You can use this trinket tray to place candy (sweets and lollies) you collect during this festive season. Actually, I made it quite bigger than my previous trinket trays to use it for more occasions to hold more items. 🍬

You can gift this to your loved ones, which is such a unique gift, and most importantly, it was not purchased from a store. You’re gonna handmade it with love. 🎁

In this tutorial, I’m gonna tell you each and every step I followed to make this spooky tray. Don’t worry, I don’t provide expert and complex tips which are hard for beginners. As a beginner myself, I’d love to follow a guide with simple steps because they are easy to follow. So, you’re at the right place. 👍

Ok, enough talking! Let’s start making! ✨

Supplies you’ll need

• Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi, or any reputed brand you can find is okay)
• Acrylic rolling pin
• PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)
• Clay crafting tools
• Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)
• Cup of water or spray bottle
• Acrylic paints
• Gloss varnish
• Paintbrushes
• Paper towels
• Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

If you couldn’t find any of the above tools, simply check your kitchen drawers. You’ll find a handful of items that can be used as clay crafting tools. Toothpicks, a small knife, and wooden cutting boards are such. 🍴

Read: The Pros and Cons of Air Dry Clay: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Easy DIY Halloween pumpkin tray tutorial video 🎥

To make it easier for you, I made a video tutorial as well and embedded it here. You can use it too with this written tutorial to never miss anything and achieve a better result than mine, adding your creativity as well. 🎬

Feel free to watch and try it out! 📺

Finished watching the video? Let’s have a look at the detailed written step by step guide.

Step by step guide to making your air dry clay pumpkin

Before you start making, I highly advise you to go to a well ventilated area or open all the windows in your working area. Tiny air dry clay particles can make you cough during the process, and good air circulation stops them from going into your nose. 🪟

Step 1: Conditioning and kneading the clay

Even though this step seems small, trust me it is one of the most important, because if you skip this, your hours of work will be gone due to cracks. ⚠️

First of all, take a fresh piece of clay from the package. If you want to make the tray look bigger, you’ll probably have to take around 1.1 lbs (500g) of air dry clay, which is quite a big chunk of a piece. 🧱

Then tap the clay surfaces with a little bit of water to condition the clay.

Conditioning before kneading is a must to remove the stiffness and make the clay flexible enough for kneading. 💧

Next, start kneading the clay with force using the pull and push technique just like when you’re making a pizza dough. Add a little bit of water while you’re kneading to make it easier, and keep kneading until the clay becomes soft enough for shaping. 🍕

You’ll feel when to stop kneading the clay and move into the next step.

Let me tell you the importance of kneading air dry clay before you start any project with it: 📌

• Makes the clay soft enough for shaping.
• Stops clay from cracking as it dries.
• Spreads the moisture evenly.
• Avoids uneven shrinkage as the clay dries.
• Releases the trapped air bubbles.

Air dry clay is a highly porous material with lots of moisture and air bubbles inside. They are spread randomly across different layers of air dry clay. When you’re kneading, the moisture inside will spread evenly across all the layers, and trapped air bubbles will release.

This is a good thing because air dry clay shrinks as it dries, and having unorganized moisture amounts leads to uneven shrinkage, which can cause surface cracking. ⚡

Due to the uneven shrinkage, the tension buildup between the inner and outer layers of air dry clay becomes higher, forming microcracks on the surface. These cracks will become bigger and wider as the clay dries.

Basically, it means that if you skip kneading the clay before shaping your project, there is a high chance of surface cracks occurring as it dries. So, kneading is a must.

Step 2: Rolling the clay

Now roll your kneaded air dry clay piece to an even thickness of about 1/4 inch. 🪵

Make sure to use a non stick rolling pin and mat for rolling your air dry clay.

I use an acrylic rolling pin, and my mat is made of PVC, which makes both non stick. Or you can use a silicone mat as well.

If you’re planning to use a wooden cutting board as your rolling surface, make sure to place parchment paper above it before placing the clay to avoid it from sticking to the surface. Because wood absorbs the moisture of the clay quickly and makes a vacuum like seal, which makes it harder to roll and lift the clay up after rolling. 📜

Same if you’re using a wooden rolling pin. Place parchment paper between the rolling pin and your clay while rolling to avoid the mess.

Even though you use non stick materials for the rolling surface and pin, you should not keep the clay piece in the same position while rolling, which can create adhesion between the surface and the clay.

Don’t roll your clay piece too thin because thin pieces have a high tendency to warp as the clay dries due to the shrinkage. The weight of the clay needs to be high enough so it can bear the tension that forces towards the middle as the clay dries, because outer areas of the tray dry and shrink quicker than the clay inside due to the higher air circulation.

Also, make sure not to make the clay piece too thick because it may take weeks to dry fully. 1/4 inch thickness is ideal as the tray base, or you can make it 1/2 inch if you plan to hollow out the clay just like I did while making the orange trinket tray. 🍊

After rolling the clay slab, smooth it out by dipping your index finger in the cup of water and gliding across the clay slab to remove tiny bumps, cracks, and imperfections. Smoothing after each step is a must to get a nice and clean look, but only with a little amount of water. 💧

Step 3: Making the paper template

As you know, usually I do freehand tracing before cutting, and I admire it because freehand drawing without using cookie cutters, molds, or templates improves your drawing ability and makes your piece unique. 🎨

Honestly, I’m so bad at drawing, and I make at least 5-6 errors while tracing the clay slab because my right hand doesn’t behave as my brain wants. 😂 But still, I do freehand tracing because I want to get improved.

Except for this project.

In this project I planned to use the paper template method because the tray is big and I need to get the exact jack-o’-lantern face with no mistakes.

1. Here are the steps I followed to make the paper template as easily as possible: 📝
2. Googled “halloween pumpkin 2d online” images. 🔍
3. Selected the one I liked the most with a jack-o’-lantern face. 🎃
4. Took a black and white printout of it on an A4 size paper. 🖨️
5. Cut around the outline to get my paper template. ✂️

If you already have a jack-o’-lantern face pumpkin mold, I highly recommend you use that because it is much easier and you don’t need to carve it, which I do in later sections to emphasize the details of the face.

Step 4: Tracing and cutting the pumpkin shape

Now place the paper template you made in the middle of your rolled air dry clay slab and trace around it using your clay tracing tool or toothpick. ✏️

Do this patiently because we don’t want to mess up the face. After tracing the outline of the pumpkin, map the eyes, nose, and mouth with the same tool by placing nearby dotted lines. This will help you get the exact shape of the face while cutting.

Next, cut along your traced lines patiently using the X-acto knife or a small knife. 🔪

Lift the blade while you’re cutting the outline constantly, clean the stuck tiny clay pieces, and start cutting again. This up and down cutting motion will help you get sharp, nice, and smooth edges with no cracks.

Be careful when cutting the bottom of the pumpkin shape because there is a wiggly area which can easily go wrong.

After cutting the jack-o’-lantern face pumpkin, remove the paper template and remove the excess clay.

Finally, smooth out the edges and top of the clay slab with a little bit of water.

