Fun Ways to Make Easy Polymer Clay Crafts

I’m no polymer clay expert. I just use this clay when I need a material that can be shaped into whatever form I want, then cured to stay in that shape permanently. It’s my inspiration for all sorts of simple polymer clay crafts!

October is a good time to introduce this versatile material to kid crafters as we head into the holiday season. There are so many polymer clay craft projects that can be turned into Christmas gifts for family and friends.

Polymer clay, such as Sculpey or Fimo, is a synthetic modeling putty that hardens when you bake it at low temperature. It’s a great material to inspire imaginations because kids can fashion whatever they want, turning concept into reality.

Aside from a clay slicing blade, you don’t need to buy sculpting tools for polymer clay crafts. Improvise with desk or kitchen tools you have on hand.

A cautionary note: According to the websites I’ve seen, polymer clay appears to be safe for kids to use, but you’ll want to do your own research to feel reassured.

Here’s how I’ve used polymer clay.

A Doll’s Bento Lunch

I made this bento for Miss T’s doll, Emerson, a few years ago.

To make the cucumber sushi rolls, start with a strip of green clay. Wrap it in white clay “rice” to form a cylinder. Then wrap in a thin layer of black clay “nori.” Cut the cylinder into sushi pieces with a clay slicing blade.

To make the egg, make a yellow ball, encase it in a white ball, shaping into an egg-shaped oval. Slice in half with a clay slicing blade.

Try your hand at making fruits. The fruit bowl shown is not a finished project; I’ve just put it together to give you an idea of the variety of fruits you can sculpt.

Opportunities: You could make the bento for a child as part of a Christmas gift, packaged with doll clothes and other doll-related gifts. Or, a child could replicate some of the bento food or fruits. Glue to magnets for family gifts. You can also make food to accessorize a dollhouse kitchen.

Furnishing a Dollhouse

When Miss T and I made a dollhouse from shoeboxes, I purposely steered her away from making all the furnishings from polymer clay. That would be too easy. I wanted to direct her imagination to found items, such as turning spools of thread into kitchen stools.

However, Miss T asked–and I thought it appropriate–for her to model the dinnerware using polymer clay. The child, then eight years old, fashioned cups, plates and bowls, and even wedges of watermelon to furnish our kitchen.

Opportunities: Make bigger versions of these cups and plates and turn them into brooches by gluing to a bar pin back. Or, make holes in them before baking and thread them on ear hooks to create earrings. It would be cute to do mugs of different colors for each earring set, or even a cup for one ear and a saucer on the other. Perfect gift from a child to a food lover.

Free-form Ideas

You can never know what a child might fashion out of polymer clay when allowed free reign. At eight years old, Miss T made a phone stand for my birthday. It’s a glorious, throne-like piece, bejeweled with polymer clay beads on the back. The front is a multicolor base to rest my phone while it’s charging.

Also, when she was eight, Miss made this adorable sculpture as a birthday present for her mom–a whimsical beach scene.

Opportunities: Have the child sculpt whatever they’re inspired to make and gift it as a paperweight, or as Miss T did, present it as a piece of sculpture.

Polymer Clay Repair

One of my favorite bowls was knocked over accidentally and chipped. I didn’t want to throw it away so I used polymer clay of a similar color to fill in the chipped areas and I made two decorations out of the clay to hide the patches. Since the chipped patches were simply air-dried to harden instead of baked in the oven, it’s fragile, but still usable decoratively.

To fashion the decorations to drape over the edge of the bowl, I used foil and crumpled it to a similar thickness as the edge of the bowl, then draped the decorations over it when baking.

I did a similar patchwork job to mend the chipped beak of a precious ceramic hen from Provence. I covered over the chip with polymer clay and it has held up for many years, by merely air-drying.

Resources for Polymer Clay Crafts:

• My curated collection of polymer clay projects on Pinterest (Pinterest login required).
• Polymer clay tutorial—great overview for beginners.
• The Beginner’s Guide to Polymer Clay—a good place to start to learn about polymer clay.

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