Is there anything better than a good cheese board?! I think not! I am pretty sure I could eat every meal from a grazing board. But other than the food and the board itself, a good set of cheese knives are essential for carving and serving the assortment of cheeses.
These DIY terrazzo cheese knives were made with one of my favorite crafting mediums, polymer clay. Not only are they cute and functional, but they are so easy to make for yourself in colors to match your decor.
Supplies:
–cheese knife blanks
–polymer clay
-craft knife
–acrylic rolling pin
-baking sheet
–food safe sealant
Step 1: Begin by rolling out a brick of clay that is the primary color you want your cheese knife handle to be. You will want to roll out the clay so that it is around 1/4″ thick. Next, break apart pieces of the colored clay for the terrazzo look portion of your handle. Layer these pieces on top of the rolled out clay.
Step 2: Gently press the clay pieces into the base clay with the rolling pin. Then roll the clay into a log shape with the clay piece side towards the center.
Step 3: Use the craft knife to gently shave off pieces of the log of clay to expose the colored clay pieces and the terrazzo look. Repeat around all sides of the clay log.
Step 4: Finally, slip the end of the cheese knife blank into the clay handle and gently place the completed knife on an upside down baking sheet.
Repeat with any other knives and then bake the knives (blade and all) in a 275F oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Then give them a coat of shellac sealant to protect the clay.
Surprisingly, polymer clay is non-toxic and safe for use around food, but the food safe shellac sealant gives the knives protection to prevent food contaminants from getting into the porous clay surface and causing bacterial growth.
Now who else is ready for a little cheeseboard action? I know I thoroughly enjoyed this one after taking all these pictures! xo. Kara
Wow Really?? Just amazed to find your lovely article. Pinned it.
What type of shellac do you use? Is it something I just find at Home Depot or something? Would love to make these!
I can’t wait to make these. I looked on Amazon and no knife blanks come up – Maybe because I’m on the Canadian website. Do you know anywhere else where I might be able to find some?
Try googling “cheese knife turning blanks”. The ones I bought were from a company in Australia, but I found quite a few different styles when I searched for turning blanks.
Very interesting
These are awesome! They look so chic and expensive. I’m gonna go and buy some polymer clay now! Thanks for the fab idea x
Just curious – why does the baking sheet need to be upside down?
Before the clay is baked and cured it can leave residue on the baking surface, and I want to leave my cookie sheets clean on the surface so that I can use them for baking. But, you can also use a baking sheet soley for crafting and that won’t be used for food contact again and use it right side up.
Oooh, I do love the colour scheme you chose for the terrazzo pattern. It’s cute!! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
So cute! I love all the colors. Do you feel like they’ll last? Whenever I make something out of clay it seems pretty fragile
Since it is polymer clay, it is essentially plastic once baked, so it holds up better than an air dry clay. It also helps that the cheese knive blanks have a metal support for the handle so undue pressure isn’t placed on the clay. The metal inside the clay handle helps support the clay. Also if you seal the clay it will prevent it from becoming fragile from water or food contaminants getting into the clay and weaking the plastic.