I love using silicon moulds when I’m making things – they are super cheap to buy on eBay and they allow you to make all sorts of embellishments for next to nothing. They’re meant to be for icing but I use them with soft fimo. Here, I’ve used two different moulds to make a sweet plaque which you could keep for yourself or give as a baby gift.
What you’ll need:
- Two silicon moulds – I bought both of mine from eBay. The ‘baby clothes’ mould was £3.16 with free P+P and the ‘bunting’ mould was £3.99 with free P+P. Both are of course reusable and I use the bunting one for loads of projects (not just baby related!)
- A picture frame. I’ve used an old fancy one in the vid, but you can get one cheap from Ikea (for example, LIMHALL is just 80p) or Dunhelm Mill.
- White fimo – I prefer the soft type (£2.09/56g), but if you only have the regular type, it works okay as long as your mould doesn’t have too much fine detail, and you warm and soften it well in your hands before you start. I’ve used both of the moulds on this page with regular fimo and had no problems – soft fimo is just a bit easier to work with.
- Pretty paper – I’ve used scrapbook paper (£2.49/12 sheets – eBay) but you could instead use wrapping paper or leftover wallpaper.
- String
- Glue – I use Matte mod podge but you can just usepretty much any reasonable strength glue.
- Paints – I’ve used acrylic but you can use pretty much any paint.
How it’s done:
- Fill the parts of the mould you want to make with fimo. In this case I’m making the plaque for my little boy so I’ve just chosen the heart vest, the duck vest, the socks and the booties.
- Put the mould in the freezer for 20 mins. This helps harden it up so that the fimo retains a good shape when you remove it.
- Heat the oven to 110 degrees. Carefully prise the fimo scrolls out of the mould and put them on a baking tray. Bake for 20 mins and check the fimo is reasonably firm.
- When the fimo pieces are baked and cool, paint the details with colours of your choice – I’ve mostly used baby blue, but I painted the duck and booties trim yellow, and gave the duck a little orange beak (and an eye!)
- Remove the glass from your frame (you won’t need it) and use either the glass or the inserts to cut out a piece of pretty paper for backing.
- Cut two lengths of string to use as ‘washing lines’. Trap these in your frame.
- Lay out your pieces and make sure you’re happy with the spacing, then glue them on one by one. Use the pieces to slightly pull down the ‘washing line’ and keep it in position. For the bunting, add glue to the top of each piece and attach the string (I rushed this step a little as you can see in the pic/vid).
Your silicon moulds can be used over and over again – just wash them in warm soapy water after use and keep them in a plastic bag (as they do tend to attract fluff otherwise). Make sure your mould is completely dry before you use it again, as the fimo won’t stick well if it’s damp.
Want to see how it’s done? Here’s a vid to show you!
I hope you enjoy making this easy baby plaque and using your silicon moulds for loads of other projects!