Clay Bobbles Keychain

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Sculpey III Clay: white, red, yellow, green, blue, purple
Clay Tools:

• Plastic knife
• Scribe Tool
• Blending tool
• 2 small eye hooks
• White natural twine
• Keychain findings (3 metal clips, Split keyring, Figure 8 Split keyring)
• Baking sheet or tile
• Aluminum foil
• Cutting mat
• Pasta machine
• Small clay rolling pin

DIRECTIONS:

NOTE:
Condition the clay by running it through a pasta machine until pliable without cracking, this can be done by hand as well.

STRAWBERRY:

1. Once your clay is conditioned roll out the red clay onto a smooth cutting mat to 1/4" thick. Cut out a strawberry shape using the plastic knife. Remove the excess clay and pull the strawberry shaped clay up from the mat gently to try not to distort its shape.
2. You will want to periodically lift the clay from the mat as working so that it does not stick to the mat. Lightly run your finger across the edge of the cut out to remove any sharp edges and smooth the clay.
3. Roll out the green clay 1/4" thick on the cutting mat and cut into leaf shapes to go along the top of the strawberry. Repeat step 2 on the leaves smoothing the edges.
4. Place the leaves onto the bae of the strawberry and press them together. Flip the strawberry over and use your blending tool to blend the pieces together securing them.
5. Push the eye hook into the top of the strawberry to use as a hanger. Add lines to the leaves and seed dots to the body of the strawberry to add interest.
6. Place the clay strawberry onto a tile or a tray covered with aluminum foil and back as directed on the package (325 degrees for 15 min).

RAINBOW:

7. Roll the desired colors for your rainbow out to 1/8"-1/4" snakes/logs. You will need to do this for each color placing them side by side and bending them into a rainbow shape. Once the shape is formed trim across the bottom of your rainbow with the plastic knife. Gently push the coils together but not too hard to distort the shape.
8. Place the clay rainbow onto a tile or a tray covered with aluminum foil and back as directed on the package (325 degrees for 15 min).
9. Once the first round of baking is done roll out a piece of white clay 1/4" thick and place the rainbow onto the white clay pushing it into the clay. Trim around the outside of the rainbow so the white acts as a backer to help secure the coils together. Cut a cloud shape for the bottom and place at the bottom covering the bottom edge of the rainbow. Repeat baking the rainbow a second time as directed (325 degrees for 15 min).

LETTER:

10. Roll out white clay onto the smooth cutting mat to 1/4" thick.
11. Roll out stripes of colored clay paper thin, or as thins as possible to still be able to work with. Cut them to 1/4" wide and lay them in a diagonal across the white clay.
12. Once all the colored bands are in position gently roll the roller over to secure them into the white clay
13. Use a plastic knife to cut out the desired letter.
14. You will want to periodically lift the clay from the mat as working so that it does not stick to the mat. Lightly run your finger across the edge of the letter cut out to remove and sharp edges and smooth the clay.
15. Add a eye hook into the top of your letter.
16. Place the letter onto a tile or a tray covered with aluminum foil and bake as directed on the package (325 degrees for 15 min).

BEADS:

17. Roll various colors of clay into various sized balls to create beads.
18. Using the clay scribe tool or a thin knitting needle piece the poker through the ball to create the bead hole. You may need to re roll the bead to bring it back to shape if the poking distorts it.
19. Add interest to the beads by imprinting it with designs or swirling various colors together when making your ball.
20. When finished place all the beads onto a tile or a tray covered with aluminum foil and back as directed on the package (325 degrees for 15 min).

TO ASSMEBLE:

21. Once all the clay pieces are made assemble the keychain by adding the Strawberry to a metal clip and clipping it to a split circle keyring.
22. Next add the Letter bobble, thread the cording through the eye hook on the end of the letter and knot in place. Add on your desired beads and knot between each bead. Add a metal clip to the end and secure with knots. Add the Letter bobble by attaching it to the split circle ring with the metal clip.
23. Repeat with the rainbow similar to step 2 adding a couple beads and finishing off with a metal clip. Vary the lengths of your 3 bobbles so they are not all the same. Clip the last rainbow strand to the circle split ring.
24. Add a figure 8 to the circle and hang as desired.

JOANN HACKS:

• Wash your hands regularly between colors to reduce the transfer of colors from clay. You can use baby wipes to help wipe away clay discoloration.
• When baking, make sure to always tent your clay. To do this create a foil dome to go over your piece and help regulate the temperature on the clay and keep it from scorching. This also helps maintain the colors.