Step 5: Making and attaching the tray rim

Since the tray is big, I’m not going to attach the tray rim outside as a separate section around the base. Instead, I’m going to place it over the base around the edge. This way I can guarantee it won’t separate as the clay dries due to shrinkage, because I have the advantage of gravitational force as well. Don’t worry, you’ll eventually understand what I meant. Keep reading…

First of all, I took a fresh piece of clay and kneaded it well to make it soft. Then I rolled it to an even thickness like a snake. 🐍

Trust me, it was so long and rolling kept getting challenging because you’ll have to keep the same thickness (same diameter) everywhere to get the perfect rim shape.

After rolling the clay you need to follow the score and slip method to attach it to the tray base.

Let me tell you what this score and slip method is in brief. 💡

You cannot attach two air dry clay pieces together just by pressing them because they separate as the clay dries due to the shrinkage.

So you need to score the surfaces you’re willing to attach first using the scoring tool or a toothpick. Next, apply a paste called “slip” over the scored area, which works as an adhesive glue for air dry clay. 🧪

If you don’t have the slip, I suggest you make one, or you have another option which is “water”. 💧

Let me tell you how,

First, I scored around the edges of the tray base and then scored along the tray rim I made. Then I tapped the scored areas with a little bit of water using my fingertips. Trust me, water works just as good as the slip I talked about earlier. Slip is the professional method while water is the shortcut. But still, I recommend you make the slip for this one or for your future projects because it is the industry standard.

Water also works as adhesive glue because it mixes with the scored tiny clay pieces and helps to attach two air dry clay pieces well, which won’t separate as the clay dries.

Next I carefully placed and attached the tray rim around the pumpkin tray base.

Cut the edges of the tray rim at an angle and attach carefully using a little bit of water without making a bump where two ends meet.

Now smooth out along the tray rim and the tray base middle to make the combo look nice, clean, and smooth.

Step 6: Carve the eyes, nose and mouth a little

To make the jack-o’-lantern face more realistic, I carved the eyes, nose, and mouth areas of the pumpkin a little with my carving tools. This is an optional step. It was a little experiment of mine. 🛠️

Make sure not to damage the tray base or hit the bottom while you’re hollowing out the clay. That’s why I told you to carve only a little. We are trying here to make it look beautiful only, and there is no use in carving deeper. Remember that!

After carving is done, smooth out the hollowed areas with a little bit of water to make the spaces nice and clean.

I have stamped “HAPPY HALLOWEEN” on the tray base.

Awesome friend! You have made the Halloween pumpkin tray. But it is still, you know, now it’s time to let it dry and start the finishing part. Oh!!! WAIT WAIT!!! I ALMOST FORGOT! We need to add the stem before letting it dry. I’m sorry. 😅

Step 7: Adding the pumpkin stem

First knead a fresh, small piece of air dry clay and bend it to make the pumpkin stem shape.

Then shape the stem body and shape the bottom with a wider and flat design, which helps to make a better grip with the tray.

Next score the bottom of the stem and the top small area of the tray rim. Apply the slip or tap the scored areas with a little bit of water and attach the stem to the tray rim.

Smooth out the joint to vanish the seam, and detail the texture of the stem using a toothpick or clay scoring tool to give a realistic look.

That’s it. Now it’s time to let the project dry.

Step 8: Letting it dry

Let the Halloween pumpkin clay tray dry for 72 hours (3 days) in a cool, well ventilated area. Usually, I let my projects dry for 24-48 hours, but not this one because it is too big and it needs more drying time due to the high clay amount. ⏳

Slow drying is a must to avoid clay from cracking.

Drying time can change due to the thickness of your air dry clay and the humidity in your area. High humidity means a slow water evaporation speed and the drying time will be longer. 🌧️

High air circulation dries the outer area of the tray faster than the tray base middle, building up tension between the layers. As the tension exceeds over a certain limit, the clay will start to crack and there is no going back from there. 🛑

Your hours of work will be completely gone because cracks loosen up the clay and ruin your work. This is why I keep telling you to let your project dry slow. Slow drying won’t trigger uneven shrinkage and no surface cracks.

Air dry clay has a grey color when it is wet. So after drying for 3 days, check if there are any grey patches on the surface and the bottom. If there are some, you need to let it dry for another 24 hours. 🕵️‍♂️

Once the project is fully dried, it will display in pure white form and that’s when you’re good to move into the painting and finishing step. ⚪

Read: Can You Paint Air Dry Clay Before It Dries? (And What Happens If You Do)

Step 9: Painting the pumpkin tray

I used acrylic paints for my air dry clay projects because they come in vivid colors, need no water for mixing or dissolving, dry quickly within 2 hours, make a water resistant coating over the clay, and provide a glossy and shiny finish. 🎨

If you use any other kind of paint, make sure not to use too much water for mixing or dissolving, because water weakens the clay inside, loosens joints, and causes cracks to occur. ⚠️

I mixed orange with white acrylic to make the color I wanted for the tray base. I started painting from the tray base because then I can spin and rotate the piece as I want while painting without worrying about touching the paint. 🖌️

Then I painted the clay-carved eyes, nose, and mouth of the pumpkin with black color. 🖤

After painting the tray base I painted the rim with a dark orange color to emphasize it even more.

Finally, I painted the stem area with green color acrylic. 💚

For the detailing part I used white and dark red acrylics. Do as you like to get the finish you want.

Make sure to apply thin and even coats of paint in one direction for a nice finish. Apply 2-3 coats of acrylic and let each coat dry for 2 hours before applying another.

After the final coat let it dry for 2 hours before you start the sealing.

Step 10: Sealing the tray

You can use gloss varnish, polyurethane varnish, UV resin, or epoxy resin for sealing your air dry clay projects. 🛡️

I used gloss varnish because it makes a water resistant coating over air dry clay, offers long term protection, and most importantly provides a ceramic, glossy like finish. ✨

If you want a water like, more glass like finish, go with epoxy resin, but avoid forming bubbles as you finish.

Apply a thin and even coat of gloss varnish along one direction to avoid forming tacky spots and a mushy core.

Apply 2-3 coats and let each coat dry for 24 hours. 🕒

Sealing air dry clay is a must before using it or placing it as home decor, because outside moisture weakens the clay and causes surface cracks. 🏠

I highly recommend you not to place your air dry clay projects outside, even after sealing them with the best sealer in the world, because harsh weather conditions eventually damage the sealer coating, find a way to get inside of the clay, and damage it. So, always place your air dry clay projects inside. Remember that!

After sealing the pumpkin tray completely, let it dry and cure for 24 hours. That’s it!

Congratulations my friends! We did it! We made a unique handmade spooky pumpkin air dry clay tray for this Halloween season and the process is worth remembering. 🎃🥳

Final thoughts

I tried my best to provide you all the things I did to achieve this beautiful piece as simple as possible. Once you have read the entire tutorial, please mention any additional questions in the comments section.

