Deck your ears with Polymer Clay Christmas Holly Earrings for the holiday season!
There are so many things you can make with polymer clay, but one of the easiest is jewelry! This festive pair of Christmas Holly Earrings are the newest addition to my collection, and they are so fun to make. These earrings are a simple project that can be customized to fit your personal style, and make a great gift idea. What better way to begin the holiday season than with a new pair of Christmas earrings?!
To make your own Polymer Clay Christmas Holly Earrings, you will need these supplies:
- Frame Clay Cutter
- Circle Clay Cutter
- Christmas Mini Leaf Clay Cutter
- Sculpey Premo Polymer Clay - Frost White Glitter, 18k Gold, Forest Green, Cayenne
- Ceramic Tile or Oven-Safe Work Mat
- Clay Roller with Roller Thickness or 2 Craft Sticks
- Clay Extruder
- Toothpick
- 18mm Circle Clay Cutter
- Sculpey Bakeable Adhesive (optional)
- Gloss Glaze or UV Resin (optional)
- Adhesive
- 12mm Jump Rings
- Earring Posts
- Jewelry Pliers
Use a clay roller with 2-3mm thickness rings or line 2 craft sticks parallel to each other with the block of Frost White Glitter Sculpey Premo clay in between. Flatten the clay into a large oval or rectangle.
Tip: If you work directly on a ceramic tile or baking mat, you don't have to worry about transferring your project when it's time to bake the clay. This significantly reduces the chances of you dropping, misshaping or ruining your project in the process.
Knead a small piece of 18k Gold clay in your hands, and then place it inside an extruder fitted with one of the tips full of small holes. Twist the handle of the extruder to push the clay through the tip, easily creating long strands of clay that are all the same size.
If you don't have an extruder, you can always roll out clay by hand.
Use a toothpick to imprint diagonal stripes in the clay. Carefully place one of the gold clay strands into each mark, and gently tap them into place.
Place the frame clay cutter over the clay and gently press it straight down. Pull the cutter straight up. If the clay stays down, leave it there. If it comes up with the cutter, be careful how you remove it. Poking through the top to push the clay out will likely leave dents or cause the piece to become misshaped. If necessary, you can re-roll the clay and start over.
Cut a second frame, and try your best to cut the piece so that the stripes are at the same angle.
Here's a few tricks & tips for cutting clay that have worked for me:
- Dust the cutter with cornstarch or baking powder. Tap to remove the excess before cutting.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap over the clay first, and then cut the clay.
- The clay or workspace might be too warm. Put the clay in the fridge or freezer to cool it down before cutting.
Carefully peel away the excess clay and leave the earring pieces in place. It's okay if the edges of the earrings look a little rough. Just make sure to remove all of the excess clay.
If you are working on a ceramic tile or baking mat, don't peel the earring pieces up! Leave them in place until after they've baked.
Use a toothpick or a small circle cutter to make holes in the top of the earring pieces.
Next, use the clay roller roll out a little piece of gold clay. Cut out two small circles using a circle clay cutter. Remove the excess clay, leaving the two circle pieces attached to the tile.
Use a toothpick or a small circle cutter to make holes in the bottom of the circle earring pieces.
Next, roll out a tiny piece of Forest Green clay with the clay roller. Press the mini leaf clay cutter into the clay and cut four leaf shapes.
Arrange two leaves on the bottom half of the earring pieces in a "V" shape. Gently press them into place, or apply a little bit of Sculpey clay adhesive on the backs first to keep them from falling off.
Put a little bit of clay adhesive below the leaves*. Roll six small pieces of Cayenne clay to make holly berries. Gently put three berries into place at the bottom of the holly leaves, and poke a small hole into each one with a toothpick or sculpting tool.
*This is optional, but I find that it helps a lot to keep the clay in place better than just pressing it on.
Preheat your oven and bake the earring pieces. Most polymer clays are usually baked at 275º for 15 minutes per quarter inch thickness, but refer to your specific clay packaging directions to make sure. Once baked, let the pieces cool completely before handling.
Carefully remove the earring pieces from the ceramic tile or baking mat. Use a fine sandpaper or a nail file to clean up the edges of the earring pieces.
To give the earrings a shiny and professional-looking finish, apply a coat of gloss glaze or UV Resin to the surface with a toothpick.
- If using glaze, apply it to the clay in thin coats (30 minutes between each coat). Give the earrings 24 hours to dry completely.
- If using UV resin, apply a thin coat over the earrings, and cure under a UV light according to package directions.
Turn the top earring pieces over, and attach an earring post to the center using strong adhesive and/or UV resin.
Making jewelry out of polymer clay is a lot of fun, and so easy! I would love to hear what you think about these festive Polymer Clay Christmas Holly Earrings and who you would want to share some with! As always, I would love to see your creations! Tag me on Instagram and Facebook, and leave a comment or photo on my project pin! #AFMcrafts
Don't forget to Pin, Like, and Share!
