Enameled Heart Bead Necklace : Easy Craft For Kids

This project was so much fun to do with my little Lilly. She loves necklaces these days and I love giving her jewelry she can’t break 😉

Materials:

Oven bake clay (the metallic collection in Sculpey brand or Fimo work well) in silver and gold (or any color you want!)
Enamel (or even acrylic) paint. These come in little bottles in the craft section or can sometimes be found in little connected pots like the pastels I found. Look for the label to say enamel- but still ok if it doesn’t.
Wooden dowel or toothpick
Paint brush
Modge podge or other water based clear coat.
Oven.
Old necklace chain, leather lacing, string or other material to thread your beads on.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to temperature listed on the back of your clay material (different brands bake at different temps for different times so be sure to check!)

2. Break of a piece of clay and work it in your hands until it is soft and pliable. This is a great job for little ones who like to smush and play with the clay. Roll the clay into a fat but even log and cut into uniform pieces- about 1/2 inch long. This will ensure you have uniform size hearts as your final product.

3. Roll each piece of the clay log back into a nice circle, kneading with your hands again if necessary to remove folds and cracks.

4. Flatten your circle slightly against your work surface so you have a thick disc. Using the edge of a table or corner of a wall, press the top of your disc into the edge to create the top “indent” of the heart. Use your thumb and forefinger to pinch the bottom into a nice point. This creates a nice heart shape with clean edges. Press gently into table again to keep front and back smooth if necessary.

5. Use dowel or toothpick to create a hole in each bead. I pushed the dowel through only one “hump” of each heart so the hearts hung down at an angle. You could make the hole in the base of each heart so they hang upside down, or right through the middle so they hang straight- completely up to you!

6. (MAKE SURE you’ve made your holes at this point…) Bake clay according to package directions on a very clean cookie sheet- the clay will pick up the tiniest of crumbs and be stuck in your pretty beads forever- not cute 😉 Remove from oven and let cool completely.

7. Use a small brush to paint your hearts. You can “color block” them like I did, by only painting part of the heart, or you could jazz them up with polka dots or stripes or anything else your own heart desires! Let each bead dry completely.

8. Bake beads again IF ENAMEL CONTAINERS SPECIFY TO DO SO. Mine DID need to be baked again to harden and become permanent but I know some brands do not.

9. Thread your (cooled) beads back onto your dowel or skewer and cover them in a generous coat of mode lodge or other clear coat. Let dry according to clear coat directions and you are ready to wear!

If you loved this project be sure to check out these easy crafts for kids! We all need a few more of these in the idea bank, right?!