Personalized Clay Keychains

For this project you will need:

1. 1 pound of clay

2. A rolling pin (or a can)

3. A smoothing tool (or a plastic card)

4. A carving tool (or skewer stick)

5. A knife tool (or a butter knife)

6. A paintbrush

7. Water

8. White vinegar

9. A plastic bag

Step 1: Gather Your Clay

Ball up one pound of clay onto your work surface

Step 2: Roll Out the Clay

Roll the clay out evenly into a slab, leaving it to be about an inch or so thick

Step 3: Store Until Leather Hard

Using a thin plastic bag, wrap the clay somewhat tightly for about 24-48 hours or leave in it the sun for about 15-30 minutes until you can press your finger onto the clay without damaging it

Step 4: Outline Your Shape

For a slab keychain, outline your desired shape but do not trim off the rest of the clay (further in this tutorial there will be other methods / designs for more keychains)

Step 5: Carve Your Design

Taking a carving tool, lightly trace the design you want

Step 6: Clean It Up

Take a dry paintbrush to brush off any crumbs that form & then wet the brush to smooth the clay further

Step 7: Final Touches

Poke a hole using the back of the paintbrush to your desired size & allow the slab to toughen up a bit more, then you can trim off the excess, clean up the carving a bit more, & wait for the keychain to dry completely

Step 8: An Alternative Shape / Method

Using the excess clay, create another keychain!

Step 9: Create a Shape

Use a knife tool to cut out a shape

Step 10: Score & Slip

Use a knife or carving tool to create a bunch of X's into the clay, then add white vinegar to both pieces

Step 11: Glue the Pieces

Push the pieces together & smooth them with either a tool, card, or your finger

Step 12: Add Your Design

Poke a hole, smooth down the surface again, & carve your design, cleaning up with the past noted methods

Step 13: Allow to Dry

Dry in a protected storage area until color lightens & clay is firm (you can paint them later too)

Step 14: Yet Another Method / Design

1 style is going to a circular key chain while the other will be an actual ball shape, for now just gather smaller balls of clay

Step 15: Create the Shape

Push down on the clay directly in the middle, the work outwards until your desired shape / thickness is achieved & be sure to smooth down the surface

Step 16: Add Your Design

Poke a hole in the clay, add your design, clean up if necessary, & allow to dry

Step 17: Create a Rounded Shape

Using a smaller ball of clay, create a 3D shape of any item you want

Step 18: Add a Piece of Clay to Stabilize

Since this shape does not really allow a hole to be poked in it, take some clay & form it into a rectangle shape, scoring & slipping it onto the rounded piece of clay (remember to push the pieces together and smooth out the edges if necessary)

Step 19: Add Your Design

Poke a hole in the attached piece of clay, add your desired design, & allow for the keychain to dry!