20+ Easy Clay Ideas And Crafts
/Get ready to fall in love with these 20+ Easy Clay Project Ideas! Perfect for adding a personal touch to your home decor or creating unique gifts. From trinket dishes to key chains, there's something for everyone.
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DIY Easy Clay Crafts.
If you're on the hunt for fun crafts you can make with clay, you've come to the right place. Both polymer and air dry clay are a great way to make clay crafts at home.
It’s cheap to buy, simple to use, kid-friendly and can be found in most craft stores. This makes it a popular choice for anyone wanted to get started working with clay.
You can make anything from cute candle holders (these make a great gift idea) to coasters and even home decor projects like wall hangings and pendant lights.
And the best part? Unlike traditional clay, it can be baked in the oven at home to harden so there's no need for a kiln.
Related: 25+ Cool Clay Ideas To Make
Easy Clay Ideas And Fun Projects.
I love making things with air dry clay and polymer clay. It's one of my favourite materials to work with. But I know if you're new to working with clay it can be a bit intimidating.
For anyone getting started make sure to check out my posts on How To Use Air Dry Clay and my post Air Dry Clay Tips And Tricks. They're packed full of useful tips to get the most out of this fantastic material.
Best Types Of Clays.
The two main different types of clay used at home by crafters are air-dry clay and polymer clay.
Polymer clay is a type of polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that hardens when baked in an oven. It comes in a huge variety of colours and finishes and is durable and water-resistant when hard.
Air dry clay on the other hand is a mixture of paper fibres and glue. It dries and hardens when left out in the air so no oven is needed. It can be painted when dry but it’s not waterproof and does need to be sealed to finish.
Air Dry Clay (or air hardening clay) - There are a few different brands available but the ones I've worked with and recommend are the Das Air Dry Clay and the Crayola Air Dry Clay.
Most air dry clay comes in either white or terracotta and can be left to harden at room temperature. The white air dry clay is perfect for use with acrylic paint and can be used to create a variety of different crafts such as jewellery, planters, and home decor.
You can find 30+ of The Best Easy Air Dry Clay Ideas here.
Polymer Clay (or oven bake clay) - Premo Sculpey and Sculpey Souffle are both popular for polymer clay jewellery making.
This makes it great for making figurines, charms, and jewellery due to its ability to hold intricate details and its durability.
Both air dry clay and polymer clay are fun and versatile materials that can be shaped and moulded into just about anything. They're both easy to work with and perfect for beginners.
Simple items like cookie cutters, a rolling pin, and a basic set of clay tools can help you achieve professional-looking end results.
Not sure what to make? To get you started I've rounded up 20+ of the best easy clay ideas that are super fun and totally doable. Trust me, you’ll want to try them all!
Dried Flower Ornaments
These dried flower ornaments are perfect for any time of year! Make a pressed flower ornament to give as a gift, add as a gift topper, or to hang on display.
Air Dry Clay Bowls
Have you ever wanted to try your hand at ceramics but don't have access to a kiln? Then this is the craft for you.
Easy Clay Flowers
These clay flowers are SO PRETTY! Choose your favourite flower and sculpt it using only your hand, a craft knife, and a little bit of water.
Air Dry Clay Pots
Who says pottery is only for the pros? With air-dry clay, you can create beautiful pots right at home!
DIY Air Dry Clay Coasters
Shape, stamp, paint and customise your own Air Dry Clay Coasters to add a touch of handmade charm to your home decor.
DIY Faux Ceramic Paint Palette
This project may look complicated, but it was truly *SO* easy, way easier than I even expected! I made it in probably an hour total! It would make a great girls night craft, and then you can use them to paint after!
Bird Trinket Dishes with Air Dry Clay
Today I’m sharing how to make bird trinket dishes with air dry clay. You’ll also see several examples of how to paint your air dry clay dishes with craft paint creating simple patterns.
DIY Wavy Polymer Clay Candelabra
Such a quick but classy home decor DIY that I think would make a great gift, or for yourself for cosy vibes (which are important this time of year)!
DIY Bow Candles & Candle Holders
As much as I love ALL of the colours, today I’m using classic Valentine’s Day pink and red to craft up some candles and candle holders inspired by the bow trend.
