Using Polymer Clay to Make Holiday Decorations and Gifts

For a great holiday project with the kids, try polymer clay. This easy to use, bake in the oven synthetic clay comes in a rainbow of colors. It bakes hard, and can be glazed or painted to create different finishes and effects. Starter packs of Sculpey, the brand of polymer clay I've used, come in sets of ten to thirty colors. If you want the clay to bake more closely to a ceramic finish, there is Super Sculpey, which can be bought in bricks.

It is a medium that is both fascinating and educational. You can make new colors by mixing two colors together, and there is even a colorless blender block you can buy, to make the medium more translucent. Here are some things that can be done, to make fun decorations or other projects.

Use different tools to manipulate the clay

Use items that are only meant for clay, not for food as well. Inexpensive kitchen gadgets make great tools for clay sculpting. Buy an inexpensive mini-rolling pin, to roll clay out and then cut with cookie cutters. To make things like clay "hair," use a garlic press or miniature sieve. Toothpicks are good for making holes for hanging ornaments, or making indented drawings on top of the clay. Common pottery tools are useful too, and can be bought online or at any art supply store. Experiment with different tools, but remember, you don't want to use items that you plan to use for food, later.

Knead enhancing craft supplies into the clay

Using pearlized powders (they can be bought in bronze, copper or pearl finishes or pearlized colors) is lovely when making homemade jewelry or adding accents to projects. For example, make a Christmas tree with a cookie cutter, and then adorn it with flattened balls of pearlized clay, for ornaments. Glitter is another fun addition, along with a block of translucent clay, mixed together. You can make effects that almost appear to look like opals by doing this. Adding things into the clay can make different textures, so experiment to see the variety of effects you can get.

Make beads and jewelry

Roll a bunch of clay "rods" (long, thin cylinders) long side altogether, in a bundle, then roll the bundle into one thicker cylinder. With a very sharp knife, cut the cylinder like you would refrigerator cookies, to make "slices." This can be simple or complex, depending upon how many little "rods" you use. It creates a Millifiori effect (technique used in making paperweights to make floral like buttons).

When you get the bead to the way you want it, poke a hole with a yarn needle or toothpick into it, and set together on a parchment-covered baking sheet to bake. Make sure none of the beads touch. Follow directions for baking on the clay package. A toaster oven makes a good polymer clay oven, if you don't want to occupy your oven during heavy holiday baking season. Make sure the room you bake in is well ventilated. If not, just run a small fan to move the air.

After baking

When your items are completely cool, you can sand them with sandpaper if you like. If you want to embellish the item before glazing, use acrylic paints to decorate it further. This is good for adding details. Painting with gold or other pearlized acrylic paints adds even more of a metallic shine to the finished item.

Glaze to protect the details after the paint is completely dry. You can glaze your creations with simple craft glaze like Mod Podge (goes on milky but dries clear), for a shiny finish. If you are making brooches, glue the pin back onto the back of the brooch with more Mod Podge, once the front is dry.

Have fun with polymer clays, they are a colorful way to have a good time with the kids at any time of year. For the holidays, it can be fun to make ornaments for the tree, or gifts for friends. If you want more information on the subject, there are many books written on polymer clays, so check them out. Your kids will have a ball, and the finished products are lasting keepsakes to cherish for a long time.