DIY Flower Frogs with Oven Baked Clay

Make these gorgeous DIY Flower Frogs that are handmade from oven baked clay. They are easy to create and look like beautiful vintage flower frogs. Save this to Pinterest now so you can always find it!

I have been so excited to make these beautiful DIY flower frogs all summer long and share them with you. As it turns out, the end of August and September is when our cut flowers here are the most beautiful so now is the perfect time to share the DIY vintage flower frogs look a-likes made with oven baked clay. Even though the weather is beginning to change and I can feel fall sneaking in during the morning hours, this craft projects is perfect for people who like to see their hands busy year-round. It would be a great project for winter too when you are bored inside and want to be dreaming of spring. 

The clay to use

I always prefer oven baked clay for any clay projects that I do at home outside of my pottery studio. Unlike air dry clay, I can complete a project in a day because I can bake the clay in the oven as opposed to waiting for it to dry. However, if you prefer air dry clay, you can always use that too. 

The shapes

A lot of people use cookie cutters to make the DIY flower frogs and I decided to as well. I used a few shapes though. There is a standard circle, a kind of scalloped circle with a pretty edge and then I used flower cookie cutters too. I thought the flowers were really cute and I love that they fit in a way that you can use the space between the petals for your flowers too. The one flower that I stitched onto the surface was actually a snowflake that I moved with my hands. I did could not find my flower cookie cutters (found them the next day) and so I just sculpted the snowflake one to look more flower like. 

The pottery tools

When it comes to pottery, I have all the tools I need. I realize most people do not have these tools and unless they really love clay projects or do ceramic work themselves, they might not need them. If you enjoy air dry clay or oven baked clay projects, then you might like a small set of tools like these {HERE}. I bought these for my pottery studio work and most of the tools are good quality and a good place to start. If you are just doing this as a one off at home you can probably use things like plastic silverware and bamboo skewers for your project. 

A full supply list

I’ve put everything I used in an easy Amazon list for you {HERE}. This list does not include parchment paper or baking sheets. It also does include both types of clay in case you have a preference and oven baked clay in various amounts. Just in case you want more or less. If you prefer to gather your supplies on your own, then here is a full list of what I used. 

• Oven Baked Clay or Air Dry Clay
• Wedging Board or work surface 
• Parchment paper (for rolling and baking) or plastic sheet (for rolling only)
• Rolling Pin
• Cookie Cutters
• Bamboo Skewers or Pottery Tools Set
• Baking sheet
• Paint and paint brushes – I mixed and matched paint colors for the vintage looking flower frogs. My gold color is a combination of Champagne Gold and Antiqued Gold. I then used Bright Copper and Worn Penny. I didn’t like my green color but if you do I used a color called Avocado and then mixed it with a color shifting green I found at Michael’s. 
• Anything you want to use for embellishments like lace or flowers to press – One of the pieces of lace I used is on the Amazon list. The other was demo Joann’s. 
• Black wax and wax brushes

DIY Flower Frogs: Step 1

Create a work surface for yourself before beginning the DIY flower frogs. I work with clay a lot so I have a few surfaces that will work for me even inside the house. I also have things like a wedging board, which I use for my ceramic pottery that I like to use for projects like these. Over it, I add a sheet of parchment paper. I will say here, plastic sheeting works better because the clay doesn’t stick to it when you are rolling it out. But I did not want to use my ceramic plastic sheets due to the different clay mediums. So, either a sheet of plastic or a piece of parchment paper on a nice, hard work surface will work. 

Also, have your tools near your work surface. I have mason jars full of pottery tools, but again you do not need all of these. At its most basic level, you do need a rolling pin, the cookie cutters and some things to make the holes (like the bamboo skewers) near the work surface. Also, make sure to have any of the embellishments you want to use within reach. 

DIY Flower Frogs: Step 2

Remove the clay from the packaging and work it a little bit to help soften it. Try not to break it or fold it in half, which will cause more air bubbles. Gentle kneading is great. When you’ve done that, beginning flattening it with your palm on the work surface. Then, roll it out with the rolling pin to about 1/3 inch thick.

