Clay Bird Pendant

Complete any outfit with this sweet Clay Bird Pendant.  This easy and simple DIY pendant is a great project for kids and makes a sweet gift for a friend.  Attach it to a necklace strand, key chain, or make cute ornaments for the holiday season.

Materials:

• Crayola clay
• Wire (optional)
• Sandpaper (optional)
• Acrylic paint (optional)
• Artist's Sealer (optional)

Instructions:

1. Start with a hunk of clay, rolled into an oval shape.
    
2. Take one end of that oval and pinch it between your thumb and forefinger while giving it a gentle pull upwards. One pinch and you’ve already got a tail.
   
   
    
3. Now push the other end up and smooth it over to make the bird head. It’s almost like you’re making a V-shape, but one end is skinnier than the other.
   
   
    
4. From the front of the bird head, pinch forward a little bit of clay until it comes to a point to make the beak. That’s it. You’ve sculpted. The airdry clay can be softened with water, so if you get your fingers just a little bit damp you can smooth out any roughness you created with your pinching.
   
   
    
5. If you want to use this bird as a little trinket, then you’re done. But if you want to use it as a pendant then push a piece of wire through the clay from top to bottom to create a hole for beading.
    
6. Give your bird a couple of days to dry. If you make it pretty big you might want to wait a couple more. A light sanding with finish sandpaper will remove any fingerprints.
    
7. From here you could decorate it however you wanted to. I painted these birds with a coat of ice blue acrylic paint, a coat of pearly white acrylic paint, and then a couple coats of clear artist’s sealer. Once it’s all dry you can use this bird like any other bead. Since I was going for simple, I put it on a head pin, attached it to a jump ring, and threaded it on a silk cord.