Meet the cutest movie snack you’ll never have to share! Our polymer clay popcorn character is ready for his close-up, but instead of sitting in a bowl, he’s adorning a vintage Kodak film can. We love giving forgotten vintage finds a new purpose, and our little guy brings together two of our favourite things: quirky characters and creative upcycling. But there’s another little surprise planned inside the canister too; and you know I love a good surprise!
If you want to up the ante on your next movie night, grab some polymer clay and an old film can, and let’s make some movie magic!
Do It Over Designers
This post is part of the Do It Over Designers blog Hop, hosted by Ann at The Apple Street Cottage. This month we were challenged with a theme: “Free to Five”: recreate anything we’ve found for $5 or less (our find was free!). Be sure to check out the projects at the very end of this post!
Materials
- I used Sculpey III in various colours; white, tan, fusia, golden brown, yellow.
- Silcone tray (I thrifted mine)
- Vintage metal film canister (found ours in the garbage).
- Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue (for the laces)
- Sculpey Oven Bake Clay Adhesive (get it at Michaels or try Sculpey Bake and Bond on Amazon)
- Stainless Steel Circle Cutters (for eyes)
- Stainless steel cutter
- Acrylic rolling pin
- Clay modelling tools
- Oven thermometer
- Toaster oven (for baking)
Vintage Movie Decor
When I found this vintage Kodak metal film can, it was in rough shape and still had some film in it.
Unfortunately, someone drilled numerous holes into the front and back. No worries though; what we have in store is going to cover those holes anyway!
It also had this two-tone effect going on. I mistakenly thought the canister had been spray-painted gold, but when Hubs rubbed a little of the finish away with lacquer thinner, I discovered something unexpected: the silver was actually covering a gold finish underneath. I’d never seen a gold film reel can before; how pretty is that?
Preferring to not use harsh chemicals to clean the movie canister, we tried our ultrasonic cleaner.
Cleaning the Film Can
The ultrasonic cleaner was great at lifting the paint with a little scrubbing.
But it would not budge the sticky mess under the stickers. 
So we had to use a combination of both cleaning methods to get it back to all gold again.
Polymer Clay Popcorn
There are quite a few steps to making this polymer clay popcorn character, but I promise it’s worth it in the end. You’ll have a one-of-a-kind piece of movie-inspired decor that’s sure to make you smile every time you see it.
I’m using Sculpey III for the entire character. Mix a tiny bit of yellow into white clay for the popcorn itself. And for the popped kernel hull, I’m using a golden brown.
Roll out the white. Then punch circles and roll into balls.
You’ll need four balls for each piece of popcorn, with one slightly bigger (add a half circle to one of them).
Pinch them together and seal well with a silicone tool as shown.
Create divots in the bottom with the ball tool.
Roll some of the golden brown into a ball and flatten into each divot to imitate the hull. If you want to make it hyper realistic, use a real piece of popcorn as your inspiration. But I went for a quicker method since I need so many.
You can leave the hull like this…
Or add more. Switch the pieces up so they’re not all the same.
Bake for at least an hour, following the directions for your clay (in this case we’re baking at 275 degrees). Let them cool in the oven before removing.
Now, onto the polymer clay popcorn character to hold it all!
Popcorn Box
A red and white stripe popcorn box is so classic, so grab some white and red clay and roll it out! I made a template for each side of the box.
Originally I was going to build the popcorn character on a cardboard box, so I taped it and added Aleene’s Tacky Glue for durability.
But as I cut the pieces, I changed my mind and built it freestanding.
After cutting all the pieces, it’s time to build the box!
Alternate Colours
Each side will have 5 pieces of alternating colours: two starting and ending with red and two starting and ending with white.
At this point, I baked the four pieces flat, then rolled out a piece of white for the bottom. I’m using Sculpey oven bake clay adhesive (or bake and bond) to glue the bottom and corners of the box.
Once done, it’s time to bake again to lock in the shape, but not before adding some support.
If you just bake it like this, it will potentially flop when it heats.
So before putting it back into the oven, I’m adding corner brackets and taping it tightly with painters tape so nothing can shift. To protect the tape from sticking, I insert a piece of baking paper on each of the four sides.
At the top, I add an aluminum foil sling and I tape that tightly too.
After an hour in the oven and a cool down period, remove the supports. Now I’m going to test out the ‘popcorn hat’. I’m repurposing a square planter and topping it with a ‘lid’ of white polymer clay.
Notice that it doesn’t fit tight. It’s only there to act as a support for the popcorn.
After piling on the pieces I can see it’s too sparse.
Time to make more popcorn to fill in the gaps!
While the popcorn is baking (or should I say ‘popping’), let’s move onto the shoes, arms and legs.
Popcorn Character Shoes
Our popcorn character is getting a pair of red and white sneakers! A dressmaker’s tracing wheel works perfectly for adding the stitching. For extra detail, roll tiny balls of clay and press them into place to create the eyelets.
Wad up some paper towel as a temporary support for the tongue.
Add the heal section so it overlaps with the front of the shoe.
Place the white pieces for the toe cap and strips around the base. Hubs happened to have a 3D-printed handle with a great texture, so I used it to add some detail each toe bumper. Keep your eyes open for everyday objects that can double as handy texturing tools!
Here’s a shoe from the side. Before baking, be sure that the eyelet holes are big enough to accommodate ‘laces’. The pair of pumps in the background are for our sassy Polymer Clay Waffle which I was creating around the same time.
Bake at 275 degrees for an hour and let cool.
Lace it Up!
I did experiment with using polymer clay for the laces but they just smudged. DMC cotton to the rescue!