I’ll answer all of them asap. 💬

Also, if you found better ways of doing things than I did, please mention them too in the comments section. We need to share the things we know with the community, which is wonderful. 🤝

Now it’s time for you to start your own spooky pumpkin tray with air dry clay. Use it to place the chocolates such as Snickers, Twix, Kit Kat, Milky Way, M&M’s and Gummy Bears during this festive season. Or you can gift it to someone you love to refresh your bond with them.

Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your pumpkin clay tray project. I sure love to see them when you do. I’ll see you next time with another cool project! Cheers! 🤟🏾

Halloween Pumpkin Tray with Air Dry Clay

Warsha

Ready to bring your spooky Halloween creation to life? Here is a quick summary guide of the full step-by-step process so you can follow along easily while crafting your adorable air dry clay pumpkin tray! 🎃✨

Print Instructions Pin Instructions

Supplies Needed

  

Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi, or any reputed brand you can find is okay)

Acrylic rolling pin

PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)

Clay crafting tools

Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)

Cup of water or spray bottle

Acrylic paints

Gloss varnish

Paintbrushes

Paper towels

Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Instructions

 

Step 1: Knead and condition the clay 💧

• Take about 1.1 lbs (500g) of air dry clay, sprinkle with a little water, and knead well using a pull-and-push technique until soft to prevent future cracking.

Step 2: Roll out the slab 🪵

• Roll the clay to an even 1/4-inch thickness on a non-stick mat, turning it frequently to avoid sticking, then smooth out bumps with a wet finger.

Step 3: Prepare your template ✂️

• Print a 2D jack-o’-lantern design on A4 paper and cut out the outline to create a paper stencil.

Step 4: Trace and cut the pumpkin shape 🔪

• Place the stencil on the clay, trace around it with a toothpick, map out facial features, and carefully cut the outline using an up-and-down motion with a craft knife.

Step 5: Carve facial features 🛠️

• Gently carve shallow indentations for the eyes, nose, and mouth to add texture, taking care not to cut through the base, then smooth with a little water.

Step 6: Attach the tray rim 🐍

• Roll a long coil of clay with uniform thickness. Score the base edges and coil, apply clay slip or water, and attach the coil on top along the perimeter.

Step 7: Add the stem 🪵

• Shape a small clay piece into a curved stem with a flat base. Score, moisten, and press it onto the top rim, then smooth the joint and carve texture lines.

Step 8: Dry slowly ⏳

• Leave the tray to dry in a cool, well-ventilated area for 72 hours away from direct heat or sunlight until all grey patches turn completely white.

Step 9: Paint the tray 🎨

• Apply 2–3 thin coats of acrylic paint (orange for base, dark orange for rim, black for face details, green for stem), letting each coat dry for 2 hours.

Step 10: Seal and cure 🛡️

• Apply 2–3 coats of gloss varnish, drying 24 hours between coats, to protect the tray with a water-resistant glossy finish.

Video

Today we are making a cute Kiwi trinket tray with air dry clay. The flesh inside has different shades of green, which means we have quite a work to do when painting this project.

In this tutorial, I’ll explain to you each and every step I have taken to make this beauty and all the mistakes I made along the way and how I fixed them. I’m also a beginner like you and I try my best to explain each step as simply as possible because complex techniques are not for us, only for the experts.

Ok, let’s dig straight into making!

Why did I select air dry clay?

You can make this kiwi trinket tray with air dry clay, polymer clay or any other type of clay, but I specifically went for air dry clay because it is not expensive and easier to shape and fix mistakes.

Air dry clay does not need to be kiln fired or baked when drying and curing like polymer clay because it dries in the air and it is 2x or sometimes 3x cheaper than polymer clay.

You can fix mistakes such as micro cracks, bumps, tiny imperfections and scratches on air dry clay slab by gliding your wet finger repeatedly on the wet clay until they vanish. Simple as that.

If you’re a beginner like me and need to learn air dry clay tips and techniques, I think air dry clay is the best one for you because it is the most beginner friendly clay with lots of benefits and only a few cons.

Supplies you’ll need

• Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi or any reputed brand you can find is okay)
• Acrylic rolling pin
• PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)
• Clay crafting tools
• Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)
• Cup of water or spray bottle
• Acrylic paints
• Gloss varnish
• Paintbrushes
• Paper towels
• Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

If you couldn’t find any of the following materials and tools except the air dry clay, please check your kitchen drawers you’ll find a handful of items that can replace above clay crafting tools.

Easy diy kiwi trinket tray tutorial video

I have recorded everything I did to make this beautiful piece. I recommend you to watch it before start making to get an idea about all the steps I took, tips and techniques I used, mistakes I made, and how I fixed them.

Feel free to watch and try it out! 📺

Finished watching the video? Let’s take a peek at the detailed written step by step guide.

Step by step kiwi trinket tray tutorial

Before you start making it, open all the windows in your working room or go to a well ventilated area because I don’t want you to cough during the process due to fine air dry clay particles.

Step 1: Condition and knead the clay

1. Take a piece of fresh air dry clay and condition it by tapping a little bit of water on the surface.
2. Then start kneading the clay using push, pull and press techniques just like you’re making a pizza dough.
3. Add a little bit of water while kneading to remove the stiffness of the clay.
4. Keep kneading until the clay becomes soft enough for shaping.

Kneading is a must before you start anything with air dry clay because air dry clay is a highly porous material with lots of moisture and air pockets inside and kneading helps to spread moisture evenly and release the air out.

Otherwise, unevenly distributed moisture will evaporate unevenly as the clay dries, causing uneven shrinkage. Due to the uneven shrinkage, cracks will start to form and they get deeper and wider as the clay dries.

Also make sure to use only a little bit of water when conditioning and kneading the clay because excess water cause the surface cracking of air dry clay too.

Use the ideal amount of water when kneading that just enough to make it soft. Too much water causes cracks and a lack of water causes the clay to crumble. 

Don’t worry, you’ll know how much water is needed and how soft clay is while kneading. It’ll improve with regular practice.

Step 2: Roll the clay

1. Place the kneaded clay piece on the mat and press and flip it a couple of times onto the mat using your palm to ready the clay for rolling.
2. Next, roll the clay using your rolling pin to an even thickness of ¼ inch.
3. Flip, turn and rotate the clay slab while rolling.
4. Smooth out the rolled clay slab to remove any bumps and micro cracks on the surface.

Rolling to an even thickness of ¼ inch is a must because if you roll the clay slab too thin, it will lose structural integrity and be prone to warp as the clay dries due to shrinkage.

If you roll the clay slab too thick, it will take days or sometimes weeks to dry completely.

Always make sure to keep the thickness between ½ inch to ¼ inch.

Flipping, turning and rotating the clay slab while rolling is essential to avoid clay from sticking to your mat. 

Even when using a non-stick rolling pin (like acrylic) or mat (like PVC or silicone), moisture released during rolling can create a vacuum suction seal between the clay and the mat.

Lifting the clay without repositioning it often causes it to tear. Rotating and shifting the clay slab regularly prevents it from sticking or tearing.

