Oh! I have an idea for you! I watched in one of your recent vids that you were running out of ideas so, I have a couple for you! You could makes a cute little snake terrarium with slime and clay!
Have you tried eyeshadow instead of soft pastels? I've used both but the eyeshadow picks up on the brush easier and blends out smoother too. However, I've only used shadow on clay that's already been baked or air clay so I don't know how it fairs in the oven.