Polymer Clay Conversation Heart Tutorial

If you are anything like me, then you find conversation hearts adorable. I felt it was time to create a Valentine's day projects inspired by these sweet little hearts. So here it is, my conversation heart brooch tutorial.

Step 1: Roll Out Clay

Start by mixing some polymer clay to get the color you wanted. Then roll it out to get a flat sheet of clay. I used a pasta machine for this (only do this if you have one specifically for clay) but you can also use anything round to roll it out.

Step 2: Cut Out Heart

Next, cut out your heart shapes. I used a small heart cookie cutter. Again, if you don't have the cookie cutter you could cut this out by hand with a craft knife, it just might take a bit more work.

Step 3: Stamp Message

Now is the fun part where you can pick your phrases and stamp them in. To do this, I used some metal stamps I had, but rubber stamps work just as well.

Step 4: Bake Clay

Next, bake the clay as directed on the package. Make sure you use a designated clay pan or cover your normal bake-ware with foil.

Step 5: Sand Edges

Once baked and cool, give the edges a light sanding. Mine tended to get little rough edge pieces from when I cut them out.

Step 6: Paint

Now, cover your letters with red acrylic paint. Just blob it on. Once all the letters are covered, quickly wipe off the excess with a paper towel. Since the letters are indented, you should be able to wipe off the excess and leave the paint only in the letters. This was a little tricky. I had a hard time getting all the paint off between the letters. But in the end I decided it looked more realistic if it was a bit imperfect; the real candy hearts always have imperfections.