How To Make An Easy DIY Clay Heart Trinket Dish
Learn how to make these adorable heart dishes in no time at all. Our easy tutorial will teach all beginners how to make your own cute DIY clay trinket dish.
Beginners will love making this simple clay project you can do at home. Get that air dry clay out and get creative!
Why You Will Love This Clay Project
Notes On Supplies You’ll Need
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This post will help your find the best clear varnish for your trinket dish.
You can get the complete list of supplies in the printable how-to card at the end of the post.
Alternative Supplies
You may also consider using heart cookie cutters and a rolling pin to create your slab.
RELATED PROJECT
Easy Heart Pinch Pots For Kids
Kids can make these simple trinket dishes, but you may also want to try making a cute heart pinch pot together.
DIY Heart Dish Tutorial
Step 1: Roll A Slab
In our clay tile tutorial, we show step-by-step instructions on how to make a slab. A wine bottle or rolling pin is a great way to get a clay slab that has a thickness of a little less than 1/4″.
Step 2: Cut A Clay Heart
Make a paper heart template to work from. Place the paper on the clay slab and cut around it with a needle tool or wooden skewer.
Step 3: Smooth Out The Egdes
Dip your finger in water and smooth out the edges of the heart shape.
Step 4: Flip The Heart Over
Fix an imperfections and choose which side will be the top of the dish.
Optional: Add A Foot Ring
Score, add water and blend a small coil onto the back of the heart near the middle where it will sit on a table.
Step 6: Flip Over To Dry
Pull up the edges and mold the dish in the shape you would like. Lay on crumpled up paper for support as the trinket dish dries.
Step 7: Let Dry
Your air dry clay will need at least 24 hours to dry. You can use extra fine sandpaper to sand any rough edges of imperfections.
Step 8: Add Color and A Clear Coat
We painted our dish with light pink acrylic craft paint, added gold accents with a paint marker and add two coats of different clear sealers.
Tips
- DON’T OVERWORK IT – Air-dry clay and regular clay can start to dry out when you over touch them.
- DRY TIME IS IMPORTANT – Allow heart dishes to fully dry for at least 24 hours before painting.
- LIMIT EXTRA WATER – To remove small cracks, use one finger only in water to avoid making a muddy mess.
- USE SANDPAPER – You can use extra fine sandpaper on dry clay to smooth out any imperfections before painting.
Art Project FAQs
More Beginner DIY Clay Ideas
- OTHER DISH DESIGN OPTION: Make A DIY Clay Leaf Impression
- PAINTING TIPS: Our Tips For Painting Air Dry Clay
- POLYMER CLAY: Make Cute DIY Clay Magnets
Whether you make multiple DIY clay dishes or just one special trinket catch-all dish, you will have fun personalizing your ceramic dish to fit your style.
Do you like this art project? Please give us 5 stars below 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 and have fun being creative with your family.
DIY Clay Heart Trinket Dish Tutorial
Equipment
- Small container of water
- Skewer or Needle Tool
- Pair Of Scissors
Supplies
- Paper cut in a heart shape
- Air Dry Clay
- Acrylic Paint
- Gold Paint Pen
- Mod Podge
- Iridescent Medium optional
Instructions
- Roll a clay slab that is about 1/4" thick.
- Create a paper heart template and place on the clay.
- Use a wooden skewer or clay needle tool to cut around the paper heart into the clay.
- Smooth the edges and rough spots with water on your finger.
- Score, add water and blend a small coil onto the back of the heart near the middle where it will sit on a table.
- Pull up the edges and mold the dish in your desired shape. Lay on crumpled up paper for support as the trinket dish dries.
- Your air dry clay will need at least 24 hours to dry. You can use extra fine sandpaper to sand any rough edges of imperfections.
- Add color to your dish by using paint or other techniques. Acrylic Paint is a good option for painting air dry clay.
- Once the paint is completely dry, cover the entire surface with a clear varnish or your choice.
Notes
- The drying time for air dry clay can vary depending on the humidity and thickness of the clay. Typically, it takes about 24-48 hours for a small air dry clay project to dry.
- Don’t overwork the clay. It will crack and be hard to work with.