Diwali Urn

How to Make

1. Cut off a 6cm section from the end of a cardboard tube.
2. Break off a ball of modelling material about the size of an orange (7-8cm diameter). Push your fingers through the middle of the ball to make a hole, so it looks like a ring doughnut. Make the hole wide enough to push the cardboard tube through the middle.
3. Use your fingers to press and stretch the modelling material into an urn shape around the tube. Make it thinner at the top and bottom and wider around the middle. Rotate the urn, holding it through the hole in the middle. Keep turning and pressing the urn until you have an even shape.
4. Make the hole at the top smaller by pulling the modelling material over the cardboard tube and towards the middle. Shape a 3cm ball into a 12cm long snake shape then coil it around the top of the urn, lightly press it down then pinch with your fingers to make a wavy edge.
5. For the base, press a 5cm diameter ball of modelling material into a flat circle then place the urn on top. Press your fingers around the edge of the base to make a pattern or use a modelling tool.
6. Leave the urn to dry upside down. After 24 hours turn it over to allow the inside to fully dry.
7. Brush acrylic paint onto the urn. Paint a dried walnut gold. Leave to dry.
8. Add a decorative pattern onto the urn with Glitter Pens. Allow the glitter to dry thoroughly for several hours before handling the urn.
9. Cut some 7cm x 3cm leaves from green paper (traditionally there are 5, 7 or 11 leaves) Squeeze a pattern onto the leaves with glitter pens. Leave to dry.
10. Carefully curl the leaves with your fingers. Push a piece of newspaper or tissue paper inside the urn, almost to the top. Glue around the top of the urn inside the rim then stick the leaves inside to form a crown shape with the painted walnut in the top, adding more glue if you need to. The newspaper inside will help the leaves stay in position.

Top Tip

It can take 48 hours + for the Model Magic to fully dry, so allow time for this before painting the urn. This material is ready to paint when the surface has dried out, although it may still feel slightly spongy to touch. Before you use a glitter pen on the urn or paper leaves, shake the tube then squeeze some glitter onto some scrap paper to check it is flowing smoothly.