We have some beautiful and bespoke handmade projects for you today! Our friend Jonathon Marc Mendes from Painted Love blessed us with three inspiring tutorials using IOD Moulds and Stamps that we just know you'll adore as much as we do!

First up, Jonathon uplevels a thrifted planter into an ornate centerpiece. It's all dressed for the holidays with the IOD Veridis Mould and a creative paint technique to achieve that vintage-sophisticated look—and the best part? You can reuse it all year long for different floral arrangements.

Next, he gets creative with the IOD Bows Mould to craft vintage-inspired Christmas candles. Using candle wax castings to decorate pillar candles, this project would be such a lovely and thoughtful handmade gift!

And we can't forget about the brass bells! Christmas bells have popped up all over the place lately! They’ve made a big comeback in the small decor world. Jonathon shows us how to create a personalized brass bell with an old shampoo bottle. Who knew sturdy plastic could turn into a gorgeous, all-year-round decor piece?

Let’s get to it! Christmas will be here before we know it and these would be lovely handmade gift ideas for your loved ones!❤️✨

Grab your IOD products and supplies by using the store locator and finding a stockist near you.

Project One: Upcycled Planter for a Tablescape 

Christmas wouldn’t feel complete without a stunning table centerpiece, right? When our friend Jonathon spotted this beautiful pot at a local thrift shop, he knew it was the perfect find. It had great structure, and he couldn’t wait to embellish it with some IOD moulds and finish it off with a gorgeous paint effect.

The best part? After the holidays, this piece can be reused for all kinds of floral arrangements throughout the year. Let’s get this pot cleaned up and ready for IOD Moulds! 🎄

IOD Products Needed: 

• IOD Mould of choice (Jonathon used the Viridis Mould)
• IOD Air Dry Clay

Other Supplies: 

• Thrifted Planter
• Quick Drying White Glue and Applicator Brush
• Black Chalk Type Paint
• Brown Chalk Type Paint
• Soft Grey Chalk Type Paint
• Clear Wax Sealer
• Gilded Wax
• Ground Cinnamon 

Step-by-Step Guide

STEP ONE: PREP YOUR PLANTER

First step with your thrifted goods, give them a quick wipe down! In this tutorial, Jonathon uses soapy water to remove excess dirt or dust. He then wipes down the planter to thoroughly dry it before moving on. 

STEP TWO: PREP YOUR MOULD

A few notes that Jonathon would like to make at this stage of the project.

• This pot has this really beautiful, sinuous design and it is slightly raised to the touch. It may show through at the end of the paint finish.
• This pot has a stone-like quality. There are a few anomalies in there, sort of like cracks and crevices in this pot. He decided to us  IOD Air Dry Clay because it can crack slightly as it dries depending on the climate, lending itself as a beautiful addition to this pot.

Jonathon grabbed the Viridis Mould with its rich detail and dusted it with corn starch to help release the casting and prevent sticking. The Viridis Mould has lovely, intricate details, allowing him to use his pot year-round. When Christmas passes, he can use this for a darling Spring arrangement.

Press IOD Air Dry Clay into your mould cavity, using the micro rim to remove excess clay and create a smooth back for easy application. Jonathon did not leave his castings to dry because he needed them to be pliable enough to bend around the surface of his pot.

 Pro Tip:  Flip your mould over and tap to remove excess cornstarch from the mould. If you have too much corn starch, then it can impede the detail in your casting. 

STEP THREE: APPLY YOUR CASTINGS

Arrange your castings on the pot to plan your layout before you apply your adhesive. Jonathon applies his adhesive directly to the pot before placing his castings. You can follow his lead or apply adhesive to the back side of your casting. 

In this tutorial, Jonathon applies his casting to the center of the pot and continues his design around the circumference of the pot. Press gently but firmly around the edges of your casting to ensure full adhesion, taking care not to distort the air dry clay.

STEP FOUR: ALLOW YOUR PROJECT TO DRY

Set the pot aside and allow the clay to dry completely. This step is crucial to ensure your design stays intact. If there’s ever any large cracking you would like to address, you can always go back in and add a little clay there during the dry time. Check out ou  Moulds 101 tutorial for more tips and tricks. 

