diy clay bangles

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

I have a bangle obsession...and I have a deep love for polymer clay. I am definitely keeping the polymer clay section at Michaels in business.

I have quite the collection going, which is filling up our kitchen panty pretty quickly. Ian opened the cabinet to get some food goodies last night and told me I should "Probably get organized." What?!! I think the kitchen cabinet is a PERFECT home for all my crafts. Okay maybe not. Anywhoo...

I am going to show you an EASY and inexpensive way to make just about any kind of bangle you want.

What you need:

  • A few different polymer clay colors.
  • A bangle. Use this as a guideline to measure and shape the bracelet before baking it.
Using the palm of your hand roll two thin tubes. If you just want to use one color you can.
My hand look a little dry...hello lotion where are you?
Wrap one color over the other. Roll them together with the palm of your hand to blend the two.

Using the bangle as a guideline wrap your tube of clay around it tightly. Mush the two ends together and smooth out with your finger.

Remove the guideline bangle and bake your bracelet at 275 degrees for 20 minutes.

You can make as many as you want!


90 comments:

sherri lynn said...

I am so dense - I never thought of making my own bangles! And I don't think I've done anything with clay since 4th grade so it sounds like a fun project! Yours turned out so pretty! I definitely want to give this a try.

Anonymous said...

very cool. i admire anyone that can do it herself/himself. great idea!

Amalia Athanaeleas said...

Such a cool idea!! I've been wanting to start playing with polymer clay... :) These turned out super awesome, they remind me of those old fashioned candy sticks, do you know what I'm talking about? Anyhow, great job Lindsay!!
xoxo
Lia

Ana Degenaar said...

You just made my day! I adore this.

Weronika said...

Great idea! I might have to try this because I bought some weird colored clay and I think it would be perfect for bangles :)

Unknown said...

ooo this i would love to attempt! pinning it on pinterest! :) <3 EverRubyGirl.blogspot.com

Stephanie @ henry happened said...

CUTE! The neon is so bright & lovely! You know how I love a fun bracelet! That clay stuff looks pretty awesome - I'm dying to try it out. And you changed your header I just noticed! Looks nice! (tho I loved your dandelion :))

Jenna Lee said...

WHAT!
You made these?
Can we do a giveaway here? I need all of them... puh puh please!

The Michelle Show said...

So cool! Have you ever tried adding anything into them? Like glass jewels or sparkles?

Mindy said...

Loving the turquoise colored one the bestest. :o)

Ashley said...

okay, this is the coolest thing everrrrr!!!I NEVER would have thought of this!!!

Swirls of Happy said...

How adorable!! You are so creative!!! Love it. Heading over to Eat, Love, Style right now :)

swirlsofhappy.blogspot.com

Pink Ronnie said...

Lindsay, your creativity is just too cool. I really love how these look! The teal colour is especially bewitching. :)
Ronnie

Pink Ronnie said...

(p.s. Loving your new banner!)

Martie said...

Whow! That's amazing, great idea! I'll try it :)

martiege.blogspot.com (Martie's DIY)

Jackie @ EatLove&Style said...

Thank you, for guest blogging at my blog. It was such a great post. I love these bangles and the colors are amazing.

Welcome said...

love these Linds! Amazing! they look edible! like candy canes! yummy

jess

my thrifty closet said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
my thrifty closet said...

your talent never fails to amaze me, you always make simple things look so fabulous. Well done Lindsay!


love~mongs
mythriftycloset.blogspot.com

sorelle in style said...

I checked out the hemp bangle tutorial before and I LOVED what you did! Looks like I'll have to venture to Michaels like NOW.. ;)

And Lindsay, we've awarded you with the Best Blog award! Check it out on our latest post! :)

-j
sorelle in style

amelia said...

so cute! very good idea. i should try this...

www.fittinginn.blogspot.com

Mary Shouvlin said...

what an awesome DIY! definitely going to have to give it a go! :)

Stephanie said...

Super cute Lindsay! I pinned it on Pinterest :)

Haley{PairsandPours} said...

love this idea!

www.StarHughes.com said...

These are GORGEOUS Lindsay!! You are so creative! And you have the best jewelry too :) So funny about the kitchen table - that's how I am too. It's much more fun having my craft supplies on display all over the kitchen than storing them away ;)

Erin Bradley said...