Here’s how to smooth out the clay slab,

1. Take a cup of water.
2. Dip your index finger in it.
3. Place your wet finger on the clay slab.
4. Glide the finger repeatedly over the clay slab until tiny imperfections vanish.

Make sure not to use too much water when smoothing out the clay slab to avoid clay from cracking as it dries.

Step 3: Trace and cut the kiwi fruit shape

1. Trace the egg, oval or round kiwi fruit shape on the clay slab freehand.
2. Cut along the traced lines.
3. Smooth out the tray base.

I didn’t use any mold, paper template or cookie cutter for tracing the kiwi shape because it is an organic thing that comes in slightly different shapes.

I used freehand because I wanted to make it look unique and freehand drawing helps to improve my drawing skills as well. 

If you really want to perfect egg shape try the paper template method which is quite easy.

After tracing the shape, cut along the traced lines with X-acto knife or a small knife.

Make sure to lift the knife while cutting around the edge of the kiwi tray base instead of dragging it horizontally because edges may tear off and clay may be dragged off with the knife during horizontal cutting. 

Lift the knife from time to time when cutting and clean the blade by removing the attached tiny air dry clay pieces to get nice, clean and sharp edges around your kiwi trinket tray.

Good job friends! Now we have successfully made the tray base. Now it’s time to make the rim.

Step 4: Roll and attach the tray rim

1. Take a fresh piece of clay and knead it well.
2.  Roll it like a snake with an even diameter along the length.
3. Score one side of the tray rim and along the edge of the tray base.
4. Apply slip on the scored areas or tap the scored areas with a little bit of water.
5. Attach the tray rim to the tray base.
6. Cut the tray rim edges at an angle and join.
7. Smooth it out.

Follow the score and slip technique when attaching two air dry clay pieces together because air dry clay does not attach just by pressing together.

Scoring means scratching the area that attaches with each other, which helps to form a better grip between the surfaces.

Then apply the slip as I mentioned above. Slip is a creamy mixture of air dry clay and water. You can make it by mixing tiny air dry clay pieces with an equal amount of water thoroughly in a small plastic can and letting it sit for several hours before use.

It works as an adhesive glue which helps to attach two air dry clay pieces. Or you can simply just tap the scored surfaces with a little bit of water, as I did, because I didn’t have the slip paste. Both work fine.

By cutting the edges of the tray rim at an angle, they become easier to join each other and the tray rim won’t rise up where the joint is.

After attaching the tray rim to the base, hold it with your fingers for a few seconds before releasing, and make sure to smooth the whole tray surface once you’re done with the attaching part.

Step 5: Reinforce with a thin clay coil

1. Make a thin clay coil by rolling.
2. Attach it along the joint between the tray base and the rim.

When the tray rim attaches to the tray base, it creates nearly a 90 degree angle. When the clay dries, a lot of pressure is forced towards this sharp angle point because of the shrinking of the clay.

The main purpose of applying an extra seam layer of air dry clay to the joint is to spread the pressure that is focused towards this sharp angle and make it more round.

Make the clay coil as thin as possible because we don’t want it to look like a separate piece of thing compared to the tray base.

Wrap it around the edge of the tray base where the tray rim meets and smooth it well with a little bit of water until the seam vanishes.

By adding this, you can ensure the tray rim and tray base will not be separated as the clay dries.

Step 6: Add seeds

1. First, mark the seed locations in the middle of the tray base, which are known as the loculus.
2. Roll tiny clay balls to make the seeds.
3. Tap the loculus area you marked with a little bit of water.
4. Attach seeds as spread in a ring pattern radiating outward from the central core.

This detailing part is essential to give a realistic look for your kiwi tray. The central core has no seeds and seeds spread outward along the loculus areas we marked.

You can use a toothpick or sculpting tool to mark the loculus areas.

Congratulations my guys and girls! You have successfully completed making the kiwi trinket tray with air dry clay. But it is still wet.

Step 7: Let it dry

Now let your finished kiwi trinket tray dry for 48-72 hours in a cool and well ventilated area. 

Let it dry slowly and never place it under sunlight or apply a heat source expecting it to dry faster. Yes, it’ll dry fast, but you’ll end up with a cracked surface because rushing the drying process accelerates uneven and rapid water evaporation, which causes uneven shrinkage as a chain reaction. Uneven shrinkage of air dry clay causes surface cracking.

I highly recommend letting it dry slowly. Drying time depends on the amount of water you used when kneading and smoothing the clay, the humidity of your area and the thickness of the tray base and rim.

After 48 hours, check if there are any grey patches because grey areas mean the clay is still wet. Air dry clay turns pure white when it is fully dry.

Step 8: Paint the tray

Once the tray is dried fully, you can start to paint it. I use acrylic paint for my kiwi trinket tray because it is considered the best paint for air dry clay for the following reasons,

• Acrylic paint dries quickly within 2 hours.
• Comes in vivid colors.
• Gives a glossy and smooth finish.
• No need for water to dissolve because water weakens the air dry clay.
• Makes a water resistant coating.

Apply 2-3 even coats of acrylic in one direction to get a beautiful finish with no errors.

I started painting from the tray base.

The outer area of the tray was painted in more green color.

The flesh area was painted in pale green color.

The central core was painted in white.

Seeds were painted in black.

The tray rim was painted in the same green color I used to paint the outer area.

After applying the final coat, let it dry for 2 hours before sealing.

Step 9: Seal the kiwi trinket tray

I use gloss varnish for sealing my kiwi trinket tray. Or you can use UV resin, polyurethane varnish, or epoxy resin if you really need that glassy like finish.

Gloss varnish provides long term protection to your air dyr clay project by making a water resistant coating. It prevents outside moisture from going inside the clay because as soon as moisture contact the clay, it will get absorbed and moisture weakens the clay from inside.

Actually, the worst enemy of air dry clay is water. So consider that well when you’re sealing.

All the above sealers I mentioned have that water resistant or waterproofing ability, so you have nothing to worry.

Apply 2-3 even coats of sealer along one direction of your project to get a glossy ceramic like finish.

Let each coat of gloss varnish dry for 24 hours. After the final coat of sealer, let the project dry and cure for 24 hours.

That’s it! That’s how I successfully completed my kiwi trinket tray. It was such a wonderful journey and I was able to learn a lot.

Final thoughts

You have reas someone else’s accomplishment. Now I challenge you to accomplish this as I did. Trust me, it is not hard. If I did, you can too because I’m also a beginner like you.

I have successfully added another trinket tray to my fruit inspired trinket tray projects series. I’m proud. Now It’s time for you.

I have described everything I did to make it from A to Z with tips, techniques and tricks.

Feel free to ask any questions you have about this project in the comments section. I’ll answer them all.

Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your kiwi trinket tray project. I sure love to see them when you do. I’ll see you next time with another cool project! Cheers! 🤟🏾

Easy DIY Kiwi Trinket Tray with Air Dry Clay

Warsha

Ready to bring this adorable craft to life? Below is a quick, handy summary card covering everything you need, from supplies to step-by-step instructions, so you can easily follow along or save it for later! 🥝

Print Instructions Pin Instructions

Supplies Needed

  

Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi or any reputed brand you can find is okay)

Acrylic rolling pin

PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)

Clay crafting tools

Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)

Cup of water or spray bottle

Acrylic paints

Gloss varnish

Paintbrushes

Paper towels

Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Instructions

 

1. Condition & Knead the Clay 🤲

• Take fresh air dry clay, add a tiny bit of water, and knead using push-pull-press motions (like pizza dough!) until soft. This removes air pockets and prevents cracking later.

2. Roll the Clay Slab 🪵

• Roll clay to an even ¼-inch thickness. Rotate and flip the slab repeatedly to prevent sticking. Smooth away tiny surface cracks using a wet finger.

3. Trace & Cut the Kiwi Base 🥝

• Freehand draw an organic egg/oval kiwi shape onto the slab. Carefully cut along the lines, lifting the knife frequently to clean off clay residue.

4. Roll & Attach the Rim 🥣

• Roll a thin clay snake for the rim. Score (scratch) both the edge of the base and the rim, apply water/slip, and press them together firmly. Cut rim ends at an angle to join smoothly.

5. Reinforce the Joint ⭕

• Roll a super thin clay coil and smooth it into the inner joint where the rim meets the base. This keeps your tray from cracking or separating as it dries.

6. Add the Seeds & Core Details 🖤

• Mark the central core (loculus area). Roll tiny clay balls for seeds and attach them in a radiating ring pattern around the center using a dab of water.

7. Dry Slowly ⏳

• Let the tray air dry in a cool, ventilated area for 48–72 hours. Avoid heat or direct sunlight to prevent cracking. Wait until the clay turns pure white!

8. Paint the Fruit Colors 🎨

• Apply 2–3 thin coats of acrylic paint: outer rim & edge in deep green, inner flesh in pale green, central core in white, and seeds in black. Let dry for 2 hours.

9. Seal for Protection 🛡️

• Apply 2–3 thin coats of gloss varnish (letting each coat dry for 24 hours) to make your tray water-resistant with a shiny ceramic finish!

Video

I planned to make them as vibrant as possible with realistic features. I think I have succeeded. But you decide. 😊

I’ll tell you easy, simple steps I followed to make this beautiful trinket tray because I’m also a beginner like you who does not like to follow difficult expert tutorials. They are not for us. They do not show mistakes that can be made during the project and the original emotions behind those tiny wins, like making the tray base perfectly rounded.

They are for experts and they rarely make mistakes, and even if they do, they don’t publish them on the internet.

But here, the scenario is completely different. I’ll share with you guys everything I did, every mistake I made, and how I fixed them using simple tricks to achieve this beautiful cherry masterpiece.

Too much talking! Not Good! Let’s start making without wasting time!

Why did I use air dry clay?

I used air dry clay because it is cheap lol. I don’t have enough budget to go for polymer clay and I don’t want to kiln or bake. I like a clay that dries in the air and is able to be shaped with little effort. 

So air dry clay is the best because it can be shaped just by tapping a little bit of water. But be careful because too much water weakens the air dry clay and forms cracks on the surface.

As a beginner, I do make lots of mistakes and do lots of experiments with clay. If I went for an expensive clay type like polymer clay, I’m afraid of making mistakes and I never ever think of doing experiments because every clay piece is valuable.

You might think not making mistakes is a good thing. Yes, that’s right. But as beginners, mistakes are part of us that help us to do better next time. They are our teachers. 

Basically air dry clay is,

• Not expensive.
• Easy to shape.
• Able to fix mistakes (scratches, bumps, unevenness) by smoothing out the clay.
• Dries out in the air.
• No kiln or bake needed.
• Beginner friendly.

Hope that clears up!

Tools and materials you need

• Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte or any reputed brand you can find is okay)
• Acrylic rolling pin
• PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)
• Clay crafting tools
• Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)
• Cup of water or spray bottle
• Jar lid
• Acrylic paints
• Gloss varnish
• Paintbrushes
• Paper towels
• Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

If you couldn’t find any of the above tools or materials except the air dry clay and acrylics, open your kitchen drawers and find an alternative. I’m sure you’ll find useful tools like toothpicks and small knives. You don’t need expensive tools to make this project.

Easy diy cherry trinket tray tutorial video

I have recorded all the steps I have taken to make this cherry trinket tray with air dry clay and uploaded on YouTube. 

Feel free to watch and try it out! 📺

Finished watching the video? Let’s take a peek at the detailed written step by step guide.

Step by step cherry trinket tray tutorial

First of all, go to a well ventilated area or open all the windows in your room because tiny air dyr clay particles can make you cough a lot. Wear a pair of gloves to avoid getting your hands messy or if washing hands frequently bothers you. Safety first!

Step 1: Conditioning and kneading the clay

Conditioning and kneading are the most important step before you start any project with air dry clay.

First of all, take a fresh piece of air dry clay and condition it by tapping a little bit of water onto the surface.

Then start kneading by pulling, pressing and folding the clay with force like you’re making a pizza dough. Do this for 3 to 5 minutes with adding a little bit of water from time to time until the clay becomes soft enough and pliable for shaping.

Air dry clay shrinks as it dries due to the evaporation of water. If you couldn’t knead the clay properly, most of the moisture will be trapped inside and will evaporate much more slowly compared to the moisture outside due to regular air exposure as your air dry clay project dries.

This causes uneven shrinkage.

Due to the uneven shrinkage, clay tends to build tension between the layers and warp. When this tension becomes higher and higher, microcracks will start to form on the surface. These cracks will become deeper and deeper as the clay dries.

But this won’t happen if you were able to knead the clay properly in the first place. It spreads the moisture evenly and shrinkage will happen at almost even rate due to the same moisture evaporation speed across all the layers of the clay. No uneven shrinkage means no cracks will be formed. Simple as that!

Use the ideal amount of water when kneading that just enough to make it soft. Too much water causes cracks and a lack of water causes the clay to crumble.

Step 2: Roll the clay

Now place the kneaded clay piece on your mat and repeatedly press and flip it a few times using your palm to ready the clay slab for rolling.

Next, roll the clay slab to an even ¼ inch thickness. If you plan to hollow out the clay to make the tray base, plan for ½ inch thickness. But for this cherry project, ¼ inch thickness is enough because we are going to attach the tray rim separately.

I use an acrylic rolling pin and a PVC mat for rolling the clay slab because they are non stick. If you plan to use a wooden one, make sure to place parchment paper below and on top of your clay slab before rolling to avoid clay from sticking to your mat or the wooden rolling pin. Porous materials like wood suck out the moisture of air dry clay and make a good grip with the clay, which may cause the clay to tear apart when rolling and lifting.

After rolling, smooth the clay slab by dipping your index finger in a cup of water and gliding it repeatedly on the wet clay slab until it removes the small bumps, micro cracks, splits, scratches and tiny mistakes.

Smoothing the clay slab after each step is a must to get a fine looking piece in the end.

Step 3: Tracing and cutting the tray base

I used a plastic jar lid for tracing the shape of the cherry. Since I planned to make a tray with two cherries, I need to trace two round shapes nearby.

