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

Ball up one pound of clay onto your work surface

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

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

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)

Taking a carving tool, lightly trace the design you want

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

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

Using the excess clay, create another keychain!

Use a knife tool to cut out a shape

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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