DIY Flower Frogs: Step 3

If you want to add lace over the top, do it now by laying the lace out and then lighting rolling over it with the rolling pin until it is embedded in the clay. Then carefully remove it to reveal the pattern. This really helped to create the vintage flower frog look. If you are using flower from your yard – something like a piece of lavender or rosemary would be lovely – do that now too. Then, using the cookie cutters, place it around the pattern you want on the flower frog and press down. Remove the surrounding excess clay. Set it aside to roll out again. And then remove the cookie cutter. You can do 2-3 of these at once if you are using enough clay and roll it out large enough.

DIY Flower Frogs: Step 4

If you want to sketch any designs into the flower frogs, do it now. In the video above you can see how I sketched the petal shapes into my frogs. Then, use the pottery tools or a bamboo skewer to make the holes in the flower frog. You can make a pattern or make these at random. Just make sure you move the skewer all the way through and make the holes big enough. 

DIY Flower Frogs: Step 5

Remove the clay flower frog from the parent paper or plastic carefully. It is easy to distort the clay and clay has a memory so you will not be able to fix it later. It will be easier to remove it from the plastic sheeting if you decide to use that. With the parchment paper, I found it was easier to cut the paper and then place that piece of paper on the baking sheet. The plastic cannot go in the oven so that has to come off. 

Place the flower frog on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake per package directions. For the oven baked clay I use the timing is 275 degrees for 15 minutes. Make sure to preheat the oven. If you are using air dry clay, place the project somewhere safe for about 24 hours. 

DIY Flower Frogs: Step 6

Once you have removed the DIY flower frogs from the oven and they have cooled, you can paint them. I found 2-3 coats of paint were needed and I did paint the back as well as the side. 

DIY Flower Frogs: Step 7

Once the paint is dry you can use the wax on them to give them an aged effect. I found this worked the best on my bronze ones, specifically on the scalloped one I painted with a color called Worn Penny. I also liked it on the Bright Copper color. I did not like it on the gold. I used it one one (the sun) and tried to wipe most of it off. Then I decided not to use it on the other one with the scalloped edge. I thought that looked prettier with just my paint mix of Champagne Gold and Antique Gold. 

I did not use spray paint because I didn’t want the paint to get into the cracks of the lace detail and take any of that away. I really felt like using the brush on these worked best. However, if you make some with no details imprinted on them, a spray paint might be easier. 

DIY Flower Frogs: Step 8

Seal the frogs with a clear acrylic sealer. I prefer a spay sealer. I’ve found mode dodge keeps my projects tacky for too long and just prefer the spray sealer for the nooks and crannies. Please make sure your paint is fully dry before sealing the project. 

Here’s what I enjoyed:

I really loved the final product of the metallic colors – the gold and Copper Penny especially. I love the scalloped edges too. I also love the sun and the flower shape. Those shapes allowed me to put flowers with larger stems in the mason jars. 

Here’s some things I did not love:

Initially, I thought I would want these painted in light colors – pinks, purples and blues. Those colors looked horrible to me for some reason and the metallic or metal colors really seemed to work the best for a vintage flower frog look.

Keep in mind…

• When making these, keep stem sizes in mind for your holes. I found stems of the dahlias, smaller sun flowers and even some of the zinnia stems were a tight fit because of the leaf nodes. The sun shape and the flower really were the answer to this issue for me. 
• Again, I didn’t feel like the wax on the gold color worked for the look for the vintage flower frog…just a caution to you there. 
• You need to make these to size for the vessel you are using. They would probably fit down the neck of a standard vase, but I made sure all of my flower frogs could find across the top of a wide mouth mason jar. As long as that is your opening size, the cookie cutters I used will work. 

Flowers in my jars

I grow a variety of cut flowers here during the summer and early fall season. In these photos you can see the Dahlias, double Cosmos, Zinnias (single and double), small pro cut sunflowers and the purple flowers are statice. 

Looking for more craft ideas?

If you love to craft and love the DIY clay flower frogs, check out these other DIY craft ideas too!

• DIY clay plant markers {HERE}
• DIY Pressed Flower Bookmarks {HERE}
• Clay Mushroom Ornaments {HERE}
• DIY Dried Flower Fire Starters {HERE}
• DIY Faux Vintage Terracotta Pots {HERE}
• DIY Clay Trinket Dish {HERE}
• Fall Leaf Pressed Flower Candles {HERE}

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Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope that you love my DIY flower frogs and I hope to see you again. You can find the full printable recipe below. Happy crafting!