You know what are ridiculously cute? Toadstool mushrooms. That’s why I just know you are going to love today’s tutorial on how to make a clay mushroom garland, toadstool style.
Confession time. I don’t think I’ve ever SEEN a toadstool mushroom in real life. I’ve seen a lot of mushrooms, but not a toadstool one. They must not be native to my area.
Growing up all I knew about toadstools were related to Super Mario Bros. I didn’t think toadstool was that cool because I was a girly girl and I wanted to be the Princess every single time. Toadstool was kind of nerdy to me.
But now that I’m an adult (and probably nerdy myself) I’ve completely fallen in love with all things woodland themed, from foxes and squirrels, to evergreen trees and toadstools. They give off fun earthy vibes, am I right? And lately I’ve been feeling the urge to up my decor game and find ways to incorporate a woodland theme into my home.
Enter in the toadstool mushroom garland.
This garland is so adorable. Seriously, you are going to love this. And the best thing is, you can make these mushrooms into a garland, or you can make them into something like hanging DIY mushroom ornaments.
And, you can leave them up all year long! While fall screams woodland theme, it really can be used in all other seasons, too. Mushroom decorations are all the rage these days. Even my teen daughter thinks they are cool.
You can definitely hang this beautiful garland on your Christmas tree as well. I mean, Christmas mushrooms are a thing, right? If they aren’t, it’s time to make them a thing!
These mushrooms are made out of polymer clay. I just purchased it at a craft store, but you can find it on Amazon too. Polymer clay is pretty easy to work with. Honestly, I’m not great at art and yet I was able to make these mushrooms in a short amount of time. If I can make this with my lack of art skills, I know you can make it too!
So, let’s get into how to make the cutest garland ever, shall we?
DIY Toadstool Mushroom garland
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What you’ll need:
- Polymer clay
- a 1/2 TBSP measuring spoon
- a TSP measuring spoon
- Baking dish
- Parchment paper
- Acrylic Paint
- Paint brushes
- eye hooks
- White Glue
- Twine
The first thing you are going to do is form your mushrooms. Form the top and bottom separately, and then you’ll connect them together. To form the mushroom cap, I measured out a 1/2 TBSP of clay. You can use whatever measurement you want as you may want your mushrooms bigger or smaller. I used a measuring spoon to keep the sizes consistent.
I just worked the clay with my fingers, forming a top of a mushroom. The middle I wanted raised a little, and the sides drooping down. You may want a more bubble-type top on your mushroom. It’s all what you prefer!
Once I formed the mushroom top on the bottom I pushed my finger slightly into it to form an indent. That’s going to be where I connect the mushroom stem.
Okay, the next step is the mushroom stems. You’ll want to measure out a tsp of clay (or whatever size you settle on.) Roll it kind of like you probably rolled play dough when you were a kid to form worms! (Wait, was that just me?) Decide on how thin and long you want each stem.
Once you have your stem you’ll fit it into the indent you made in the mushroom cap. Then, with your fingers gently squish the clay from the bottom of the mushroom top into the top of the stem to connect it.
You now have your mushrooms ready for curing. You’ll want to read the instructions on your polymer clay package as companies have different curing instructions. Mine required me to bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes per 1/4 inch thick. I ended up baking mine for about 25 minutes and that did the trick!
You definitely don’t want to burn your polymer clay. When the clay comes out of the oven it isn’t instantly hard. It hardens more as it cools, so don’t be surprised if it’s a bit flexible when it’s still warm.
Alright, now it’s time to paint them!
First I painted the tops with two coats of red acrylic paint. I used a small paintbrush as I didn’t want to get it on the stem. However, I’m a little bit clumsy (Okay, IMPATIENT) and ended up getting some red on the stem. No worries though, because I painted my stems white and was able to cover up the red.
However, if you are more careful than me and don’t feel the need to paint the stems, leave them as is!
Once the red was dry I added the white dots to the mushroom top. I was a little nervous about this part (you know, because I’m clumsy) but when I think about actual toadstool mushrooms, every dot isn’t uniform. So, I just took my time and tapped a dot with a small paint brush all over the tops with a paint brush.
You can get fancier than me if you want a more detailed look, by looking at the exact picture of a toadstool mushroom and trying to replicate it, but I was happy with these dots for myself.
Now to add the eye hooks so you can hang them! You can buy eye hooks at the hardware store. They have a bunch of different sizes so make sure you get a small one.
You can gently screw the eye hook right into the top of the mushroom. Apply a bit of pressure while screw it in.
Once you screw it all the way in, gently screw it back out and put a little bit of white glue on the tip.
Now screw it back in. This will help it stay in place.
Some people have put their eye hooks into polymer clay before they bake it, but this can cause it to fall out over time. If you want a better chance of the eye hook staying in place, put it in after. People have also used jump hooks instead and baked them in, but again, they may fall out over time. My preference is definitely eye hooks.
Now take your twine and feed it through all the eye hooks. I knotted the twine around each eyehook to secure it.
Now, find the perfect place to hang it!
And that’s all there is to it. These mushroom decorations are a pretty simple way to add some a touch of whimsy to your home. Make this garland and display it somewhere that you’ll get to enjoy all the time. Maybe you’ll want to add some fairy houses, or maybe you should go all out and get a pet squirrel or two and you’ll feel like you are living right in the middle of a forest.
I’m kidding. I don’t think you can have pet squirrels. Which, come to think of it, makes me wonder why? I mean, you can purchase pet rats, pet hamsters, pet gerbils…seems like squirrels and chipmunks are in that category.
Anyways, maybe just put out some feed for your neighborhood squirrels and stick to the gerbil. But more importantly, go make this cute mushroom garland for the perfect addition to your home decor. You’ll love it, and so will all your guests!
