So the gig is up, obviously I have a penchant for elephants! Who can resist that enormous trumpeting stack of wrinkles, those enormous boat-size ears and did I mention those folds of wrinkles? To top things off, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner; love will be thick in the air and far too much tempting chocolate will be hanging under our noses. Throw caution to the wind, scoop up a handful of chalky candy hearts, persnickety your way through a box of mystery chocolates and of course, wear your heart on your trunk!

This craft is great for kids, just follow the steps below and click the picture to get a large step-by-step guide. You will need from your local arts and crafts supply store the following:

• Fimo Effects clay in sparkling gray and sparkling red
• Large jump ring or 22 gauge wire
• Knitting needle
• Miniature heart cookie cutters
• Exacto knife
• Powdered chalk (pink and gold)
• Elmer’s super glue
• Magnets
• Fabric strips

Things you need but are not necessary:

• Clay oven
• Glaze
• Pasta machine
• Clay sculpting tools

Take the bar of sparkling gray Fimo and work well before diving into four balls, two of which will be the same size (ears), one the head and the other a trunk. Make the trunk and bend into a soft hook shape, attach to head, working the two objects together with your fingers. Next take the two like-size balls of gray Fimo flatten in your palm and attach to either side of the elephants head, using your fingers to attach and gently expanding the size of the ears to the desired size.

Use a knitting needle to make eyes and clay tools or an Exacto knife to give your elephant character by adding wrinkles about the face, trunk and ears. Attach a jump ring or bent 22 gauge wire on the bottom of the head and then very gently flatten the back of the elephants heads and ears against a smooth, no-stick surface such as a small baking dish. Decorate the elephant with powdered chalks as desired.

Now flatten a small ball of the sparkling red Fimo clay in a pasta machine and cut out three or more various size hearts. A quick tip for making holes, leave the cutters on the clay as you use a knitting needle to make a hole, this will keep the heart from losing its shape; remove excess clay before lifting away cutters. Make a separate heart with the smallest heart-shape cutter by rounding out a small ball of red, flattening it in hand and splicing to desired thickness with an Exacto knife. Give the heart a slight curve to fit snuggly on the elephant’s trunk tip by using a knitting needle.

Bake your elephant and all hearts according to instructions.

Once completely cool super glue magnets to the back of the elephant’s head. Use as many as you feel necessary to ensure a good mounting hold, in this case I’ve applied three small size magnets. Super glue small heart to trunk-tip and use fabric strips to attach the flat heart to the jump ring/gauge wire at the bottom of the elephant.

A quickie clay tip: This Fimo clay is extremely soft so once you’ve the head of the elephant completed it is best to find a non-stick surface that will allow you to work on the head without actually holding the clay in the palm of your hand or having to pick it up by hand numerous times. The longer it is in hand the more likely it is to hold fingerprints or change shape. I’ve found small cake baking pans that fit in my clay oven are perfect surfaces in which to lay my work, push it gently against the pan enough to stick and then I can freely move the piece about as I continue working on it.