Friday, October 17, 2014

How to make clay/terracotta diyas or lamps for Diwali



Hello all!! How is your Diwali preparations coming about? Today I am sharing with you a easy way to make clay diyas. If you are living out of India then you might have the same problem like me. Its hard to find diyas in bulk. Even if we find a handful we are elated isn't it?!!

I made some 100 diyas so I thought I should share some of my learning here :) I am sure there are various ways to make a clay/ terracotta diya , the best one ofcourse the ones made with potters wheel.  
This is how I made them.



You will need:
Terracotta modelling paste 
1 ready made diya which is made by a professional potter/ceramicist
Baking tray

Make a ball of the modelling paste. Insert it in the ready made diya . Give it a proper shape using your thumb. Keep it in the tray which you will use for baking them.


With slightly wet fingers enhance the shape and remove fine lines. 
Bake it as per instructions. I baked it in the oven f0r 30 minutes at 150 degrees.


Its time to decorate and embellish them. There are numerous fantastic ways of doing that. 
I decorated them with sunny boy. Asking your kids to do that is the best way. 


We used the brightest colors possible with 3- 5 coats on each. We painted them in one color in and out and some with different colors on both side. Some sequins and glitter for embellishment. 



Make different simple patterns of rangoli using them. They will look gorgeous when you light them. I made a circular one over here. 

Pictures taken by me@home.




2 comments:

Mila said...

Love clay crafts! And this is so colorful :)
Inviting you to share it with my fall themed party Big Autumn Bash:
http://milaslittlethings.com/2014/10/big-autumn-bash-the-link-party.html

xx
Mila
milaslittlethings.com
milawayable@gmail.com

A Sunny Yellow Window said...

This is so cool, just bake 'em? Never knew it was this simple :-) And I love the imperfections on the diyas, earthy and handcrafted! Have a great Diwali

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