Delicate Place Card Holders
Porcelain clay has been used to create delicate, beautiful works of art for centuries. Create miniature gift sculptures such as these holders for name cards.
1. Porcelain clay is a beautiful white clay whose use was first developed in China. Delicate tableware and sculptures and strong electrical insulators and laboratory equipment are made with clay. Porcelain has two natural parts: kaolin (a pure white clay that is a byproduct of feldspar) and petuntse (a kaolin found only in China). Research the long history of porcelain in China.
2. To recreate the look and feel of porcelain, try easy-to-use Crayola® Air-Dry Clay. For example, you can make small sculptures, such as these place card holders for meals with guests. Do your sculpting on a clean, dry surface.
3. For each holder, form flower petals with small ovals of clay. Press several petals of various sizes together to form each flower. Bunch several flowers into a small bouquet. Add leaves to the base. If the clay starts to dry as you work, just add a bit of water.
4. On a small ball of clay, press a flat bottom. Press your flowers onto this base. Use a note card to make an angled indentation for a place card. Air-dry for at least 3 days.
5. Cover your art area with newspaper. Paint your card holder with Crayola Watercolors and Watercolor Brushes. Use as many coats as you need to achieve a delicate, porcelain-like effect. Air-dry the paint between coats.
6. Cut construction paper place cards with Crayola Scissors. Write each person’s name in fancy letters with Crayola Markers. What a beautiful way to celebrate a meal with your family or friends.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—
- Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
- Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
- Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
- The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
- Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
- Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
- Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Crayola Washable Paints—Not for use as body/face paint.
Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.
- Research the geology of China and determine the factors that allow for both kaolin and petuntse. Find out about China’s export of porcelain.
- Display vessels and other objects made with Chinese porcelain, both contemporary and historic. If possible, visit a museum to see examples. Watch a potter at work and follow the entire process for firing and decorating porcelain.
- Explore various traditional china objects and the imagery used in those objects. Assemble a collage with these images.
- Assessment: Observe whether children follow the steps and techniques described. Ask them to assess their own progress in making and decorating their place-card holders.
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