Welcome to 2013! So far this year has been great for us–I hope you are enjoying it as well.

Making your own pendants is a fun weekend project for the whole family. They are super easy and adaptable–you can draw on them, paint on them, glue things to them. The whole process can be completed in a few hours–let’s get crafty!

Supplies

• Polymer clay (I like Sculpey brand) 1 white and 1 translucent. (If you are going to be gluing or painting the whole thing, you’ll just need white)
• Cutting tool (an Exacto blade, an old paring knife–once you use it on clay DON’T use it on food!)
• A tool for poking holes (an awl, a skewer, a toothpick)
• An oven
• glue or paint or a permanent pen

Step one: blend your clay. Two parts translucent to one part white. I like this blend because it makes the polymer clay look more like kiln-fired clay.

Step two: Roll your clay into a log that is about 4 inches long and as big around as a nickle.

Step three: cut your log in half, and then cut each half in half again. (Taa Daah! We made fourths!)

Step four: take one of your sections and smoosh it until it’s slightly fatter than a nickle.

Step five: Poke holes in your disc for hanging. I like to poke two so that I can have some options when choosing what kind of cord I want to use.

Step six: Bake your clay according to package directions. For Sculpey, it’s 275 for 30 minutes (at this thickness). Let cool and then decorate as you desire.

Paint it with acrylic paint

Glue yarn on it

Draw on it with a permanent pen. If you do this, you’ll need to seal it with fixative (or hairspray)

You could also glue pictures on them with ModPodge. This weekend I plan on having the kids find pictures of their spirit animals and glue those on. You are limited only by your imagination!

Have a crafty weekend!