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I don’t just DIY skin care, all though it gets most of my attention.  Once in a while I stumble upon a do it yourself that I just have to try.  I am in love with DIY marbled clay jewelry dishes.  My daughters and I experimented with clay this summer and made a few trinket bowls and a set of coasters.  They turned out so pretty but I soon realized there’s a learning curve with working with this clay.  I decided to give the clay another try so we could make our own Christmas gifts!  I figured I would share all that I’ve learned in case you are searching for creative DIYs to gift to family members too!

Something great about this DIY is that imperfection works well and actually give it a “naturally beautiful” look.  I am so amazed at how this clay easily ends up looking so beautifully marbled with minimum effort.  It’s a DIY must!

What You’ll Need:

• White clay
• Colored clay
• Small condiment bowls
• Parchment paper
• Exacto knife
• Gold paint
• Paint brush
• Glaze

How To:

1. Choose your colors and roll each color into a thin rope.
2. Twist the ropes together then roll into a long rope.  My picture does not reflect this step well but it’s very important to take your twisted clay ropes and turn them into one big rope.
3. Fold the new rope in half and twist.
4. Roll into a ball.
5. Place the ball in-between 2 pieces of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to flatten.
6. You can use a round cookie cutter or glass to make a perfect circle or use an exacto knife to cut a raw edge on step 7.
7. Place inside a small bowl and gentle press down the clay.
8. Check your clay package but typically the oven should be heated to 275 and you should leave the bowls in for 15 minutes.
9. Once 15 minutes are up, remove the bowls and allow to cool.
10. Optional: Paint the edges with gold paint.  My bowls typically needed 2 coats.
11. Optional: Seal with glaze.  I did not but the glaze will give your bowls a shiny look.

Tips & Tricks:

• Dark colors go a long way.  Use them sparingly.
• The extra package of white clay is a must.
• You can skip parchment paper but your clay will stick to your rolling pin.
• If you don’t like the pattern after you’ve rolled it out, roll it up in a ball again and flatten again. Chances are, that will fix it.  On a couple bowls, I felt like I was kneading bread to blur the colors!
• Don’t mix the colors too much or you’ll lose the marble effect and have a solid color look with a very subtle marbled look.
• I’ve found that using a glass or cookie cutter makes a nicer looking dish rather then skipping that step and cutting your own shape.
• You can use sand paper or a nail file to smooth out the edges once the bowl has been cooked and cooled.
• My bowls are not sealed because I prefer the matte look.  If you are making coasters, sealing is a must.
• Coasters are very easy to make but I found it hard to get them proportioned perfectly and getting a flat surface can be challenging.  I definitely recommend using a cookie cutter or glass/jar when doing coasters.

This was such a fun DIY that I had to share.  My 7 and 10 year old daughters are old enough to help and enjoyed the project immensely.  I think these make unique and beautiful gifts for your kid’s teachers and even friends!  No two bowls are alike and who doesn’t need a tiny dish to collect trinkets?!  I think DIY gifts are the best and putting in the effort to make them extra special is 100% worth it.

I don’t post many DIYs that aren’t skin care but when I find one worthy of sharing it gets a post.  Just this week I posted DIY essential oil jewelry and if you’re looking for more you can explore HERE!

xx, Jenni

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