If you’re looking for your next craft night project, then we’ve got you covered. They’re easy, they’re fun to make, and you can wear them once you’re done, we’re talking about polymer clay earrings. Chances are if you’ve played around on Etsy or Instagram for very long, or even walked around a local farmer’s or crafters market, you’ve probably spotted these earrings, and maybe you even own a few pairs yourself. The thing is, these are super easy and fun to make, and not only do you get to make as many pairs as you want for yourself, but these also make excellent gifts to always have on hand. So let’s go ahead and learn a thing or two about making polymer clay earrings!
(image via: etsy)
First up, you’re probably wondering what polymer clay is. We all know what clay is, so what makes polymer clay so special? Well, polymer clay is made from vinyl and it’s ideal for projects such as earrings because it stays soft while you work with it, then dries in the oven. Polymer clay doesn’t dry out so if you store it properly you can continue using it.
Let’s talk about prepping your workspace, polymer clay can stain certain surfaces, so we suggest playing it safe and working your clay on a hard surface that is protected by parchment or wax paper; you can also opt for a cookie sheet or glass surface.
Next up, you’ll need the following supplies:
- Polymer clay in assorted colors
- Earring backs
- Jump rings
- Flexible super glue
- Parchment paper
- Acrylic rolling pin
- X-Acto knife
- Clay cutters (or cookie cutters!)
- Toothpicks
- Flat baking sheet
- Jewelry pliers
Now, this seems like a pretty extensive list of supplies, but you can totally substitute some of these things; for instance, you can use a water glass instead of buying an acrylic rolling pin, or you can print shapes to trace and cut free-hand instead of using cooking cutters.
Before you start molding and forming your earrings, you’ll want to knead the clay to soften it up. You’ll notice that once it’s soft enough for use, you won’t see any cracks or rough spots.
And this is where you let your creative juices flow freely, you can create shapes, textures, marbelize colors, use solid colors, this is one of those, ‘if you can dream it, you can do it’ moments. But of course we have some photos of some of our favorite polymer clay earrings for you to check out just in case you need a little inspiration. Happy crafting!
(image via: etsy)
(image via: etsy)
(image via: etsy)