Those look AMAZING! I am definitely trying this out! :)

Lara said...

So cute! The possibilities really are endless! So, how do they hold up? Are they delicate? I've never used polymer clay before so I'm clueless.

Notes She Wrote said...

wow this is such a cute idea!! And it looks so easy too! Awesome!



Notes She Wrote

What Sadie Did said...

Fabulous - I love these. They look like sweeties!!

Sadie x

~ http://whatsadiedid.blogspot.com/2011/06/very-first-giveaway.html ~

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

nice bracelets and interesting blog. i follow you ;)

Ali said...

Those turned out so pretty! Never in a million years did I think homemade clay jewelry would turn out so nice (which is not at all a diss to you, but a diss to myself because I am totally out of the loop when it comes to jewelry) :) Great job!

The blonde @ Stylish3 said...

can't believe how easy those were! i'll be trying those ASAP

Lindsay said...

This is such a great idea! I can't wait to make some for myself! Thanks Linds!

Ambreen (Simply Sweet n Savory) said...

I'm so so impressed. You are so creative! Adorable bangles :)

Joanna said...

Wow! Looks so easy but I'm sure I would mess them up somehow! hehe! Love the brown and yellow together!

Anonymous said...

What a brilliant idea! I think they look expensive! Love them all together, they're beautiful!

Girl about Town XxX

Little City Farm said...

This is such a great idea. The variations are endless. Thanks for sharing this!

Grace said...

this is such a great idea, thanks for the tutorial, they look awesome!

xo, Grace
Dream-Boating

Unknown said...

This is awesome! i love this idea :) You are so creative, lady!!! I will add this to my to-do list! {going to pin this right after i finish this comment!} xoxoxo brynn

Clare B said...

These look really great and you make it look so easy to get the blending and smoothing and baking just right!

Nicole said...

Oh my gosh, this is GREAT! I love it, they're so beautiful. And unique!

Kitty said...

HOW CUTE! Thanks for this!! Totally bookmarking!

Rachael said...

I loooooved playing with Sculpey when I was little! You just need a cardboard box (for a house) and everything else you need (furniture, dolls, pets) you can make. But I never thought to use it after childhood. Especially to make such gorgeous jewelry.

Jo-Anna@APrettyLife said...

These are fabulous!! You are so creative!
Jo-Anna

Natural Momma said...

I love your blog. You rock my creative world!

Unknown said...

I am sure to pick up some polymer clay next time I'm at the hobby store. This looks like an awesome idea that I can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing. :-)

Kirsten @ Mushki Loves said...

Hi! Ummm! LOVE! I am so pinning this!I am a new follower!I would love it if you stopped by blog, take a look around and if you like what you see, follow me back! Thanks!
Have a great holiday!
Kirsten

www.mushkiloves.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

sweets! this is such an amazing diy!! love!! so creative and such a great way to add a pop of color for summer!

take care, aimee

diy blog: swellmayde

Louley's Belles said...

Those are so cute and awesome. I wanna try!!!

Sascha said...

I absolutely love these and will be off to the art shop to buy some clay this afternoon. They would make perfect Christmas gifts. Thank you.

dee said...

Wow, are you kidding me?! These are amazing! I am so going to do this for both Devon and myself. Thank you so much for the tip. Happy to have found your blog, thanks to your sweet comment:)

Jamie @ charmingly ordinary said...

I really think I HAVE to try this...

DWJ said...

This post totally made my day today. I ran over to AC Moore picked up some clay and I've been baking away for an hour. Totally love this idea!!

Margaret said...

Love! I'm a new fan. Can't wait to make some and show them off!


everydayrhinestones.blogspot.com

Maddison said...

Just picked up some clay and beginning my bangle making process now! Hooray for a great idea. Thank you!

Finley said...

GREAT IDEA! I just re-posted on my blog - so glad I found yours! Too good not to share!

{mommy chic} design. style. kids. life.

taylor said...

i'm making these this weekend for sure! great idea, and simple too!

taylor said...

check out my new bangles! thanks again for the easy project. perfect for a saturday afternoon!

http://taylormorgan83.blogspot.com/2011/07/bangle-bangle-bangle.html

Maddison said...

I've had such fun making these and am sending out batches of them in the mail today :)

http://maddisonhamil.blogspot.com/2011/07/diy-clay-bangles.html

dooleynoted said...

