent chipping, splitting and cracking. It provides a hard, smooth, chip-resistant surface.
We added some feathers with our handy E600 glue but hot glue also gets the job done.
After the feathers we twisted some wire in a few places just to add a little more interest. There are no rules and you can use what you have lying around.
Use another wire to hang or display another way to suit your taste.
Now you have your own Tree Spirit to watch over you.
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