This project turns simple air-dry clay and pantry beans into charming decorative pieces.

By pressing beans into clay shapes like pumpkins, snails, and leaves, you create rustic mosaics with vibrant detail.

They’re perfect for kids, seasonal décor, or even as small handmade gifts.

Specially, the clay holds everything firmly in place, so the designs stay durable.

Materials Needed

• Air-dry clay (500 g, rolled to 0.5-1 cm thick)
• Cookie cutters in pumpkin, snail, and leaf shapes (approx. 3”-4” wide)
• 60-70 yellow corn kernels
• 40-50 red kidney beans
• 30-40 black beans
• 30-40 pinto beans
• Rolling pin and cutting board
• Toothpick or skewer (for making small holes if you want to hang them)
• Craft glue (optional)
• Clear acrylic sealer spray (optional)

Step-by-step Guide

Step 1: Roll out the air-dry clay on a flat surface to about 0.5=1 cm thickness.

Then use cookie cutters or freehand shaping to create pumpkins, leaves, and snail outlines.

Step 2: While the clay is still soft, press beans and corn into the surface.

For pumpkins, use yellow corn kernels in the middle and red beans around the edge.

For snails, spiral kidney beans along the shell and add black beans for accents. For leaves, create veins with black beans and fill with corn.

Step 3: If you want to hang your pieces, use a toothpick to poke a small hole at the top before the clay dries.

Step 4: Let the clay dry completely, usually 24-48 hours depending on thickness. Once dry, add extra glue under any loose beans if needed.

Step 5: For extra shine and protection, lightly spray your finished mosaics with clear acrylic sealer.

Tips:

These designs look lovely displayed outdoors, but make sure to seal them if they’ll be exposed to weather.

You can also adapt the shapes for other seasons—hearts for Valentine’s, eggs for Easter, or stars for Christmas.