How to make polymer clay bow earrings for a perfect gift this Mother's Day

If you are looking for a quick and beautiful gift for mom this Mother's Day look no further.  These earrings are easy to make and require very few supplies.  A gift from the heart, made with love, is so much better than store bought flowers that will wilt in a few days.  Mom will be wearing these earrings for years to come!

Make some extra pairs because these earrings make perfect gifts for teachers, grads and more!

Updated May 2018

Polymer clay bow earrings

You will need:

Polymer clay

Clay tools, (roller, pointed tool, craft knife, clay blade)

Waxed paper to cover work surface

Earring posts and backs

Gloss glaze for polymer clay

Ruler

Aluminum foil to cover cookie sheet and home oven pre-heated to 275 degrees

E6000 glue

Masking tape to hold bows while applying the glaze

1.     Roll out your clay thinly.  Use the clay blade to cut two strips of clay 1/8” wide by 1 ½” long.  

2.     Fold one end into the center and press lightly to make a loop.  Fold the opposite end to the center to meet the first loop.  Press in the center with the pointed clay tool.

3.     Cut two more strips of the thinly rolled out clay 1/8” wide by ½” long.  Fold at an angle.  (See photo) Place the bow loops you just made on top of this piece and press to adhere. (Bow tails made)

4.     Make the center knot by attaching a tiny strip of clay at the top center and bring around to the bottom using the pointed clay tool.  Press lightly to attach a knot to each bow.

5.     Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Preheat your oven to 275 degrees and bake for 20 minutes.  Do not over bake.  Do not use a microwave.  Let cool.

6.     Attach a piece of masking tape, sticky side up and place the baked bows on to hold while you brush on a coat of clay glaze and let dry.

7.     Add some E6000 glue to the back of your post earring findings and attach a bow.  Repeat for the second earring. Let dry completely. (E6000 glue is available in craft stores and discount department stores everywhere and works best)

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How to make a sweet puppy card brooch for the holidays

Do your children need a cute little gift for the teacher this year?  Maybe you would like to make something special for a friend or co-worker.  If you are like me you get lots of cards in the mail and never throw any away.  They are just too cute, especially the puppies, kittens and other cute animals.  So this year, I grabbed a few simple supplies and made adorable a sweet puppy card brooch.  They were an immediate hit.  I mean who doesn’t love puppies or kittens? 

You can make some too and they cost practically nothing so when you need a few simple gifts they very budget friendly.  Simply look through old cards or new ones that you can pick up at the dollar store, or even samples you get in the mail.  Choose a small animal image, cut out and create your brooches.

Materials:

Christmas cards with puppies or kittens or any adorable animal

ModPodge Dimensional Magic

Stiffened felt in coordinating color

Scissors

Waxed paper to protect your work surface

Tacky craft glue

Pinback

Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Tiny bows, usually 10 in a package

Instructions:

1.     Find your image. Cut out your image. Use some tacky craft glue to attach the image to the stiffened felt and let dry. 

2.     Place your prepared image on some waxed paper.  Do not shake the ModPodge dimensional magic or you will have bubbles form.  Use the ModPodge dimensional magic to cover the image right up to the edges.  Let dry for several hours. 

3.     Now, add another coat of ModPodge dimensional magic up to the edges as you did before.  Let dry completely.

4.     Using the hot glue attach a little ribbon to the front of your brooch.

5.     Add a pin back on the back. 

We hope you enjoyed this simple and easy craft tutorial.  This is a super kid’s craft.  Kids just love when they something for their teacher or Grandma!  Visit Make it easy crafts again for more fun and easy DIY crafts! And please follow on Facebook, Pinterest, G+, twitter, and bloglovin.  We love comments.

How to easily make a mini blackboard teacher gift

School will soon be coming to an end and the kids will want to come up with a unique teacher gift.  You can go out and buy something or a gift card always works, but still, your child may want to make something that come from the heart. 

This little mini blackboard teacher gift is so easy to make with a throwaway take out container.  As long as there is a number 6 in the little triangle on the container you can shrink it in a home oven to become 1/3 of the size and hard.  It makes a great little personalized gift tag, key ring, or even a brooch.  And what is best is that this teacher gift can be extra special with names, dates, and more. 

Shrinkable take out containers come in white or black but you will need the black one for this project.  So let’s get started…

look for the number [6]

Materials

Black take-out container marked with number [6]

Ruler

White gel marker

Hole punch

Scissors

Home oven

Cookie sheet lined with foil

Spatula

Optional – jump ring, key ring, and needle nosed pliers

1.     Use the top or bottom portion of the container.  Measure and cut a rectangle 4” x 3”.

2.     If you are going to use it as a tag or key ring, punch a hole in one of the corners with a hole punch

3.     Next, Have your child write a message on the rectangle.  You can write to: teacher’s name.  You can write a thank you message.  Your child can sign his or her name so the sky is the limit. 

4.     Then make some curlicues or design all around the edges. 

5.     Now, line a cookie sheet with foil.  Place your prepared piece in a 300-degree oven for about 5 minutes or until the blackboard has shrunk and is relatively flat. 

6.     Remove from the oven (be careful so an adult should do this part) and immediately use a spatula to flatten the blackboard.  Let it cool and it will be hard and thicker.

7.     To make it into a key ring, use the needle nosed pliers to open a jump ring by twisting rather than pulling apart.  Insert through the hole and then close the jump ring with the same twisting motion.  Attach a key ring.