STEP FIVE: PAINT YOUR PROJECT 

Jonathon paints his project once the castings have completely dried. He used a stipple painting technique all over the entirety of his pot with a brown and black chalk type paint to get that aged finish. Allow time to dry.  

STEP SIX: APPLY A COLOR WASH

First, grab a spray bottle full of water and add some wetness to the surface to activate some of the dried paint. Once the surface is nice and wet, take an old kitchen sponge and dab off some of the paint from the higher surfaces. This will help your color wash move around your pot.

Next, use a large brush to apply heavy coats of your color wash to sections of your surface. Once you’ve covered your project with the color wash, use a spray bottle to add even more moisture to your surface. We want the color wash to move down the pot, creating a yummy vintage patina. Use an old kitchen sponge to clean off some of the color wash from the surface. This small touch really brings out the intricate details in the castings on your project. 

STEP SEVEN: APPLY A CLEAR WAX

Once your project is completely dry, apply a clear wax all over the surface to deepen the paint colors once more. Apply plenty of wax to the small details in your casting. Use a paper towel or shop towel to remove wax from the higher ground on your project. 

STEP EIGHT: SPRINKLE WITH CINNAMON

While the wax is still wet, grab your secret ingredient, ground cinnamon! Sprinkle the cinnamon over those lovely details in your casting and use a large brush to coat your casting.

Pro Tip: If you’ve used too much cinnamon, use a brush and a bit of wax over the top of your casting to remove some of the cinnamon from the higher ground. You can also do this with a shop towel. 

STEP NINE: APPLY A GILDING WAX

Jonathon uses his fingers to apply a subtle coat of gilded wax over the top of those intricate details in the Viridis Mould casting. This final step really adds a hint of luminous shimmer to the pot that we absolutely love. 

Project Two: Embossed Candle with Bows Mould

What's not to love about a candle at Christmas? Jonathon is using the beautiful IOD Bows Mould to craft vintage sophisticated Christmas candles with a technique that can be used for gifts year-round.

For this tutorial, he’s experimenting with candle wax in an IOD Mould to create castings that are then applied to the surface of a pillar candle. This is an untried and untested project, but that's what makes it so wonderful! There’s something so inspiring about trying new techniques and learning alongside a community of creatives who are exploring right along with you.

IOD Products Needed: 

• IOD Mould of choice (Jonathon used the Bows Mould)

Other Supplies: 

• Paraffin Wax Church Candles
• Extra Wax for the Mould
• Stovetop
• Earthenware pots (melt the wax)

Tip: Soy wax candles are not the best for this project. Battery-operated paraffin wax candles would be great to use here, but be careful to glue wax moulds to the surface rather than heat seal. 

STEP ONE: MELT YOUR WAX

Jonathon uses a technique that's similar to a bain-marie on his stovetop with some small pots, hot water, and pans to heat his wax for the mould. He lets the wax sit in the small earthenware pots on the stove until it is completely melted. 

STEP TWO: PREP YOUR CANDLES

While the wax melts in the bain-marie, Jonathon lightly sands the surface of his pillar candle with 180-grit sandpaper. Paraffin wax candles tend to be really shiny on the surface. This is going to create a good keyed surface ready to receive the wax moulds with great adhesion.

STEP THREE: PREP YOUR MOULDS

In this step, Jonathon walks us through his experiment with a mixture of soy wax. His vision was to create dimension in the casting by applying dark and light wax colors. Unfortunately, this was not successful as the castings cracked upon removal from the mould. The wax was too soft. However, this was an excellent example of perseverance in the creative process!

Jonathon went back to his bain-marie to melt down some paraffin wax from one of the other pillar candles. Then he removes the casting from the mould while it is still slightly warm. The wax has a bit more flex in it than before, making it easier to work with around a candle. 

STEP FOUR: ADHERE WAX CASTINGS

To make this candle safe to burn, Jonathon uses a little melted wax to adhere his wax casting to the surface of the candle. Next, he uses a hairdryer around the edges where the casting and pillar candle meet to heat seal the casting even more. Hold the casting down with your hand until the wax cools down to really help the two fuse together.

Tip: If you're not burning the candle, then you could use glue to adhere the wax mould.

