How to Make Clay Bag Charms (Polymer or Air-Dry) for a Key Ring or Zipper

Sculpt a small charm from polymer or air-dry clay, set an eye pin before it hardens, cure it, and hang it from a key ring or bag zipper.

What You'll Need

  • Polymer clay, or a smooth air-dry clay
  • Eye pins or screw eyes (for air-dry you can use a straw to make a hole instead)
  • Jump rings (6 mm)
  • A key ring or lobster clasp
  • Parchment, a tile, or a smooth cutting board to work on
  • A craft knife or small cookie cutters
  • Two pairs of jewelry pliers (chain-nose and flat-nose)

Paint and a clear sealer are optional. You don't need UV resin or a UV lamp.

You shape a small charm out of clay, push in an eye pin while it's soft, then let it harden. Polymer clay hardens in a home oven. Air-dry clay needs no oven but takes a day or two. A flat heart, a star, an initial, or a tiny strawberry are good first shapes. A charm is the right size for leftover clay scraps.

1

Condition the clay

Knead a piece about the size of a golf ball until it is soft and warm, with no crumbly spots or air pockets. Work on parchment, a tile, or a smooth cutting board, because uncured polymer clay can mark furniture. If you use more than one color, wipe your hands and tools between colors so light clay stays clean.

2

Sculpt a simple shape

Roll a slab about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick with a rolling pin or a bottle, then cut a shape with a cookie cutter or craft knife. You can also roll a ball and pinch it into shape. For a strawberry, make a rounded cone and add a small leaf on top. Skip thin points, which snap off. Smooth the edges with a fingertip, and add small details like a face or seeds with a toothpick now.

3

Set the eye pin before curing

Twist a short eye pin or screw eye into the top center of the charm, deep enough that it holds. For air-dry clay, you can instead poke a clean hole with a straw or skewer at least 1/4 inch from the edge. Do this while the clay is soft. Forcing a hole into a hardened charm cracks it.

4

Cure polymer clay in the oven

An adult should run the oven. Preheat to the temperature on your clay package and bake for the time it lists, and never go above either one. A common example is around 130°C (265 to 275°F), but your package is the rule. Home ovens often run hot, so check with an oven thermometer. Bake on parchment on a metal tray, keep the room ventilated, and never use a microwave. Let the charm cool completely before you handle it. Keep the tools you use for clay for crafts only, and don't put them back in the kitchen.

5

Or let air-dry clay dry

Leave the charm flat and flip it now and then so both sides dry. A keychain-sized piece usually takes about 24 to 48 hours, depending on thickness and humidity. If the thickest spot still gives under a fingertip, wait longer. Sand rough edges lightly once it's fully dry. Air-dry charms are more brittle than polymer and handle water worse, even when sealed, so they suit a key ring kept indoors better than a bag that gets rained on.

6

Paint and seal (optional)

If you want color, paint details with acrylic paint, which works best on air-dry clay. A thin coat of clear sealer on the front, back, edges, and around the hole adds some protection. Keep paint and sealer out of the eye pin loop, and let it dry fully.

7

Attach the hardware

Open a jump ring by twisting the ends sideways with two pliers. Don't pull it wide open. Thread it through the eye pin or the hole, twist it closed so the ends meet flush, and hook it to a key ring or lobster clasp. Clip it onto a bag strap or zipper pull.

To add beads on wire to a charm like this, see How to Make Beaded Bag Charms with Wire, Crimps, and Key Rings: https://www.ucandostuff.com/guide/how-to-make-beaded-bag-charms-with-wire-crimps-and-key-rings