You can use a plastic, metal or any other lid. Just make sure they’re big enough because otherwise you’ll find hardtime when attaching the tray rim.

Place the jar lid you selected in the center of the clay slab and trace around it using the tracing tool or a toothpick. Do the same for the second cherry as well. Trace them nearby.

After tracing is done, take the jar lid out and cut along the traced outline using the X-acto knife.

When cutting, make sure not to drag the knife horizontally with the clay because clay may stick to the knife and drag along, forming cracked and torn edges.

Lift the knife while cutting the edges and remove the attached tiny air dry clay pieces to get nice, clean and sharp edges.

Congratulations friends! You have successfully made the tray base. Now it’s time to make and attach the tray rim.

Step 4: Rolling and attaching the rim

First of all, take a fresh piece of air dry clay, condition and knead it well. Then, roll it like a snake to an even thickness. 

I planned to make a cylinder like shape as the tray rim instead of wall space so I had to maintain the same diameter everywhere using my palms and fingers.

I didn’t roll it too thin because that can cause clay to crack as it dries. 

After making the snake like long rim, its time to attach it to the tray base we made earlier.

Before attaching, you need to make sure both surfaces have enough adhesion. Otherwise air dry clay does not stick together. You can’t do it by just pressing wet air dry clay pores together. They will definitely loosen and break as the clay dries.

So, you need to follow the score and slip method when attaching tray rim to the tray base.

First, I scored around the edge of the cherry tray base using my scoring tool or you can use a toothpick. You just have to scratch the area that comes into contact with the tray rim.

Then I scored along the bottom area of my cylinder snake shape tray rim.

After scoring, you need to tap those scored areas with a little bit of water. Or better if you can apply an air dry clay and water mixture called slip.

Slip is basically a creamy paste that can be made by mixing tiny pieces of air dry clay with an equal amount of water thoroughly in a small can. Then let it sit for a couple of hours to settle and you’re done. You can use this creamy paste as an adhesive to attach air dry clay pieces together. You can even store and use it for future projects as well.

I didn’t have the slip, so I just used the water and it worked just fine.

After scoring and tapping a little bit of water, I attached the tray rim I made around the cherry trinket tray base carefully without changing the round shape of the cherry base.

After covering around the tray base, cut the edges of the tray rim at an angle and attach them.

Step 5: Reinforce with a thin clay coil

As you know, there is a sharp 90 degree angle between the tray base and the rim after they are combined. As the clay dries and shrinks the stress level of this sharp angle will increase and it may lose separating tray rim and the base.

In order to make the joint between the tray base and rim stronger, I made a thin clay coil.

To make that I used a small piece of clay and rolled it as thin as possible. 

Finally, it looked like a thin clay coil. I attached it around the tray base on top of the joint between the base and rim to make the joint a bit rounder, replacing that sharp 90 degree angle. This helps to spread the stress evenly as the clay dries and avoid the tray rim from separating from tray base due to shrinkage.

I highly recommend you add this type of thin clay coil to anywhere you feel that can be stressed out as the clay dries. It helps to improve the structural strength of your project.

After attaching thin clay coil, smooth out the entire cherry trinket tray with a little bit of water to remove the seam and remove tiny bumps and scratches that occurred while bending the tray rim around the base.

Step 6: Attach the stem and leaf

After making the tray, I wanted to make it even more realistic by adding a stem and a small leaf.

So I shaped a small piece of air dry clay to a stem and attached it to the top of the tray rim by score and slip method.

Made a leaf and scored the bottom area of it add placed it on top of the stem.

Now you have successfully completed the sculpting part of the cherry trinket tray. But it is still wet its time to let it dry, paint and seal.

Step 6: Let it dry

Now let the cherry trinket tray dry completely for 48 hours in a cool, well ventilated area out of direct sunlight. After 48 hours check for grey patches on the surface. If there are some, let it dry for another 24 hours.

Flip the piece from time to time for even and efficient drying avoid the tray base from warping.

Do not rush the drying process by placing your project under sunlight, outside, baking or applying an artificial heat source because they cause rapid water evaporation and lead cracks on the surface due to uneven shrinkage.

I highly advise you not to interrupt the drying process because one single mistake can ruin your entire project and your hours of work can be wasted. So, let it dry slow.

Make sure not to paint the project until it completely dries.  Air dry clay turns into a pure white look when it is bone dry.

Step 7: Paint the cherry trinket tray

Once the project is completely dried, you can start painting it. I use acrylics because they are the best paint for air dry clay. Acrylic paints come in vivid colors, no need to use water because water weakens the clay, dries in the air within 2 hours, gives a glossy finish.

Plus, acrylic paints make a water resistant coating over your air dry clay project which is great.

The above benefits cannot be granted from watercolors or any other paint. This is why I always recommend acrylic paints.

I started painting the middle of the tray base with vibrant red.

Then the tray rim was painted with a little bit darker red.

Finally, the stem and the leaf were painted with pale green color.

Make sure to apply thin and even coats of acrylic paint in one direction to avoid forming mushy, tacky and cloudy spots. Apply 2-3 coats to acrylic paint and let each coat dry for 2 hours before applying another.

After the final coat, let it dry for 2 hours before sealing the project.

Step 8: Seal the tray

You can use your cherry trinket tray with gloss varnish, UV resin, polyurethane varnish or epoxy resin if you want a glossy, like finish.

I used gloss varnish and the results were so good. Gloss varnish gives a glossy ceramic like finish and protects your air dry clay project from outside moisture because it makes a water resistent coating around the project.

Apply 2-3 thin and even coats of gloss varnish in one direction and let each coat dry for about 24 hours before applying another.

After the final sealer coat, let it dry and cure for 24 hours.

Congratulation smy friends! We did it. Actually, I did it. Lol. Now it’s time for you to begin! Show your colors.

Final thoughts

I have described all the steps I have taken and techniques I used to make this beautiful cherry trinket tray with air dry clay. Now it’s time for you to make one even better.

Always make sure to use as little water as possible when kneading, smoothing and sculpting your project because too much water weakens and ruins your project by causing cracks.

The comment section is open for you to publish your feedback and things you know by working with air dry clay, which might be useful for someone else in the community.

Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your cherry trinket tray project. I sure love to see them when you do. I’ll see you next time with another awesome project! Cheers! 🤟🏾

DIY Cherry Trinket Tray with Air Dry Clay

Warsha

Learn how to make an easy DIY cherry trinket tray using air dry clay! Follow this simple step-by-step guide with beginner tips to avoid cracks and achieve a glossy and beautiful finish.

Print Instructions Pin Instructions

Supplies Needed

  

Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte or any reputed brand you can find is okay)

Acrylic rolling pin

PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)

Clay crafting tools

Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)

Cup of water or spray bottle

Jar lid

Acrylic paints

Gloss varnish

Paintbrushes

Paper towels

Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Instructions

 

Step 1: Knead & Condition the Clay 🧼

• Add a tiny bit of water and knead for 3–5 minutes. This releases air bubbles and spreads moisture evenly to prevent cracks as it dries! Don’t over-water.

