CANDY CHARM JEWELRY
Once you get used to working with polymer clay, it's easy to create your own microfood jewelry such as necklaces, earrings and charms. Who doesn't have a sweet tooth? Decorate bracelets and more with these make-and-bake cupcakes, lollipops, and chocolates.
Adapted from Mei Park's candy charms, as featured in Microcrafts: Tiny Treasures to Make and Share,
edited by Alicia Kachmar and published by Quirk Books.
Supplies: blobs of polymer clay in a few colors craft knife eye pins wire cutter clear nail polish bonding glue (optional)
Source ,Amazon.com: Microcrafts: Tiny Treasures to Make and Share ...Step 1
Cupcake
Make the base by rolling a clay ball into an egg shape. Cut off the thicker end by sawing gently with the craft knife while rotating the clay, applying equal pressure all around. Use the blade’s blunt side to lightly press lines around the circumference of the base to make ridges, like those on cupcake papers.
Make the frosting by rolling a second ball of clay into a thin log. Place one end in the center of the cupcake’s top, curling outward to the edge. Wrap the log around the cupcake’s top, making consecutively smaller circles. Cut off excess clay.
Use a wire cutter to cut an eye pin to the length of the cupcake and insert it in the middle.
Bake according to the directions on the polymer clay package. Allow to cool. Coat with clear nail polish and allow to dry. Note that, after baking, you can remove the eye pin, dip it in strong bonding glue and reinsert it.
Step 2
Lollipop
Roll a ball of clay into a thick log. Loop it around another ball of clay, cut off the excess and loop it around again to make a cross. Gently roll to blend the colors and make a log, then twist to swirl the colors. Roll up the log to make a coil.
Make the lollipop stick by trimming a toothpick to the desired length. Insert the sharp end into the coil; if you want to hang your charm, insert an eye pin into the end opposite from the stick.
Bake according to the directions on the polymer clay package. Allow to cool. Coat with clear nail polish and allow to dry. After baking, you can remove the eye pin, dip it in strong bonding glue and reinsert it.
Step 3
Chocolate
Flatten balls of brown clay into pancakes and then wrap each around different-colored balls of clay. Roll with your hands to smooth out the surface. Lightly press to flatten the bottoms of each ball.
Make “frosting” decorations by rolling leftover clay into thin logs and pressing them onto the surface of each chocolate in decorative patterns. If you want to hang your charm, insert an eye pin into the top of the chocolate before baking.
Bake according to the directions on the polymer clay package. Allow to cool. Coat with clear nail polish and allow to dry. Note that, after baking, you can remove the eye pin, dip it in strong bonding glue and reinsert it.