Braided Clay DIY Keychain
Learn how to make a simple Braided Clay DIY Keychain to keep your keys organised and looking pretty at the same time. Win win.
DIY Watercolour Clay Bowl
I wanted to share these sweet watercolour dishes that I made a little while ago but had forgotten to share here. I think these would make such beautiful little gifts. I love how vibrant they are.
DIY Braided Clay Bracelet
Learn how to take polymer clay, marble and then braid it into the most lovely clay DIY bracelet you’ve ever seen! It’s a one of a kind statement piece.
Pressed Flower Clay Dish
This pressed flower clay dish is a beautiful craft to make for a gift or as a spring or summer activity! Kids will love working with the clay and picking out their flowers to include in their dish.
DIY Wireless Clay Wall Sconce Light
I mean HOW pretty is it!? I knew I wanted to make a home decor item because it’s just too pretty not to! I also made them wireless, and I’ll tell you how I did that later on! But, we should get started on these DIY wireless clay wall sconce lights.
Speckled DIY Clay Keychain Accessory
A proven way to give your keys (and your friends key’s) a cute upgrade is with this Speckled DIY Clay Keychain! An easy DIY that’s perfect for gifting!
DIY Polymer Clay Pendant Light
I discovered the greatest hack during this project, to make the perfect speckled clay look… CINNAMON! I could not believe how well this turned out and you KNOW I will be using it on a future project very soon!!
FIMO Polymer Clay Leather Candle Wraps
One of the things that makes Christmas feel really magical to me is the lighting. When the days are colder and darker, twinkling lights have this warmth to them that creates such a romantic mood!
DIY It – Typography Drink Stirrers
These typography drink stirrers are the perfect way to dress up your cocktail for your next party. The best part is you can easily customise these to your parties colour scheme and appropriate phrase.
DIY Polymer Clay Knot Paperweight
Who doesn’t love a beautifully styled shelf!? And that means adding in a few smaller objects to bring everything I already own together. I don’t want to buy more so it’s down to good old DIY.
DIY Polymer Clay Bud Vase
I wanted the polymer clay to resemble unglazed pottery, so I tried a couple of mixing techniques that did the trick.
Craft It – Palm Leaf Push Pins
It’s that time of the year when you are still hanging on to summer, but also looking forward to fall, pumpkins, and cooler weather. Or is that just me?
Easy Terracotta Clay Herb Markers
Create labelled herb markers using terracotta air dry clay and stamps. An easy project that is perfect for the garden, but makes a great gift too!
Palm Leaf Ring Dish DIY
Although it’s probably technically more of a “summer” thing, I love palm print all year round. It’s basically how I decorate my house too—all summery/beach things—so it’s a pick me up through the winter months.
DIY Speckled Clay Arch Picture/Card Holder
The thing I love the most about today’s DIY is it’s versatility. This little piece looks great as a simple ornament or paperweight, but also doubles up as a photo or card holder.
Make These Clay Coasters (Two Ways!)
This time around I’ll be crafting clay coasters, perfect for adding colour and fun to your tablescape.
DIY Evil Eye Wall Hanging
What’s a girl to do when your home is filled with pretty things and people that you love? Make a DIY evil eye wall hanging of course!
DIY Air Dry Clay Rainbow Decoration
I love the wooden rainbows that have been gaining in popularity over the past year. They’re great for younger kids to play with but they can be quite expensive if you want one just to sit on a shelf or table.
DIY Clay Wall Hanging
We chose to use an oven bake clay in a light blush pink colour. Adding some pink and orange tassels, along with gold circular accents gave us the look we wanted.
Asymmetric Pond Shaped Mirror
I wanted something really organic – a pebble, a pond, a puddle, whatever you want to call it, I knew it was going to be a challenge but when you’re in lockdown a challenge sounds kind of perfect.
DIY Baby Clay Handprint Keepsake
Learn how to make a baby clay handprint keepsake frame or ornament. It’s the perfect newborn craft or Mother’s Day gift ideas!
DIY Clay Earrings
It can often be hard to find clip-on earrings that I actually like so I decided, you know what, it's time to make some!