These are so, so, so great! I'm love making jewelry, so I'll have to add these to my list :)

dooleynoted said...

*"I love", not "I'm love" making jewelry. Sorry, that would have bugged me to not address it :)

Four Flights said...

As a fellow DIY junkie, I LOVE this project! Love :)

Savvy in San Francisco said...

These are amazing and look so simple to make. Definitely going to try to make them! Thanks for the idea!

Donna said...

OMG this is awesome. i have polymer clay sitting around and i will def do this :)

Lisa@OrganizedChaos said...

SO cool...you have inspired me to try my hand at this! :) I am a jewelry lover!
~Lisa@OrganizedChaos

Anonymous said...

I think these are really cute but I have a practice question--how easily do these break?

Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

They are super durable once they are baked

Aurora said...

Hi there! I tried making these bangles tonight but they all burned pretty badly and therefore didn't have the same sheen as yours. What did you bake yours on? On some websites it says a cookie sheet, others say use a ceramic tile. Did you coat these with clear polish or mod podge?

Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

Aurora- I baked mine on a flat cookie sheet. I did not coat them with anything..I kind of liked the matte finish. I baked mine (3 at a time) for 25 min at 275 degrees. Hope that helps!

Aurora said...

Oh it sure does, thanks so much! I'll have to give it a couple more tries :)

angel said...

i heart these bangles! i will be making these asap!

Cucicucicoo said...

love this idea! can't wait to try it! :) lisa

Joleen said...

Hi, are these suppose to be kind of soft and bendy? I made some and was very surprised at how pliable they are. Yours look so great and shiny and hard. hmmm

3circlestudio said...

Very nice. Where did you get your bracelet form?

Just What Jess is Up to said...

Do you have a photo of this step, "Wrap one color over the other. Roll them together with the palm of your hand to blend the two." I am not sure I completely understand, any help would be AWESOME! thanks!

LisZ said...

can i use modeling clay to do this and use my oven to bake it? how many cc?

Anonymous said...

Awesome! We've been working on some bracelets to add to our other poly clay creations in our Etsy shop. Hadn't thought about wrapping the colors like this. I've got some ideas and color combos in mind already

Qué Acierto! said...

Preciosas y que fácil parece...habrá que intentarlo.

Anonymous said...

How do you make the bracelets shiny after you bake them like in the last picutre? Is it the type of polymer clay that you used?

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful idea.
My hands are large, and with arthritis issues,
store-bought bracelets just do not fit.
With this idea, I might find a ring that will fit
and can add the clay and will finally be able to
wear bangles.
Thank you thank you thank you

Anonymous said...

Theses are so amazing, I'm thinking of making them for my friends for Christmas, however I think the clay contains PVC from what I read online. D

Anonymous said...

Let me just start out by saying...I absolutely love your blog!!! Its the first time I'm going through it and I have a huge list of materials to get (thanks for making me spend more money!!! but at least it'll be cheaper than buying look a likes :)) I can't wait to get started!! I'm so glad its Thursday so I can spend my weekend doing these fun projects!! I do have a question, I hope it isn't dumb. After the clay is cooked, does is become so hard that you cannot bend them at all? How do you know what length you need so it can slip over your hand? Thank you so much, you're such an inspiration!!

Unknown said...

HI
love polymer clay but but did not known where and how to start you gave me the inspiration
thank you

Unknown said...

LOVE... Approx how much clay do you need per bangle?... ie: if a solid color, as I know that will change things if you blend... just wanna know how much I need to put on my shopping list!!

loving creations said...

Hi Kathy, I just made some using premo brand which comes in a 2oz little block that has 4 sections scored, I used only one section. I ended up having a bit extra because I have a small wrist. I used the extra to make a ring. Hope this helps.

Becky said...

What kind of clay did you use? I have Sculpey but I'm worried it would break when I put it on :/

Unknown said...

using the guide to bend the clay is a great idea, however when you bake the bangles doesn't it flatten on the side its laid on the baking sheet? ... how do you prevent that from happening?

top sites, Decking Ipe for sale said...

I will definitely give it a try next weekend, I have a couple of fantastic earrings for this DIY.

Unknown said...

I Love It! Question, where can I buy the bangles that would be used for a guide? I'd like to get them online? Thank you!

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