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Sweet & Simple; A Spring D.I.Y. plus Fairy Pics
- Abigail Cole
- Apr 30
- 4 min read
Updated: May 1
A springtime experiment with clay, colour, and letting go - how unexpected creations emerge when embracing the unknown, and a few cute rainbow fairies too :-)
With spring here at last and having had a few sunny and warm days already, there's a feeling of energies returning, that for me, always invites a bit of a reset. I've finally managed to tackle a long-overdue spring clean of my craft cupboard and in doing so, unearthed all sorts of forgotten treasures: postcards, greetings cards, and little paper keepsakes from Christmas and earlier in the year. So many of them felt too special to stay tucked away, yet I don't quite have the space to display them all.
It sparked an idea, for a craft that I could incorporate into a potential tutorial as well as something that would be useful in and of itself. I wanted to create something simple, accessible, and meaningful that families could make and use in everyday life. The concept was a small, postcard-sized display frame: a way to keep favourite cards visible, but easily swapped out whenever the mood or season changes. I imagined it as a lovely solution not just for my own collection, but also for displaying children’s mini artworks or postcards gathered on family outings.
I decided to work with air-dry clay and acrylic paints - both affordable, easy to find, and doesn’t require any specialist equipment, making it perfect for a wide range of ages and abilities. I set to work with a particular image in mind… and very quickly discovered that what I had envisioned was not going to plan at all - in fact, it went wildly wrong!
The clay edges of the frame would keep collapsing, I couldn't quite get the thickness of the clay right, and the space at the top to slide a card in and out wasn't quite working either.
But since I'd started, I wanted to keep going and just see if I could make something work. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and not a lot of spare time to finish anything — the frustration was uncomfortable, but a bit exciting at the same time.
It reminded me that creativity so often asks us to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. And that during times of uncertainty or transition more generally, open-ended creativity can be such a helpful practice and tool for building up a feeling of resilience, and being able to sit in that space of not knowing.
In the end, I did create a wall-hanging postcard holder—just not the one I had initially imagined. The final piece was shaped from a single rolled-out slab of clay and painted with acrylics. I chose colours and details that would complement the existing décor and little trinkets around my desk space. A small rainbow sits at the bottom—subtle enough not to obscure the images, but still adding a touch of character, warmth - and of course, my favourite motif :-)
And whilst this isn't a finished tutorial yet, the steps to create a postcard display frame of your own are very simple if you fancied having a go:
Using a rolling pin, roll out some clay into a thin slab - you could choose the thickness, but a thinner base will be lighter and easier to hang.
Place a postcard over your rolled out clay and use a knife or clay crafting tool to cut your frame to size - cutting away any excess on the sides, and shaping the top and the bottom. Carve a rounded edge that extends out past the postcard at the bottom (this will create the holder at the bottom of your frame) and make a small hole somewhere near the top to pop a nail through in order to hang it up.
Fold up the bottom edge of your frame and smooth out the under edge, leaving a gap for your postcards to slot in. Tip: whilst drying place something in between the base and the folded-up edge so that it doesn't collapse whilst setting.
Once dry - paint your frame in any design or colour scheme you like!
I've already found a spot to hang mine - it really works well as an effortless (and cute!) way to swap around my not-so-small collection of greetings cards and postcards lined up ready to display!
In other news, I’ve also just started working on a new collection of fairies over the past couple of weeks, which I’m excited to share in my next update, as they make their way out into the world.
Meanwhile, this little pair of custom rainbow fairies found their new homes at the end of last year - as ever, I loved putting the boxes together with little goodies and surprises included. It's always a joy to work on custom pieces and incorporate requests for colours and styles... and it's the little details on each one that always make beautiful and highly personal handmade gifts.
I'm not sure what else the upcoming season has in store - as so often is the case, there are more ideas and projects than hours in a day. Sometimes, though, it's the things that don’t go to plan that can bring some lovely surprises and unexpected creations. When a bit of space opens up, as plans fall away, those unanticipated moments can turn into ideas worth following in their own right.
I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the signs of spring all around - here’s to lighter days, fresh ideas, and the little creative moments that brighten them.... ♥
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