handmade charms

I took the weekend off from stitching and made some charms for a handmade charm swap.

I happened to have quite a bit of polymer clay sitting around that I hadn't touched in ages ... so I thought I would put it to use making charms.

They weren't very difficult to make.   The hardest part was conditioning the clay for use.   After the clay was ready to use, I rolled it into small ball shapes.   I flattened the balls into disc shapes, and used some buttons and rubber stamps to press images into the clay.   After baking, I used acrylic paints to accent the embossed images and sanded them for an aged appearance.

I finished them with a glossy coat of varnish and added jump rings for attaching to a charm bracelet.

I can't wait to see all of the charm returns from the swap!