Craft: make a pretty clay keyring

Make sure you keep your keys safe with this special keyring, which also makes a lovely gift.

You Will Need

● Silver polymer clay

● Black polymer clay

● Sparkly yellow polymer clay

● Eye pin

● Gloss varnish

● Jump rings

● Keyring finding

Tools

● Blade

● Dotting tools

● Rolling pin

● Star cookie cutter

● Needle tool

● Oven

● Flat nosed pliers (2)

Stockists

Polymer clay, the findings and the tools required are all available from good craft shops and online.

Important Note

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TO MAKE

Note: The texture of polymer clay varies between brands but in general it is a firm but workable clay. It will need to be kneaded in your hands to warm it up and make it workable. This process is called “conditioning”. Some colours of polymer clay may stain so make sure you are working on a mat to protect your work surface. Use a blade to cut off your clay.

1. Take a ball of silver clay and use your hands to form it into a crescent moon shape.

2. Using a dotting tool, create a few shallow indents on the top of this shape – these will be the craters.

3. Taking very small balls of silver clay, add these to the top of the moon next to the previous indents. Using a small dotting tool, indent the centres of these balls of clay.

4. Now add a face using black clay. To do this, use small balls of clay for the eyes using the black clay. Press two shallow holes in the moon using a small dotting tool for the eyes, place two small balls of clay in those holes, then re-press with the dotting tool. Roll out a thin snake of silver clay and place it between the eyes, gently forming it into the correct shape using a dotting tool.

5. Insert an eye pin in the top of the moon. Add a small amount of liquid clay to the end of the pin before pressing it in to act as a glue: this will make your charm stronger and less likely to break.

6. Roll out some sparkly yellow polymer clay 4 mm thick and cut a star shape using your cutter.

7. Create a hole in the top of the star with a needle tool. Make a second star charm to match.

8. Bake the moon and the stars as follows – each brand of polymer clay will have individual instructions for baking on the packaging but generally, miniature pieces can be baked at 110°C for 30 minutes. Polymer clay is non-toxic and can be baked in a conventional oven but we do recommend keeping a baking tray just for your clay. Place your polymer clay pieces on the baking tray lined with baking parchment and place the tray in the centre of a preheated oven. When ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

9. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, varnish all the charms to bring out the sparkle in the clay colours. Leave to dry.

10. Once the charms have dried, attach each one to your keyring using jump rings and two flatnosed pliers. Hold the jump ring in the pliers at opposite ends of the opening and pull them away from each other. Then slide on your keyring and close the jump ring with both pliers, pushing the ring closed. ■