Step 2: Roll Out the Clay 🪵

• Press flat with your palm, then roll to 1/4 inch thickness with an acrylic rolling pin. Turn and rotate 90° often so it won’t stick! Smooth out minor cracks with a damp finger.

Step 3: Trace & Cut the Cherry Base 🍒

• Place your jar lid twice to trace two overlapping cherry circles with a toothpick. Cut along the lines with an X-acto knife (lift the knife, don’t drag!).

Step 4: Roll & Attach the Rim 🐍

• Roll a clay snake to uniform thickness. Score the rim base and tray edge with a toothpick, add a drop of water (or slip), and wrap it around the tray edge.

Step 5: Reinforce the Joint 💪

• Roll a super thin clay coil and smooth it inside the corner joint between the base and rim. This distributes drying stress and stops the rim from snapping off!

Step 6: Sculpt Stem & Leaf 🍃

• Shape a tiny clay stem and leaf. Score & attach them to the top of your cherries using a splash of water.

Step 7: Slow Dry (48 Hours) 🌬️

• Let it dry in a cool, ventilated room away from sunlight or heat. Flip it occasionally to keep the base flat and warp-free.

Step 8: Paint & Seal 🎨

• Paint the cherry center vibrant red, the rim dark red, and stem/leaf pale green using 2–3 thin coats of acrylics. Once dry, seal with 2–3 thin coats of gloss varnish for a shiny ceramic look!
Too much water = cracks! Only use enough to soften the clay.
Never rush drying under direct sunlight or heat, or uneven shrinkage will crack your piece.
Don't forget to flip and rotate the clay slab while rolling to avoid sticky tears.

Video

That’s when the pear came to mind because avocado and pear share a similar shape. I didn’t waste a second. Grabbed a fresh air dry clay piece and started making my new pear trinket tray.

Before I walk you through the procedure, I want to let you know I’m also a beginner with air dry clay and have no years of experience. I have made several trinket trays with air dry clay and I do make mistakes and learn as I walk in this journey.

So in this tutorial, I’m not gonna give you expert complex steps. They are literally not for beginners like us. I have tried them and failed successfully. 

I’ll tell you each and every simple step I followed, mistakes I made, how to avoid them and how you can achieve a better pear trinket tray than mine.

Ok! Enough chit chat! Let’s start making!

Why did I use air dry clay?

This is the first question every beginner has. Why the hell did this man use air dry clay instead of polymer clay or any other type of clay? Don’t worry, I gotchu.

I have listed all the reasons why I went with air dry clay,

• Air dry clay is not expensive.
• Easy to shape.
• Able to fix mistakes (scratches, bumps, unevenness) by smoothing out the clay.
• Dries out in the air.
• No kiln or bake needed.
• Beginner friendly clay.

As beginners, we do make lots of mistakes, and we like to experiment with clay. During those experiments and mistakes we made, we waste lots of clay. And it’s completely fine. A person who is not trying to do new things with clay won’t learn anything new.

But on the other hand, if we use an expensive clay type like polymer clay, which is 2 to 3 times more expensive than air dry clay, we don’t always try to think outside the box and make new things with it. Because we are afraid we will lose money if we waste even a little bit of clay.

But that’s not an issue with air dry clay. You have enough room for making mistakes, learning from them and doing experiments because it is cheap.

That’s the main reason why I love air dry clay, especially as a beginner.

Yes air dry is messy and you can never work cleanly. But that’s also a part of the journey.

Materials needed

If you couldn’t find any of the following materials and tools except the air dry clay, check out your kitchen drawers instead of running to the nearest store because we need to be budget friendly as beginners. Learn and purchase items you don’t have as you progress.

• Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte or any reputed brand you can find is okay)
• Acrylic rolling pin
• PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)
• Clay crafting tools
• Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)
• Cup of water or spray bottle
• Acrylic paints
• Gloss varnish
• Paintbrushes
• Paper towels
• Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Easy diy pear trinket tray tutorial video

I have recorded the whole process while I was making so you can learn all the steps I took, tips and techniques I used, mistakes I made, and how I fixed them when making this DIY beautiful fruit inspired tray with air dry clay.

Feel free to watch and try it out! 📺

Finished watching the video? Let’s take a peek at the detailed written step by step guide.

Step by step pear trinket tray tutorial

Before you start making, go to a well ventilated area or open windows in your room. Air dry clay contains tiny dust particles can cause breathing issues.

Step 1: Conditioning and kneading the clay

Cut a fresh air dry clay piece from the big chunk of clay and tap a little bit of water on the surface to condition the clay.

After conditioning the clay, wet your palms and knead the clay well by pushing, pulling and pressing with force. Yes, just like when you are making a pizza dough.

Knead the clay well for 3-5 minutes until it becomes soft enough for shaping.

Let me tell you the importance of kneading in brief,

Air dry clay is a highly porous material with lots of moisture and air pockets inside, spread in an unorganized way. When the clay is drying the moisture is released by evaporation and the clay will start to shrink. Since the moisture is not spread evenly, moisture evaporation occurs at different rates in different areas of the clay, resulting in uneven shrinkage.

Due to the uneven shrinkage, a tension builds up inside layers of the clay and causes microcracks on the surface as clay dries. Those cracks become larger and larger because the outside layer of air dry clay dries faster than the inside, resulting in more and more uneven shrinkage.

But if you knead the clay before sculpting it, the above destruction won’t happen. Kneading spreads the moisture evenly across all the layers of air dry clay and releases the trapped air inside. When the clay is drying, moisture evaporates at the same rate from every side of the clay, causing no uneven shrinkage or cracking.

The moisture distribution of air dry clay while kneading makes the clay soft enough for shaping.

See, kneading not only makes the clay soft, but it also plays an essential role in your project making.

Step 2: Rolling the clay

Place the kneaded clay slab on your mat and roll to an even thickness of about ¼ inch.

Don’t make the clay slab too thin because it will lose structural integrity and form cracks. Making the clay slab too thick will take your project too many days or even weeks to dry completely. 

I use an acrylic rolling pin because it is non stick. Yes, you can use your wooden cooking rolling pin but make sure to wrap it with parchment paper to stop clay from sticking to it.

I use a PVC mat because it is also a non stick material. Silicone also a better option if you can find one.

After rolling the clay slab to an even thickness, dip your index finger in the water and glide over the wet clay to remove any bumps, tiny scratches and micro cracks on the surface and smooth it out.

Smoothing is essential from now onwards after each step. Don’t forget that!

Step 3: Tracing and cutting the tray base

Take your clay tracing tool or a pencil with a sharp point and trace the pear shape. 

Tracing is important before cutting, especially if you’re not using a mold, cookie cutter or stencil.

Since this is an organic shape, I recommend you try freehand cutting because it will develop your drawing skills. 

I’m so bad at drawing and try to trace freehand to improve. 

I made a mistake while tracing the pear shape. But that’s ok because you can easily erase the mistakes you made when tracing by gliding and smoothing the clay as I did.

