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    Home » DIY Projects

    Easy Air Dry Clay Flower Frogs

    August 1, 2022 by Patti Estep 4 Comments

    Jump to How-to Card
    Mixed floral arrangement with clay flower frog.
    Clay flower frogs over a flower arrangement

    These DIY flower frogs created with air dry clay are pretty on their own and will make your flower arranging tasks a cinch.

    Three DIY flower frogs.

    Air dry clay is so easy to work with so when I saw this idea for ceramic pierced flower lids I had to try making some with air dry clay. They basically act as a flower frog to hold flowers upright in a vase. No need for chicken wire or floral foam. It's even easier than creating a grid with strips of tape.

    What is a Flower Frog?

    If you are a flower lover then you may already be familiar with flower frogs. They are items traditionally used by floral designers to hold flowers in place. Today they are more of a collector's item. You can sometimes find them at antique shops, vintage stores, flea markets, or thrift stores. See more about flower frogs including pictures of my friend's collection in my flower frog post.

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    A tray covered with parchment. Rolled out clay with glass cylinder vase upside-down, A marker, pen and straw and a plastic roller.

    DIY Flower Frog Supplies

    • Air Dry Clay
    • Roller
    • Various pen caps and a straw
    • Craft knife
    • Vase
    • Herbs or leaves for pressing

    Making Your Own Flower Frog from Clay

    Instead of a typical flower frog that is set at the bottom of a container, these are set on top of the vase. I have a few cylindrical flower vases that work well for this purpose but any vase with a flat even top or even mason jars would work.

    A purple marker cap piercing out the center of a round of clay.

    After cutting out your shape you use various ordinary objects to make holes in a pretty pattern through the clay. I used a marker, a pen cap, and a straw. Each is a little different in diameter but I don't see why you couldn't use the same size for each hole. Just make sure it's big enough for thick flower stems.

    A straw making small holes around a center hole in a clay disc.

    This idea, at least to my mind, is to make something pretty on its own. I'm sure that a potter or ceramicist would do a much better job. However, I thought they turned out pretty good.

    Three air dry clay flower frogs.

    Since this is air dry clay they need to be used indoors as significant amounts of water will ruin them.

    Pressing a lavender flower and stem into a air dry clay flower frog.

    For a little extra bit of decoration, you could use flowers or leaves and press them into the clay before they dry.

    Three finished air dry clay frogs for flower arranging.

    I tried lavender, thyme leaves, and ferns. They look okay but I think they probably weren't needed.

    DIY flower frogs made from clay. Two on the side and one on top of a vase with flowers.

    Here you can see that I left some of the floral frog showing. Just a few fresh cut flowers make a pretty arrangement.

    Large ground of various garden flower in a cylindrical vase using a clay flower frog.

    In this one, I placed many flowers and foliage, some with two or more stems of flowers in one hole. My flowers are from the garden but just think how easy bouquets from the grocery would be to arrange with these guys. Gorgeous, huh? It really makes creating beautiful floral arrangements so easy.

    Patti signature

    More Flower Arranging Ideas

    • All About Vintage Flower Frogs
    • Spring Floral Foraged Arrangement
    • DIY Mercury Glass Arrangement
    • Tinted Glass Jar Arrangement
    • Easy Christmas Centerpiece Idea

    Green and yellow flower arrangement using clay flower frogs and a couple of clay frogs on the side.
    Clay flower frog and a vase with flowers.
    Print
    3.48 from 19 votes

    How to Make Clay Flower Frogs

    This air dry clay flower frog tutorial will show you how easy it is to make your own flower frog that looks great on its own and makes it easy for you to create a gorgeous arrangement.
    Active Time30 minutes mins
    Additional Time1 day d
    Total Time1 day d 30 minutes mins
    Course: DIY Projects
    Yield: 1
    Author: Patti Estep
    Cost: $5-$10

    Equipment

    • Craft knife
    • Roller
    • Assorted pen caps
    • Straw

    Materials

    • Air dry clay
    • Vase
    • Herbs optional

    Instructions

    • Roll out the air dry clay with a roller or the side of a bottle to about 1/4 inch thick.
    • Draw a circle slightly larger than the vase you want to use.
    • Remove the circle disc and start creating holes in a pattern you like with the pen caps and straw.
    • Smooth out all edges with your fingers.
    • Press some herbs into the clay for additional decoration if desired.
    • Allow the clay to dry overnight.
    • To use: Set the clay flower frog on top of your vase that's filled with water.
    • Then start placing flower stems into the holes until you have a look that you like.

    Notes

    1. You can make the holes all the same size. Just be sure to make some or all of them big enough to hold larger thick stems.
    2. You don't have to fill every hole in your arrangement.
    3. You can often fit more than one flower stem or greenery in each hole.
    4. Starting in the middle with taller flowers and heavier stems might make the arranging a little easier to create, but it's not absolutely necessary.
    « Egg and Potato Salad Recipe for Picnics and BBQs
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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Leah W.

      May 04, 2023 at 9:55 pm

      Love this! Never knew I needed it until I saw it. I plan to try it using homemade playdough. It may take longer to air-dry but it’ll be natural material.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        May 05, 2023 at 6:47 am

        That's a fun idea Leah. Thanks for sharing.

        Reply
    2. Sherry

      March 29, 2023 at 10:46 am

      Might be easier to press the pattern prior to poking the holes. I’ve been wanting to make in if these for years just haven’t done it yet. Would sealing it with polyurethane be prudent to protect from water?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        March 29, 2023 at 10:54 am

        Sherry that's a good idea. Thanks for sharing. And, yes you could give it a few light coats of poly on each side to help with any water issues. Air-dry clay will break down in water. 

        Reply

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