Last week I shared 10 DIYs to do when you’re stuck at home where I featured other blogger’s DIYs. But, for awhile I’ve been eyeing polymer clay earrings on my Pinterest and haven’t come across a DIY. There are so many different fun designs and they’re sold left and right on Etsy and at local night markets. Since I love to get crafty over here, I thought, why not make them? They seem simple and straight forward enough. Plus, they are super cost effective and you can easily make your first few pairs for under $10! Today I decided to share these crescent DIY polymer clay earrings with you all.
This will be my first DIY I’ve shared on here, but hopefully not the last! I have a few more planned that are coming up, especially since I’m spending a lot of my time at home and trying to be creative, with all that’s going on right now. If you want to stay tuned for that, join my email list (bottom of this page), follow my Instagram @maddie_deer, or like my Facebook page here!
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Materials:
- Polymer Clay
- Jump Rings
- Earring Posts or Hooks
- Super Glue
- Knife
- Roller
- Cutters in Desired Shapes
- Toothpick
- Parchment Paper
- Tape
- Cardstock/Thin Cardboard
- Cookie Sheet
- Sandpaper (Optional)
You can always use things you find around your house to cut out the shapes, so it isn’t necessary to buy any. I used the cap of a glue stick for the circle and will be making a template for the crescent, as you will see below. If you’re not wanting to scavenge your house or you want to use more than some basic shapes, here is an option for mini cutters.
Also, be sure that the polymer clay you choose can be hardened in the oven. I used the brand Fimo decided to go for an all black look with these.
DIY Polymer Clay Earrings
Prep:
To prep your space, tape down parchment paper to your surface so that the clay won’t stick or get any particles from the surface on it.
To prepare a crescent template, find your desired crescent shap on google image. Copy and paste it onto a google document and then use the ruler within the document to gauge the size. I made my crescent about 1.5″ tall, which was about double the length of my circles. Once you have the desired size, print out your crescent and cut out the shape. After I printed and cut the crescent, I traced it onto a piece of thin cardboard, but cardstock would work too. Finally cut out the crescent in the cardstock and voila you have a template!
Finally to finish off the prep, preheat your oven. For my clay, I needed to bake the finished product for up to 30 minutes at 230º. Other brands of clay may vary by thickness of the clay and what temperature to bake at.
Make:
- Grab a 1 inch piece of your polymer clay and roll it out to 1/8″ thick or slightly thinner. If the clay is too thick it will be heavier and also difficult to stick the jump rings through so it’s important that they are thin enough.
- Once the clay has been rolled out, use the circular cutter of your choosing to cut out two circles and set aside.
- Now take the crescent template that was prepared earlier and cut out by tracing with a knife or exact-o knife. Repeat for a second crescent.
- Now that you have all of your pieces, line them up how you want to connect, then take a toothpick and create tiny holes on the compliment sides of the clay. This is where you will connect them using the jump ring, so make sure the holes are close enough to the edge.
- If you are using hooks rather than earring posts, make sure to use the toothpick to create a hole at the top of the circle.
- Transfer the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and bakethe polymer clay in the oven according to the package. Mine needed to bake for 30 minutes. Once finished, allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Optional: if you want the polymer clay to be more smooth or some of the edges need to be touched up, us sandpaper after the earrings are cooled and before the next step.*
- Once the clay is cool to the touch, connect the two pieces for each ear by using the jump ring.
- Next, superglue the earring post to the back of the circle and hold for 30 seconds. If you are using hooks rather than earring posts, attach another small jump ring to the clay and then a hook to the jump ring.
Finishing Touches:
There are lots of different things you can do to customize these earrings. You can add foil, glitter, paint, use different clay colors or shapes, etc. There is also a glaze that you can get at any craft store specifically for polymer clay that will give your earrings a glossy finish!
That’s it!
This DIY only takes about an hour and it’s pretty easy to make multiple pairs of polymer clay earrings at once if you have something to punch out the clay (or a template) and you roll out a lot of clay to get started. This is the perfect hobby to get started with during these uncertain times. It’s affordable to begin, you can make all kinds of jewelry with a range of skill level, and it’s a great way to relax!
If you’re looking for inspiration on other DIY polymer clay earring designs or just things to make in general, you can follow my Pinterest board here.
What are your thoughts on polymer clay earrings? I would love to hear what you think in the comments below and be sure to subscribe!