Candy Cane Jewelry

What you’ll need

• White clay (air dry or oven-bake, depending on your preference)
• Craft paint, red and white
• Varnish
• Small paint brush
• Jewelry findings (earring hooks, jump rings, chain or cording)
• Extra-strength adhesive

Helpful Tip:Make sure your hands and work surface are clean when working with the clay, so you debris won’t mix in with the design.

Variations:To save time, you can start with red and white clay. Instead of gluing the jump rings, you can poke a small hole at the top of each piece, but there is a chance it could break with all the wear and tear. Add glitter to make them sparkle! You can also roll the twists into a circle to make peppermint rings or hair clips! These days, candy canes come in all kinds of colors, aside from red and white. Have fun with your color combinations!

How to make it

1. To make a set of earrings, pinch off four pieces of clay and roll them into small balls, about the size of small marble.
2. Now it’s time to roll each ball into a thin rope. About 3-1/2″ long. It’s OK if they aren’t perfect, once they are twisted to make the candy canes, they will look great!
3. Here is the fun part! Take two ropes and wind them together in a twisted fashion. Bend the tops over to look like a tiny candy canes! If you are using oven-bake clay, follow the manufacturer’s directions (I baked these at 185 degrees for 15 minutes).  If using air-dry clay, you’ll need to let the pieces dry overnight so they’ll harden.
4. Add the paint and let dry. Even though the clay is white, I still coat it with white paint, it makes it nice and bright. Let the paint dry, and then add the clear varnish. This will make your pieces bright and shiny!
5. Use a toothpick to add a dollop of glue to the back of each piece and press a jump ring in place. Let dry. Add cording for the necklace and hooks for the earrings.