Magic polymer clay into sweet spring florals with our easy-to-follow how-to...

What you need...

• Polymer clay, Fimo Soft: cherry red, raspberry, leaf green, white
  
• Silicone icing mould, Chrysanthemum
  
• Cutters: rose leaf, spring action; calyx, 2cm; blossom cutters, 14mm, 19mm, 24mm
  
• Floristry wire, covered
  
• Octagonal box
  
• Paper, striped
  
• Metal ring blank
  
• Ribbon, pink
  
• Vase
  
• Oasis

instructions

1. Vase Of Flowers - 1 Condition half a block of white polymer clay until soft and workable. Roll out a small sausage of clay and flatten with a rolling pin. Take one end and roll it into a small coil. Flatten the clay over the ball of your thumb to make a petal shape.
   
   2 Thin out one edge of the petal with your fingers. Use the blade of a craft knife to scratch off some dust from a purple chalk pastel, then apply to the petal edges with a large, soft bristled brush. Wrap the coloured petal around the clay coil, facing the seam so that it is covered.
   
   3 Make at least another five petals in this way to build up the rose. Cut off a length of floristry wire, 22cm, then turn the end over into a tight hook. Press a small ball of white clay to the hook, then insert the wire through the top of the rose.
   
   4 Pinch the base so that the wire is secure and trim away excess clay. Roll out the green clay into a flat sheet and cut out a calyx and two leaves. Insert the wire through the calyx and position on the base of the rose, then add the leaves.
   
   5 Make up the following flower heads: four red, two white/pink tint, two white/purple tint. Push the flower ends into a block of clay, place on a covered baking tray and dry out in the oven following the clay manufacturer's instructions.
   
   6 Cut out three white blossom shapes. Use a ball-shaped tool to thin out the edges, working from the centre outwards; they will break up and become thin, which is the look you are after. Repeat for all three pieces and tint the edges using a little orange chalk pastel dust.
   
   7 Make a small hole in the centre of each blossom. Cut a 22cm length of floristry wire, bend over the end into a neat hook and wrap a 15mm sausage of clay around it. Thread blossoms onto the wire, starting with the small one. Pinch the base of the blossom, sticking it to the clay sausage; the petals will crimp and appear more lifelike.
   
   8 Add the other blossoms in this way. Using small scissors, frill the edges of the petals so they look like carnations. Cut the stamens in two and push into the flower centre. Apply a little green chalk pastel dust to the base of the flower. Make several carnations using purple, pink and orange chalk dust to tint them, then bake as before.

2. Gift Box - 1 Cut out a 6cm circle from pink clay. Make up five raspberry chrysanthemums, one purple tint carnation, five rose petals and five white/orange
   tinted calyx. Arrange the flowers on the circle of clay and bake.
   
   2 Trim the striped paper to size and cover the lid, sides and base of the box. Glue a length of narrow pink ribbon around the lid, then embellish the middle of the box with decorative ribbon. Cover the clay base in PVA glue and stick to the lid.

3. Cocktail Ring - 1 Shape a red rose as before and trim close to the flower base. Cut out three leaves and arrange in the rebate of the ring, then position the rose in the centre of the leaves.
   
   2 Push the ring base into a piece of scrap clay to keep it upright, then bake to set.