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I really love the terra cotta color — its a perfect burnt orange accent to my fall decor style which includes a lot of gold, yellows + wood tones. If you want a full peak into my style, check out my Fall House Tour with all my fall decor + styling inspo!
These turned out SUPER cute — with a handcrafted / Anthropologie vibe. I love the detail using real leaves and how the spot gloss made them pop!
Even though they look awesome, the whole project wasn’t smooth.
my huge diy fail! ??♀️
This project seemed super simple, but it took a bit to get right. I tried two different types of air dry clay that legit just crumbled — watch the video to see exactly how bad it got — then I finally tried oven-bake polymer clay which worked out great!
Moral of the story — things often go awry with DIY projects, and that’s ok! It’s all part of the process, check out this podcast episode — Experimenting in your DIY & design journey + the perks of making mistakes — for some more encouragement on your DIY flops & fails.
DIY Polymer Clay Thankssiving Napkin Rings
Materials
optional
Tools
- Ruler
- Clay Roller
- Butter Knife or Box Knife
- Oven + Baking Sheet
stamp options
- Leaves — any fairly sturdy kind
- Thanks Stamp
- Letter Stamps
optional:
- Clay Slicer
- Fork
- Sharpie
- Clay work Board / Poster board + contact paper
Instructions
STEP 01.
Start by squeezing the clay around in your hands to prime it, roll it out with the clay roller into a square about 1/4" thick. You can create a measuring grid on your work surface — check the video for the how-to
Stamping option A — if you're using the leaf print method, press the back of the leaves into your clay and roll to imprint
STEP 02.
Cut the clay into strips with the ruler + box knife or clay slicer — 1 1/2" thick and 5 1/2" in long (shorter or longer depending on the circumference around your paper tube)
STEP 03.
Wrap the strip around your paper tube, squeezing the ends together at the back to form a ring. You can press the back with a fork at the seam to add additional texture.
Stamping option B — if you're using the letter or thanks stamp method, stamp the design on the front of the ring
If a ring doesn't turn out, just squish it and re-roll until you get the look you want.
STEP 04.
Gently wiggle the ring off the tube, being careful not to change the shape. Place on a cookie sheet on its side and bake for 1 hour at the recommended temperature on the clay box (mine was 275℉). Baking shorter will result in rubbery / cracking clay.
STEP 05 — optional
Once cool, paint some glossy glaze inside of the leaf imprints with a small paintbrush. Don't shake the bottle — it creates bubbles that will ruin your finish. Let dry 30 min between coats.
Once dry, style with your favorite cloth napkin.
Notes
Contains affiliate links — see my disclosure for details
