Fancy make (Artrain Super Clay My Fancy Jewellery Box)

Member Name: juicy_lucy

Product:	Artrain Super Clay My Fancy Jewellery Box
Date:	19/02/09 (290 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: reasonably priced craft set

Disadvantages: Small tube of glue

Super clay my fancy jewellery box

One of the craft activities little Miss so enjoys- we seem to be making it a habit collecting jewellery boxes etc.

PRODUCT AND PACKAGING...

The craft activity comes in a cardboard box which is easy to open and which has a brightly coloured picture of the finished make on the front and details of the contents on the back of the box. On the back of the box there is also a useful and colourful indication of how we mix colours to make different colours.

Inside the box we find:

* 1 very small brush- best to use your own
* 4 small 2ml plastic pots of paint in red, yellow, blue and white
* 1 small tube of squeezy glue
* A set of instructions- black and white, with no words and with step by step instructions showing how to make the box on the front of the packaging
* 1 heart shaped jewellery box
* 4 x 15g packets of super clay in yellow white blue and red
* A selection od beads and jewels

So, really, there is everything we are going to need; I like this because there will be no need to stop in mid make to try to find the necessary equipment.

MAKING THE JEWELLERY BOX

The instructions aren't especially clear or indeed appealing- they just show us in black and white where the clay swirls and mounds go, but we can actually see these on the picture on the front. So, Little Miss decided to use her own imagination, and added her clay adornments where she wanted. The clay is very easy to handle and because it's nice and malleable, there is no frustration in not being able to get it into the intended shape. We did find that there was too much of the clay- no way were the contents of all 4 packets going to fit onto the box. However, this has been saved in an air tight container ready for some other make.

We sometimes find that the glue in these craft packs is difficult to squeeze out but this was nice and easy and didn't need adult intervention. It was also suitable for the job in hand and kept the clay makes in place even when they were put round the side of the box and subjected to gravity trying to pull them downwards and off! Fortunately there was enough for the make, but I assume it was PVA glue and we always have some in the house so had it run out, help would have been at hand.

Although i thought that there wouldn't be enough paint, little Miss used three of the colours to paint the box, so there was sufficient.

WARNINGS...

There are a few warnings such as wash hands after use, and use under adult supervision. We found that the clay cleaned easily off hands and tables, but i would be wary of getting the dye on soft furnishings.
The activity is not suitable for children under the age of 3 because of small bits, and is recommended for children age 4 +

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY...

The website, www.artrain.com has lots of information about similar makes and this one. We bought this from the local bargain shop fro around £4 so it was a bargain for a wet Saturday afternoon make.

VERDICT

Little Miss thoroughly enjoyed making this, and because the clay was simple to manipulate and the glue and paints easy to open and use, it made me one happy mum too. She used the picture on the front as a guidance and didn't use the instructions but rather worked it out herself, and was very proud of the finished result- all her own a work!

A cheap and cheerful craft activity for anyone who likes this kind of thing
Thanks for reading.
Daniela x

Summary: Craft set