Make Polymer Clay Trinket Bowels

Need a trinket dish to place your jewelry or keys or other trinkets?  This step-by-step tutorial will show you how you can make a polymer clay trinket bowel for just a few dollars.  The best part about this project is that you can decorate it any way you like.  Polymer clay comes in a wide variety of colors that you can choose from so I chose colors that match my tropical decor.  If you want, you can paint polymer clay any color you like using water based acrylic paints.  I chose a design that matches the decor in my master bedroom and has an island feel.  It was perfect for what I wanted to use it for.  You can paint yours to match your decor or leave it a color that you choose. It is totally up to you.  I decided on a marbleized effect.  

I used Sculpy oven bake clay for my trinket bowels because that is what I had on hand but you can choose an air dried clay if you want and receive similar result.  Regardless, the oven bake clay works just fine.  Simply follow the manufacturers instructions to bake or air dry your clay.  You will find that both processes are super simple to complete with terrific results every time. 

What you will Need: 

• Sculpy polymer clay for every color that you want to use
• 1 bowl for shaping
• acrylic paints for decorating if you are not using colors
• Gilding paint for edge
• An oven
• Polyurethane or glaze to finish the dish (Optional)

Step 1: Make Polymer Clay Trinket Bowels

Knead the clay in your hands in order to make it soft.  You will notice that the block of clay comes in sections.  Pick one section and knead it your hands then roll it into a long spaghetti roll.  Do this for the different colors that you want to use.  Vary the thickness of the spaghetti strings for a nice marbled effect. Make them about 6″ long.  

Step 2: Make Polymer Clay Trinket Bowels

Once you have 5 or 6 strands of clay combine them and begin twisting them together like a candy cane where the colors alternate in a swirl.

Step 3: Make Polymer Clay Trinket Bowels

Role out the large rope to double its size then fold it in half and twist again.  Role it out to double its size and repeat.  By doing this you will get that marbled shape.  

Step 4: Make Polymer Clay Trinket Bowels

Once you have concluded twisting and rolling jumble the clay into a ball.

Step 5: Make Polymer Clay Trinket Bowels

Using a rolling pin or other cylindrical object roll out the ball.  You could make your dish any shape you like but I preferred this shape for my dish.  I rounded my dish using the bottom of a vase that I had but you could use anything you like to make a circle or if you want a different shape you could use cookie cutters or the rim of a glass jar to shape your clay.

Step 6: Make Polymer Clay Trinket Bowels

Once you have shaped your clay, place it into a narrowish bowl so that it will have a bowl like shape rather than a flat shape.  

Step 7: Make Polymer Clay Trinket Bowls

If you are using clay that needs to be baked follow the manufacturers instructions to bake it in the oven.  My clay needed to be baked at 275 degrees for 15 minutes.  Be sure not to over bake it. Remove the bowel from the oven with care as it is hot. Let it cool off before removing the clay.  Remove the clay from the bowel.

Step 8: Make Polymer Clay Trinket Bowels

Once the dish is completely cool paint the edges with gold leaf or gilding paint.   This paint is an oil based product so you should take some care when using it.  Use a small brush when painting the edges. The clean up for this product is paint thinner or mineral spirits and not water.  But you will really like the effect.  

Step 9: Make Polymer Clay Trinket Bowels

Once the paint has dried you could spray it with polyurethane or use a glaze to seal it and give it a glossy look but it is not necessary.  You have now finished making your polymer clay trinket bowel perfect for storing rings and things.