Pi Pie Necklace Charm

Like with every project, the first step is to gather the materials. For this charm, I used oven-bake polymer clay. Make sure that the clay you use is able to be baked in the oven (sculpting clay will simply melt).

Technically, you don't have to use the liquid clay, gloss, or chalk. It really just depends on the detail you want to include in your charm. You can also use toothpicks in place of a needle point tool.

• tan, red, light purple, and black polymer clay
• sculpey liquid clay
• sculpting tools (needle point, ball point, and flat edge tips)
• wire for charm loop
• pliers for cutting/shaping the wire
• necklace chain/ribbon
• gloss coating (sculpey brand or clear nail polish)
• small tipped paint brushes
• brown chalk
• Oven or Craft Oven
• Super glue

First, with the tan clay, roll the clay into a cylinder shape. Then, roll the cylinder at an angle to make a more trapezoidal cylinder. This will create the back angle that will better resemble an actual pie shape.

Once the shape is to your liking, take the side of the needle tool and create indented lines across the outer edge of the clay. Do this around the whole edge. Once your done, go back over each ident and continue the indent over the top of the pie. You don't have to go far, just far enough to show the divisions in the crust.

Finally, with one of the ball point tools, I created indents in the center of each section on the top of the pie to add in some more detail.

Once you've completed that, lightly smooth out the indentations with your fingers to soften the look.

Now that we have the pie base, we have to add in the filling. I mixed together red clay with a bit of purple and black in order to create a more realistic berry color. Then, in order to make the filling more malleable, I mixed in some liquid clay until I was happy with the texture. The liquid clay will soften the clay and make it easier to manipulate, but be careful not to add in too much, otherwise it will become sticky.

After getting the right consistency, I placed the filling in the center of the crust base, then spread it out and roughed it up with the flat edge tool to give it texture. Finally, I went back over with a ball point tool to soften some of the rough edges.

Now to officially make this a pi pie, we have to add pi! I rolled out a bit more of the tan clay to a width I was happy with, then cut three small pieces off, shaping them slightly into the shape of each section of pi before placing them in the center of my charm. The clay pie filling should help keep the pieces in place due to the liquid clay mixed in, as it sort of acts as a bonding agent.

Once I was happy with their placements, I took the large ball point tool and flattened the top, using a needle tool to better shape it into a more accurate symbol.

After finishing pi, I wanted to add the digits as well, to make the charm a bit more fun. I rolled out the tan clay to an even smaller width, then cut pieces and placed them around the edge of the pie filling. I used a smaller ball point and the needle point tools to shape the numbers.

To officially make this a necklace charm, we need some way to attach it to a necklace. I used the pliers to cut off the loop of a piece of jewelry wire, but if you don't have one of those, you can also shape a loop on any piece of wire using the pliers. Just make sure to leave some wire to fit into the charm!

I inserted the wire into the top of the charm, lining it up so it is above the 3 so when worn, pi and it's digits will be positioned correctly. Finally, I took one of the small paint brushes and dragged it lightly across the brown chalk. Using this brush, I dusted the edge of the pie crust to add a bit of browning to the edges to make it look baked, as well as a bit on pi and the digits to give it a similar look.

Once the shading is completed using the chalk, the charm needs to be baked so it keeps its shape. Heat up an oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, and when to temperature, place the charm on a tray to bake. Leave it in there for about 20-25 minutes, checking on it periodically to make sure it isn't burning.

Once it's done baking, allow it to cool, then, using a small paint brush, add a bit of gloss coating to the pie filling. Try to avoid hitting the crust, pi, and digits, as those look better with a matte finish.

Once the gloss is dry, add a small spot of super glue around where the metal loop is inserted into the charm to make sure it stays in place, then string the ribbon or chain through the loop.

And we are done!