Hey makers — welcome back to Five Step Studio, your weekly source for simple crafts, creative tools, and handmade inspiration. Scroll down for this week’s finds, tips, and our signature 5-Step Craft at the end.
Tip Of The Week
Sponge Sanding for Clay
Instead of sandpaper, gently buff the surface of your completely dry air-dry clay piece with a slightly damp sponge. → This technique perfectly smooths the clay's surface without creating any fine, airborne clay dust.
(Excellent for finishing small sculptures, beads, and ornaments made from air-dry clay.)
Trend Watch
Trend: Poppies! November is the monthe to remember
They’re popping up everywhere! — Jewlery, pottery and hand made sun catchers.
Love this trend? We’ve turned it into a craft you can make yourself! Tap or click the image below to explore the full tutorial in our Craft Archive
Craft Kit Of The Week
Featured Kit: Felt Poppy kit — by CraftKitCompany
Skill: beginner friendly (kid friendly) | Time: approximatly 60 mins
Includes everything you need to get started. The Perfect way to learn how to work with felt!
Craft Supply Spotlight
Featured Shop: DINDINTOYS (Etsy)
I wanted to buy blocks with letters, but I could not find them. I had to make them myself. Then I came to the idea that I can produce wooden toys! - DINDINTOYS
check out their shop to source materials for this weeks project!
For Makers Who’ve Mastered the Basics
Our crafts are made for all ages, but even experienced makers can find inspiration here! Use each tutorial as a creative spark—switch up materials, colours, or designs to make it your own. If you do a remix, we’d love to see it! Share your creation on social media with #fivestepstudio or send it to [email protected] for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter
Inspiration & Mood
Before You Start
Mood boards are important because they visually capture the style, tone, and feeling of a project before you begin, helping you stay consistent and inspired. They act as a creative roadmap, guiding color choices, materials, and overall aesthetic. In short, they turn abstract ideas into a clear visual direction.
Enchanted Mushroom Forest
Materials
-White air-dry clay
-A piece of cardboard or a flat wood slice for the base
-Acrylic paints (red, white, green, brown)
-Paintbrushes (one fine tip, one medium)
-Small bowl of water
-Craft glue
-Green craft moss or green felt
-Clay tools (or a toothpick and a plastic knife)
Step 1
Take a small piece of clay and roll it between your palms to form a thick cylinder. This will be the mushroom stem. Make several stems of different heights and thicknesses for variety.
Step 2
For the mushroom caps, roll another piece of clay into a ball. Gently press your thumb into the center of one side to create a classic dome-shaped cap. Make one cap for each stem you created.
Step 3
To join the parts, use a toothpick to gently scratch a crosshatch pattern on top of the stem and on the underside of the cap. Dab a tiny bit of water on both parts and press them together. Let all your mushrooms dry completely, which may take 24-48 hours.
Step 4
Once the clay is dry, paint the caps bright red and the stems white. After the red paint dries, use a fine-tipped brush to add small white dots to the mushroom caps. Don't be afraid to leave some of them raw. The clay gives a nice natural look and feel!
Step 5
Prepare your base by covering the cardboard or wood slice with craft glue and pressing the green moss firmly onto it. Once the moss is secure, add a dab of glue to the bottom of each mushroom stem and arrange them in your new mossy forest.
Final Product
Congatulation you did it! As always we’d like to encourage you to take this craft a step further. Try different types of mushrooms, a new type of stand or maybe a inside a glass terrarium! Now that you have the “know how” let your creativity run free! The possibilties are endless. If you come up with a creative new version of the “Enchanted Mushroom Forrest” we’d love to see it.
We hope you enjoyed this week’s craft and our latest craft insights!
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If you have ideas or suggestions for future issues, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected]. And as always, feel free to share this newsletter with friends who love to create