Measure across and cut each piece individually before gluing in place with Aleene’s. You could have 1, 2 or 3 pieces of the cotton in the hole, so this is where insuring the holes are big enough really counts.
Let the glue dry.
Popcorn Character Legs
Now roll out some white logs for the legs. Make them a bit longer than you think; it’s easier to cut than to add on!
Add a dollop of Sculpey Oven Bake Clay Adhesive into each shoe.
Secure the legs and mold over an upside-down plastic cup.
Even out and cut a clean edge so it can be glued to the popcorn box body.
Polymer Clay Hands
The hands are going to be fun because they are going to be bracing on top of the vintage film can. Just like the legs, roll two shorter logs. Form two hands and make three cuts to define the fingers.
Add some divots for the knuckles. This is a kinder, more fun ‘white knuckle’ process :).
Scrunch up the ends of the fingers to fatten the finger tips.
This semi circular piece of plastic came from some packaging. I saved it knowing it would come in handy for just such an occasion.
It’s perfect for cutting out a space to insert the arms.
Add adhesive for extra security and attach the arms to the hands.
Like the legs, drape them over something circular to shape them. Bring the fingers together and blend, as you see on the left side, to finish the hand.
Assemble Polymer Clay Popcorn
Since the polymer clay popcorn character will sit on top of the metal film canister, I borrowed and egg ring from the kitchen and laid a piece of foil-wrapped cardboard over it, topped with baking paper to prevent sticking. It all sits on top of a white tile so I can lift the whole thing later. Any oven-safe metal object of a similar height will work (like a tuna can – or even the film canister itself, if it fits into your oven).
Place the assembled character into a deep foil baking pan.
I put some glass globs inside to weigh him down. Then attach the arms and legs, using adhesive to secure them. I’m leaving the foil sling on top again because I don’t want anything to droop once it softens in the oven.
Notice I’m using a ceramic chopstick holder pressed into place with some extra polymer clay. That’s so the legs won’t shift in the oven. Lastly, roll some tubes of baking paper to keep the arms where you want them.
I like to cover the setup with another pan and secure it with a binder clip to help contain any fumes as an extra precaution. I bake outdoors in a toaster oven, but if you need to use an indoor oven, this is a handy trick. Polymer clay only releases fumes if it burns; the pan helps contain any fumes in the unlikely event of overheating or burning.
While that bakes again for another hour, create the face.
Polymer Clay Face
I punch out two black circles and dome them in this thrifted silicone tray. I love to pick up silicone items from the thrift store to finesse our polymer clay work.
Roll and shape the mouth and brows. Add white highlights to the eyes and bake.
Although I chose to go ‘cute’ with the face, this is where you can add personality to your polymer clay popcorn character. Want him to be grumpy instead? Check out our polymer clay ravioli – Grumpioli!
Polymer Clay Popcorn Decor
Whether you have a formal home theatre in your house or simply like to plonk down in front of the TV for movie night, this playful polymer clay popcorn character is sure to add a ‘pop’ of fun to your space.
Mr. Demille, I’m ready for my closeup!
Hey, wait a minute! Demille is actually a pretty cute name for our newest polymer clay food character. I was originally going to name him Jeffy Popkins. What can I say? I was mesmerized by Jiffy Pop popcorn as a kid!. But now I need your help deciding. Which name do you like better? Leave us a comment and let us know what YOU would name him!
Don’t you love how his feet dangle above the ground? That’s me in practically every chair I sit in!
He looks ready to pop right off the canister and bust a move.
You could make more popcorn to make his hair adornment even fuller, but then you’d have to add adhesive to pile the pieces and keep them from rolling away. I think it’s just enough :).
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
When I gift this, I’m going to create a tiny piece of CANvergence art using reclaimed aluminium drink cans. CANvergence artwork tucked inside the canister gives the gift another surprise once it’s opened. Since the interior of the canister is only 6 3/4 inches across, this one is going to be a special ‘snack size’ version of the artwork (our smallest so far is the one on the left at 7 1/4”).
CANvergence has been a pretty exciting project for us this year. What started as an idea to turn discarded drink cans into art while raising money for Alzheimer’s research has grown into something we’re now sharing beyond our own little corner of the internet.
We were thrilled when our CANvergence artwork was recently accepted for consignment at the Goodwood Mercantile, a charming shop that was featured in the hit TV show Schitt’s Creek! Here we are posing behind cutouts of the iconic Schitt’s Creek sign. Unfortunately I’m still dealing with vertigo, so turning my head is an extreme sport now (if you know, you know).
If you’re in the Toronto area or GTA, support local and pop into the store for unique finds you won’t find anywhere else! And if you aren’t local, you can still donate online here. We’re so close to doubling last year’s donation! If you’re able to help us reach that goal, every little bit helps (donations of $20 or more will receive an electronic tax receipt by email right away).
Who knows? If our CANvergence pieces take off, we may have to start sourcing more vintage ‘CAN’isters and turn this into a new product idea (not to mention a double pun). I think they’d make a fun and quirky way to package a smaller CANvergence piece.
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Pin Polymer Clay Popcorn
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Do It Over Designers
Now, our talented blogger friends have some amazing and inspiring DIYs for you! Don’t forget to visit these posts for more upcycled do-it-over transformations!
- Pandora’s Box
- Purple Hues & Me
- Sum of Their Stories
- Vintage Style Gal
- The Apple Street Cottage
- Birdz of a Feather (that’s us!)
- Exquisitely Unremarkable
- Little Vintage Cottage
- Modern on Monticello