How to Make Polymer Clay Ornaments
These easy DIY polymer clay oraments are something that anyone can make. You need very few materials to get you started.
Calories:
Ingredients
- Polymer clay I used Sculpey Premo and Sculpey Soufflé
- Work surface ceramic tile, an acrylic board, a pane of glass, an old cutting board
- Rolling tool acrylic brayer, rolling pin, or glass bottle
- Ruler
- Letter or word stamps
- Beads, shells, toothbrush or other texturing tools
- X-acto or another craft knife
- Cookie cutters or found objects of the shape you want
- Needle tool or toothpicks
- Clay shaper set (optional)
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Zip lock bags - to store leftover clay
- Oven or toaster oven
- Oven thermometer (optional)
- Acrylic paint
- Paint brush
- Old rag
- Cotton swabs
- String, bead cord, stainless steel bead stringing wire, or wire
- Beads (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to the temperature that the polymer clay manufacturer recommends on the package.
- Wash your hands well. The clay will pick up dirt, debris, fiber, or anything else you may have on your hands.
- Knead the clay in your hands to soften it up.
- Flatten the clay on a work surface and roll it out to about ⅛ - ¼"*. I made mine ⅛". The thicker it is, the stronger it will be. I was not concerned with it being super sturdy, so I made mine thin.
- Using letter stamps, stamp the words you want in your clay.
- Add a design with beads, shells or other texturing tools, if you wish.
- Using a cookie cutter or found object, cut out your shape.
- Pierce a hole for hanging with a needle tool or toothpick.
- Bake according to the manufacturer's directions*. Let cool completely.
- Paint in the design area, making sure to get paint into the letters.
- Using cotton swabs or a wet rag, wipe paint off the top surface, so that paint is left only in the design area. Let dry.
- Add string or wire and beads, if desired.
Notes
I used a cutting board with parchment on top. You don't want to use a surface you care about because polymer can damage / stain surfaces.
Note that polymer clay is still flexible after baking and will not be totally stiff, especially thinner pieces.
Not all clay is created equal, so rolling it out to ⅛" may not be a good idea for some types of clay. Some brands are stronger than others, while some become brittle after baking. I have worked with Premo, Fimo, and Souffle and had no problems.
I would check out polymer clay websites for more information on which are the best. I tend to stick with the brands that I know, so I have not experimented with any brands other than the mentioned ones above.
I actually bake my projects longer than suggested. I find that the manufacturer's times are not long enough. I baked mine for an hour. If you research how long to bake polymer clay, you will find that many polymer clay artists bake theirs longer also.