Project Three: Festive Brass Bells

Christmas bells have been making a comeback in the small decor world over the past few years—and honestly, it’s no surprise. They’re gorgeous!😍

The best part? Bells aren’t just for Christmas—they make lovely décor all year. Jonathon thought, why not create a personalized version? In this tutorial, he’s repurposing an old shampoo bottle. The sturdy plastic is just right for bells—no bending or flexing here!🔔 

IOD Products Needed: 

• IOD Stamp of choice 
• IOD Air Dry Clay

Other Supplies: 

• Sturdy plastic container cylindrical in shape (Jonathan used a shampoo bottle).
• Rolling pin & butter knife for working with the clay.
• White Craft Glue
• Black Chalk Type Paint
• Gilding Wax Finish
• Black Wax Finish

STEP ONE: PREP YOUR SHAMPOO BOTTLE

So, the first thing you’ll want to do is remove the top section where the shampoo comes out. Jonathon used a small hacksaw to remove the top section. You could also use sturdy scissors if you don’t have a hacksaw lying around.😂 Then, he cut the bottle down to the desired height for the base of his bells. 

STEP TWO: PREP THE BELL HANGER

Next, he used scissors to cut a small sliver of the bottle for the bell loop, which will serve as the handle to the bell. First, he determined how big he wants the handle to be. It needs to be proportionate to the base of the bell. Then, he applied his bell loop to the top of the base of his bell using hot glue. Let dry.

Pro Tip: Jonathon applied quite a lot of hot glue to the interior of his bell base where the base and bell loop meet. Just to make sure it grips from the other side and pulls around the surface so it cannot pull through.

STEP THREE: APPLY AIR DRY CLAY

Once his bell was dry and sturdy, Jonathon began building the bell shape with IOD Air Dry Clay. He rolled a few pieces that he would later apply to the bell loop. Jonathon applied a healthy amount of adhesive to the bell loop surface and inside the loop, then applied the IOD Air Dry Clay over the glue. He was careful to bend the clay around the edge of the bell loop to create clean lines. Remove any excess clay.

Next, he shaped more IOD Air Dry Clay to cover the surface of his bell base. He sort of works the air dry clay around the top of his bell to create a domed surface that mimics a bell shape. Remove any excess air dry clay around the bottom circumference of your bell top to create a clean line that separates the top from the body of the bell.

Pro Tip: If you’re using a rolling pin to roll out your air dry clay, you can cover your rolling pin in cornstarch to keep the clay from sticking to your roller. 

STEP FOUR: PREP AIR DRY CLAY FOR BELL BODY

Grab a wad of air dry clay, and roll it out with a rolling pin until you reach the desired amount to cover the body of your bell. He used a butter knife to cut around the outter edges of the air dry clay, creating a rectangle shape with clean edges.

Next, he embossed the wet air dry clay with an IOD stamp, personalizing his design with letters from the Apothecary Labels Stamp. 

STEP FIVE: ADHERE EMBOSSED CLAY TO BELL BODY

Begin by applying a thick coat of adhesive to the body of your bell. Next, shape your embossed air dry clay around the circumference of your bell body. Clean up any excess clay peaking over the bottom of your bell.

Next, use the handle of a paintbrush to clean up the line where your bell top and bell body meet.

Pro Tip: Apply a dash of water over any clay that begins to dry before you’re finished working it around your bell. This will help make your clay malleable again. 

STEP SIX: PAINT THE BELL 

Jonathon used black spray paint to coat the inside of his bell. This covers up the interior color of the shampoo bottle he used as his base for the bell. He uses a bronze spray paint to coat the entire exterior of the bell. Allow time to dry. 

STEP SEVEN: APPLY GILDED WAX 

Jonathon uses a fan brush and some gilded wax to coat the surface of his bell. The fan brush is useful here because it leaves some of those dark yummy details from the IOD Stamp. He then adds a touch of dark wax over the gilded wax to bring out those intricate details even more. Voila! Jonathan has created two lovely brass bells for his table centerpiece. 

If you're just kicking off your creative journey, have no fear — our Product 101 pages are packed with straightforward techniques to set you up for success. We're thrilled to accompany you as you explore and create. For more how-tos and creative inspo, make sure to browse through the rest of our blog.

Once you've crafted your final piece, share it with our Facebook Creative Tribe! This community is not just a showcase but also a supportive hub for when you hit those creative roadblocks. And remember, your local stockist is always ready to assist with IOD supplies and expert advice. We're excited to see what you'll bring to life!