Name: Harmony Week – My Mini Totem
SKU: 92471L
Price: 158.33 AUD

Step 1Use the chain nose pliers to break off a piece of armature wire approximately 15cm long when straightened out. Adult supervision is recommended when using chain nose pliers and armature wire. Try and get the wire as straight as you can - this will be the support of your totem pieces. Young children may need assistance when working with this thicker wire.
Step 2Research totems and animal symbols then pick 3 animals that symbolically best represent you and your values. Sketch up a design of your mini totem, working out where the animals will sit and any other elements you may wish to add in between.
Step 3Choose a colour of polymer clay to create the base of your totem. Condition the clay in your hands or use a rolling pin until it is warm and malleable. Mould it into a nice solid base and push the wire piece from step 1 into the centre so it sticks up at a 90-degree angle.
Step 4Begin by creating the first animal of your totem. Think about proportions as you don’t want to make it so big that the rest of your pieces won’t fit on the wire. Condition the clay in your hands and mould your first piece, then push it carefully onto the wire.
Step 5Make the next elements in your totem. You may wish to add texture to these pieces using a scratch board tool, or you could even create a cool marbled effect by twisting and working 3 different colours of clay together! Push these pieces carefully onto the wire so they sit above the first piece.
Step 6Create your 2nd animal piece. Instead of modelling the animal as an entire piece, we’ve created ours by first making a cube and then moulding a flat animal and pressing it onto the front surface.
Step 7Finish your totem by creating the final pieces and carefully pushing them onto the wire so the top is completely covered.
Step 8Carefully remove all the pieces from the wire and bake in an oven following the instructions on the polymer clay box. Once the pieces are cool, re-stack your pieces onto the wire using tacky glue to hold them in place. Allow the glue to dry and your mini totem is now complete and ready to display!