Polymer Clay: Puffy Valentine Hearts

Create a lovely piece of jewelry for someone you love with polymer clay.

What you need

Polymer clay “any brand” colors of your choice
Clay knife, or plastic knife
Toothpick, pin or bamboo skewer
Sculpting tools (optional)
Work surface – ceramic tile, file folder or wax paper
Oven for baking – it is recommended to use a clay – only oven (toaster oven). You can also enclose your project inside two baking pans; clamp closed & bake in regular oven. Remove once cooled.

Instructions

Condition a small amount of each color of clay until soft and pliable by rolling and squeezing in your hands.

Test to see if it cracks when you bend it – that means it needs more conditioning!

Roll out an even log of each color & divide it in half with your knife.  Keep dividing it until you have the size you desire.  This is the best way to get evenly sized pieces.

    

Roll the clay into a ball & flatten slightly.

Pinch one end to make the point of the heart.

Using a sculpting tool or bamboo skewer, etc., gently press down on the middle of the thickest end.

  

Using your fingers, smooth out any bumps or creases until you have the desired shape.

Poke holes in the beads using a toothpick or skewer & bake according to manufacturer’s directions.

Glaze if desired.  I use Varathane – found in most hardware stores.  For small projects, use the clay manufacturer’s glaze.  The bottles are smaller & more affordable!

***TIP***

*** Experiment with different hole placement and sizes of beads for a unique piece of jewelry!

*** Red clay can leave some pigment on your hands.  To help keep the white clay from turning pink, handle most of the white clay first.  You can also use baby wipes to clean your hands and tools (alcohol is a solvent for the clay) or wear latex gloves & switch in between colors.