Tea Light House (or Village if you make a few)

The recipe I finally found to mimic porcelain but still make these Tealight Houses without cracking and breaking is derived from a Cold Porcelain Clay recipe inspired by the clay used in porcelain flowers sold in the Middle East. I have converted the ingredients list from Sangeeta Shah’s post to reflect the more commonly used ingredient names found in the US. Click the Porcelain Clay link here to find the ingredients and instructions.

Instructions for Cutting Out the House

I have provided a basic house pattern here for download on 8.5x11 paper: House Design One

This design can be modified if you want a slightly different house design, however, I would suggest building one house as-is and then improvising after you see how it is intended to be put together. Print out the pattern and cut out each piece.

There are 7 pieces - think gingerbread house - as you look at your pattern pieces:

• 2 Roof Panels

• 2 Side Panels

• 1 House Front

• 1 House Back

• 1 Floor with a hole for a battery-powered tealight candle

Roll your clay out on a dry, smooth surface - similar to how you might roll out cookie-cutter dough. Just don’t use flour or oil to coat the surface! This could ruin your clay. The clay should be about 1/8” thick. Do your very best to make the clay a consistent thickness. One way to do this is to put a spacer like a paint stir-stick on either side of the clay lump so the rolling pin is held off the surface by an equal amount at all points. You will likely need to do this in two or three clay lumps, to ensure all the pieces are an even thickness.

Lay 2 pattern pieces on the clay per clay lump. I found that I have enough clay to make about 2.5 houses.

Cut out your house panels using an Exacto knife. Place your clay off-cuts into a zip-lock bag to ensure you can use the leftovers on another project, like ornaments, snowmen, sculptures, etc. I threw my off-cuts in the Kitchen Aid with the dough hook to knead it all back together again with 2 drops of lemon juice, and then I put it in the fridge for another day.

The working time for this clay is impressively long. You should be able to cut all your pieces out within an hour. The top of the clay may start to get a little crusty after about 35 minutes; this is why rolling out small batches for one or two pieces is best.

If you are still wondering, “…is this worth it?” Let’s just say, this is SO MUCH BETTER than the starch-soda clay, which starts drying after, like, 2 seconds, and starts cracking a minute after that. In contrast, this “porcelain” clay, has a much longer working time. The secret is the non-Newtonian liquid made with glue instead of water. In addition, the mineral oil helps keep it moist longer, while the lemon helps preserve it. Can you tell I am in love with this stuff? Okay, nerd rant complete!

Lay out your house panels to dry. This will likely take 24 - 48 hours. Let them dry on paper towels. Depending on how dry your how is, they may start to cup. If this happens, gently flip them over. I know it’s hard, but just try to leave them alone for at least 8 hours at a time. If they continue to cup, you may find placing a cookie sheet on top of the panels may help them stay flat, but this will increase the drying time by 12 to 24 hours.

Assembling the House

Assemble the House using a fast-drying super-glue. I recommend any universal bond type. Locktite makes a nice gel-based superglue in a little blue bottle. Follow the assembly steps below:

1. Run a line of glue along both sides of the floor panel and place the house sides vertically along the left and right sides of the floor.

2. Hold for 2 to 3 minutes while it dries.

3. Run a line of glue along the inside base and left and right sides of the front panel and place it against the floor and side panels.

4. Hold for 2 to 3 minutes while it dries.

5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for the Back House Panel - now your house should have a floor and 4 walls

6. Run a line of glue along the left-angled roof pitch (front and back)

7. Place the roof panel on the roof and hold for 2 to 3 minutes while the glue cures

8. Repeat Steps 6 and 7 for the right-angled roof pitch (front and back)

If you find the roof is not curing very fast and the glue is not holding, try taping the two roof panels together at the ridge in several locations.

Place a Tealight inside the hole in the floor and watch it glow!