After tracing the shape cut along the traced lines with X-acto knife or a small knife.

Make sure to lift the knife while cutting the edges instead of dragging horizontally because edges may tear off and clay may be dragged off with the knife during horizontal cutting. 

Lift the knife from time to time when cutting and clean the blade to remove the attached tiny air dry clay pieces to get nice, clean and sharp edges around your pear trinket tray.

Now we have successfully made the tray base. Now it’s time to make the rim.

Step 4: Rolling and attaching the rim

Take a fresh clay piece and knead it well. Next roll to an snake shape, keeping an even thickness everywhere. 

You can either make wall like tray rim or a round cylinder shape rim. Here I make a cylinder shape one, so having an even thickness is a must for a better finish.

Use your fingers and palms to shape it.

After making the tray rim shape, now it’s time to attach the rim to the base. You can’t just attach two air dry clay pieces by pressing them together. You need to follow the score and slip method.

First, score one side of the tray rim you made from one end to the other. Next, score along the edge of the pear shaped trinket tray base. You can use clay scoring tool or a toothpick for this scoring process.

After scoring the surfaces, you can either tap them with a little bit of water or apply slip.

Slip is a mixture of clay and water. You can easily make it by mixing equal amounts of tiny clay pieces with water and mixing them thoroughly inside a small plastic can. Let it sit for 2-3 hours and you’ll get a creamy paste. It works as an adhesive glue which can be used to attach two air dry clay pieces together.

So you can either use the slip or simply just tap the scored surfaces with a little bit of water, as I did, because I didn’t have the slip. They help for a better grip.

Now carefully attach the tray rim around the tray base. Make sure to keep the original shape of tray base without pressing the tray rim too hard. Hold the tray rim for a few seconds until they attach and cut the edges of the tray rim at an angle and attach them.

Once you attach them, smooth out the tray rim and tray base with a little bit of water to remove the seam and remove tiny scratches that occurred while bending the tray rim around the base.

Step 5: Adding seeds, stem  and details

Knead a tiny air dry clay piece and shaped it to make the pear stem and attached it after scoring the bottom of it and a small area of the top of the tray rim.

I made two tear drop shaped clay seeds by rolling them on my palm and attached them to the tray base after marking and wetting the area.

Added some fine details as well to make the tray look more realistic.

Congratulations my friends! You have successfully made the pear trinket tray. But hold on! The finishing part is still there and it is still wet.

Step 6: Drying the clay tray

Let the pear trinket tray you made dry for 48 hours in a cool well ventilated area. Flip the piece time to time for even and efficient drying. Plus, it helps to avoid the clay from warping because no excess force occurs due to the shrinkage of the clay, which can curl the clay up.

Let the project dry slowly. Rushing the drying process causes uneven shrinkage because outside layers dry faster compared to inner layers and that builds up tension and the tray will end up with cracks on the surface.

Don’t place the tray in the sun, outside or apply a heat source to increase the drying speed. As I told you, they will trigger uneven shrinkage due to uneven moisture evaporation and form cracks.

After 72 hours, check if there is any grey patch on the surface. Grey patches mean the clay is still wet and you need to let it dry for another 24 hours. Once the clay is fully dried, it will display a more pure white color.

Step 7: Painting the pear trinket tray

Once the tray is fully dried you can start painting it. I use acrylic paint because it is considered the best paint for air dry clay.

Acrylic paints come in vivid colors, gives a glossy look, are easy to apply, no need of water because water is absorbed by the air dry clay, making the clay weaker and causing it to lose its joints.

Plus, acrylic paint makes a water resistant coating over air dry clay, which is important because water is the worst enemy of air dry clay.

Apply thin and even coats of acrylic in one direction to avoid forming brush marks, tacky and mushy spots on the surface.

I mixed different colors of acrylics to get pastel-like colors and applied them with flat and tiny paint brushes.

Apply 2-3 acrylic paint coats for the best result and let each coat dry for 2 hours before applying another.

After the final coat, let it dry for 2 hours before sealing the project.

Step 8: Sealing the tray

I use gloss varnish for sealing because it offers long term protection from water by making a water resistant coating over the project and gives a glossy, ceramic like finish.

Or you can use UV resin, polyurethane varnish or epoxy resin if you want a more glassy like finish.

Apply 2-3 thin and even coats of gloss varnish and let each coat dry for 24 hours before applying another.

After the final coat of sealer let it dry and cure for 24 hours.

Well done, guys and gals! We have successfully sculpted a pear trinket tray with air dry clay. I’m so happy.

Final thoughts

I have given you every step I followed, simple ways to do things, and alternative options you can try out. So you can’t stay lazy. Start making one within this week. I want you to improve with me.

As a beginner, we should gather and share things we know with each other. The comments section is open for you to mention the things you learnt while you’re making this pear trinket tray. I’d love to hear from you.

Now it’s time for you to start making one. Hold on! One thing! Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your pear trinket tray project. I sure love to see them when you do. I’ll see you next time with another cool project! Cheers! 🤟🏾

Ready to get creative? 🍐 Before you dive into the fun part, here is a quick-reference summary of the steps so you can keep everything on track while you work! ✨

DIY Air Dry Clay Pear Trinket Tray

Warsha

Learn how to craft an adorable, beginner-friendly pear trinket tray using air dry clay! Follow this simple, step-by-step DIY guide!

Print Instructions Pin Instructions

Supplies Needed

  

Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte or any reputed brand you can find is okay)

Acrylic rolling pin

PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)

Clay crafting tools

Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)

Cup of water or spray bottle

Acrylic paints

Gloss varnish

Paintbrushes

Paper towels

Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Instructions

 

1. Prepare & Knead the Clay

• Wet your palms slightly and knead your clay for 3–5 minutes. Don’t over-water it, or you’ll risk surface cracks later! Kneading helps distribute moisture evenly.

2. Roll the Clay

• Roll to a ¼-inch thickness. Remember to flip and rotate your clay frequently—this prevents a “vacuum seal” between the clay and the mat, which stops it from tearing.

3. Cut the Pear Tray Base

• Trace your pear shape, then cut along the lines. Clean your knife blade often to remove stuck clay; it helps you get those nice, sharp edges!

4. Attach the Tray Rim

• Roll a “snake” for your border. Use the “score-and-slip” method (scratch the surfaces and add a dab of water) to bond the rim to the base securely.

5. Add Cute Details

• Sculpt your stem and seeds. After attaching them, use a damp finger to smooth out any seams so they look seamless and natural.

6. Dry Slowly

• Let it dry for 48–72 hours in a ventilated spot. Flip it occasionally to prevent warping. If you see grey patches, it’s still wet—keep waiting!

7. Paint 🎨

• Apply 2–3 thin coats of acrylic paint. Tip: Brush in one direction to avoid streaks and tacky spots. Let each coat dry for 2 hours.

8. Seal & Protect the Tray 🛡️

• Finish with 2–3 thin coats of gloss varnish for a professional, water-resistant shine. Let each coat cure for 24 hours.

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