Here we go!

Start by deciding what your door is going to look like. I then make a template. Simply fold a piece of paper and cut. Or take a round object and trace a circle with the bottom part cut off, this will look somewhat like a hobbit door.

Next work your slab into a ball and knead it to make it soft.


Roll out to about 1/4" thick, like you are making a pie crust. Put your template on top of it and cut, I use a cheap paring knife.




With the leftovers, roll out again for your next door


With these leftovers I make the hinges and door knobs.

Oops got ahead of my self, if you want a wood grain look to your door make lines going top to bottom and little knot holes. Then add your hinges and such. I take a paper clip and cut it in half to make my hangers, push them into the top. BTW I do all this on parchment paper, that way when I'm ready to bake all I have to do is put the paper on a cookie sheet and bake. No mess and no out of shape pieces.

Now I practice what else I want on the doors. If I'm just going to paint them, this is the time to pop them in the oven. Bake according to package directions. I usually bake 275 for 30 min.

These doors are for an order and they will get decorated with a few extras. A glass bead on one and little plastic dragonflies. I put them on the doors and press them in a little for an indentation. I can leave the glass bead in but take off the flies.

After the doors are baked and completely cooled, it's time to paint. I start with a dark brown and paint along the lines I made to show wood planks. I'll do 2 lines at a time, and then wipe with a paper towel to get the excess off. Don't worry if you don't get it all off, it adds character.


Next I paint on a lighter color brown, again I only do a couple of planks at a time, then I wipe it off too. wipe as I go

Now wait to let it dry, it won't take but a couple of minutes. Now glue your pretties on it and I spray with a sealer like Krylon do front and back. Hang and then try your hand at making whimsical fairies to hang with them.

Thanks, told you all it was simple to do. I love the wood grain look and using the crackle media for the doors. They are a lot of fun to make.

and beautiful to look at

These are fun and you make it so clear how to make them! Thank you so much!

Cute as can be.. You did wonderful...

I got my inspiration from you Charleen. Thank you.

Thank you all.

Thank you, I am honored. You did great, girlfriend....

Thanks for the how to Robin. You do such a great job of making realistic woodgrain on the doors!

Those are so cute Robin. Thank you for all the hard work and unpacking, so that you could give us a great how to. Is that package the of the oven bake clay the kind I can purchase at walmart?

Yes Debbie, I think it runs about $6. here. It's a nice amount that you can do a bunch of doors to hang on your trees like a Fairy community.

I needed to get those boxes cleaned out anyway, I was just dragging my feet and this gave me the motivation to get it done.

Just love this tutorial Robin. Thank you so much.
Do you have the crackle glaze on the above doors?

Thank you for the kind words.

It's not on the doors above but if you look at this picture you can see the top left hand door has it on it.

These would be cute glued onto a fence or brick wall too...or a tree of course.

Before we moved I had the gnome door against a natural hollow in a tree's trunk with the fairy doors going zig zag up the trunk. I want to do the same thing here with a med sized door on a burl in the one tree. Make it like it belongs to a Fairy Queen.