DIY CLAY CHIMES

I’ve been thinking about this project for quite some time now and finally decided to give it a go!  I wanted to create something that could be used in our baby’s room but also something that could be used as home decor as well.  I decided I would be using this for a baby mobile but could double as chimes or home decor.  Below you will find what you need and the steps to make this project.  You don’t have to be a craft expert for this project, it’s pretty simple but takes a little bit of time.

Here are the items you will need for your project

• Clay Roller 
• Sculpey Clay was the easiest to work with and can be found at your local craft store.  I found that 3 blocks Sculpey’s 2 oz Clay made about 8-9 circles.  You can purchase as many blocks based on how many clay circles you want to hang on each cord.  The most I had hanging on one cord was 10 but the amount you have is totally up to you!  DO NOT get Sculpey Souffle clay!  It was hard to work with and hard to shape.
• Leather Cord (found at your local craft store)
• Needle Point Clay Tool
• 1/2 measuring cup or something similar to measure circles

First, roll out the clay until it is a little less than 1/4″ thick and place your 1/2 measuring cup on top to trace and cut the clay by using the Clay Needle Tool.  This will create a perfect circle.

Next, you will cut out a few triangles, they don’t have to be perfect but by doing so, you are able to create a bowl like shape (see picture below).

Bring the sides together until they meet.  Once you do so, begin to pinch the sides together to get rid of all lines and to slightly increase the overall size of the bowl.  If you are having a hard time getting rid of the lines, softly drag your finger over each crease to smooth it out and repeat.  It should get rid of all creases.

Your finished product won’t be perfectly smooth!  That’s what I love the most about these little guys; they have texture and aren’t perfect.  Once you create a small bowl like shape, poke a hole into the center using your Clay Needle Tool.  Be careful not to smash it while doing so.

Once you have finished your mini bowls, set the oven to 275 and place them onto a glass baking dish.  The Sculpey Clay packages will have the directions for baking your clay but what I found worked for the size of my clay was to bake them for 10-12 minutes and let them cool completely before taking them off of the baking dish.

Once your clay is cooled completely, string them onto the leather cord and tie a knot under each to keep them in place.  Make sure to go far enough up the cord so that you have enough room for all of the clay to fit.  Once you get to the final piece onto the cord, tie two knots to secure it into place and cut the excess cord so it doesn’t show underneath.  Don’t cut it too short so that your knots come undone, just make sure it isn’t visible.  Lastly, leave enough leather cord so that each chime can hang at the desired length you want before cutting.

Repeat these same steps for however many colors and chimes you want.

Then voilà!  You’re done!  Leave any questions you have in the comments below so that I can get back to you.

Let me know your thoughts and how this DIY turned out for you!

Happy crafting,

Paige