My preschooler is a collector. Often times he’ll come back from school or play dates with pockets filled with colorful sequins, rocks, feathers, and bugs (sometimes alive!). We’ve given him a couple of jars and boxes to store his collection. Lately I’ve been enjoying making clay crafts, so I thought it would be fun to make him some Clay Treasure Jars/Pots. These whimsical and fun containers are perfect for holding his smallest and most special items!

Here’s how I made them!

• Air dry clay
• Old placemat (provides a clean, flat surface that you can move around)
• Container of water
• Plastic knife
• Toothpicks
• Paint brush
• Paint (I used gold, pink, black, and white)
• Random assortment of colorful sequins and beads (or your child’s tiny treasures)

Step 1
Take a handful of air dry clay and roll it into a large ball.

Step 2
Poke both thumbs into your ball to create a hole. Keep turning the ball in your hands while pinching with your fingers to widen the hole and flatten out your pot. Squash the pot onto your placemat to flatten the base.

Step 3
Dip your finger into the water and use it to smooth out any cracks or bumps.

Step 4
Now you’ll make the lid. Roll another ball out and flatten it against your place mat. Use your knife to cut out a circle shape. Use your finger to smooth out any rough edges. (To make sure that your lid is about the same size as the opening, lift your pot up and place it upside down to match the opening of your flattened circle.)

Note: If you decide to create a mosaic lid, make sure that your lid is thick enough to push beads inside without breaking through the clay. I made my lid slightly over a ¼-inch thick and it turned out fine.

Step 5
Roll out a tiny ball of clay. This will act as the lid’s handle (and the nose, for the face pots.) To securely adhere the ball to the lid, use a toothpick to score the tiny clay ball and the center of your lid. Then, squish the ball on top.

Step 6
Leave the lid as is, or add beads and sequins. If you add colorful details, make sure they are securely pushed into the clay. Also, you may need to recheck the size of the lid to make sure that it still matches your pot’s opening.

Step 7
Wait for your clay pots to dry and then paint! I knew my pots were dry because the clay turned a nice, bright white and felt heavy, solid, and firm. This took about 3-5 days depending on the size and thickness of my pots.

Voila! You’re done! I love how both types of treasure pots turned out. The mosaic ones clay pots are so special because they can even showcase your child’s tiniest treasures. The face clay pots are adorable, quirky, and fun!

Hope you have a wonderful time creating these with or for your children. Happy making, friends!