Hi Friends!
She’s here, she’s here—my first blog post and tutorial! To be honest, I’ve wanted to do this forever. Since I spend basically all my time on DIY blogs getting inspirations for my projects, it makes sense that this is the space I want to exist in. I’ve let a lot of self-doubt and fear get in the way, but I’ve decided this is my year to GET. IT. DONE. Thanks for coming along for the ride with me!
Okay, now that all that sappy stuff is out of the way, let’s get to the part I’m you (and I, for that matter) are really here for—creating super cute things with your own two hands!
I saw a set of conversation heart clips at a little shop in town and then, of course, because I said something about it, I started getting Instagram and Pinterest ads for it. Thank you, creepy internet. No but actually, THANK YOU! Because I kept seeing them, kept wanting them, kept telling myself I didn’t need to buy them, and finally thought, “I bet I could make that!” (spoiler alert: this is how every one of my DIY’s starts)
And, though this is most definitely NOT always the case with my crafting, these lil’ heart clips turned out SO dang cute and were easy peasy to make! I’ll walk you through my process and give you my “YAY’s” and “NAY’s” so that you, too, can clip your hair back with the cutiest little conversation heart this Valentine’s season; or better yet, all year long!
| YAY’s | NAY’s |
| Using oven bake clay: It gave great definition, really cut down process time, and was much easier to work with | Using air dry clay: No. Just no. Not sure if I did something wrong, but it was so sticky and dried all wonky. I was going for a handmade look, but not that handmade! |
| Spray with a clear sealant: Most definitely do this step—it protects your project and gives it a nice finish. I loved the matte spray I used. I sprayed the pieces after I painted them, but before I added the red writing. | Spray with a clear sealant after the red sharpie: Most definitely don’t do this. The spray will cause your red sharpie to smear and melt. Also, on the sharpie adheres much better to the sealed project than it does to the raw paint. Trust me on this one. |
| Use a cookie cutter: The cookie cutter gave the hearts a nice, crisp finish with minimal finagling on my part. I honestly think the size doesn’t matter as long as its not huge. If your cookie cutter is smaller than mine, just put a few hearts on each clip! | Freehand your hearts: This is not a definite NAY…but I will say, I tried cutting with a knife and with scissors to create a smaller heart and they just did not look as finished as the cookie cutter hearts. If you have lots of fancy clay tools, then go for it. But the cookie cutter is definitely easier. |
| And one bonus NAY for ya…Using spray paint/glue in a confined area: It’s just not smart, y’all. There are literal warnings on the bottles. Save your brain cells and take that project outside! |
Supplies Needed:
Before I begin, I made this clip two ways—one with stamped lettering, and one with handwritten lettering. While I think the stamped ones look more like traditional conversation hearts, the handwritten ones are JUST as cute, and I never want y’all to feel like they need to buy a ton of supplies (ie. little metal stamps you may never use again) in order to be creative.
I am outlining both methods here, and if you have stamps or think you’ll use them again, go for it! But know that they definitely aren’t necessary! If you want an easy hack to make your handwriting look more put together, check out my Instagram!
- White oven bake clay (I used Sculpey, but any basic oven bake clay should work!)
- Oven (duh.)
- Rolling pin
- Baking sheet
- Foil or parchment paper
- Acrylic paints in pastel colors / paint brushes
- Red Sharpie (ultra fine-point or regular)
- Clear acrylic spray paint (I used Rustoleum 2x Ultra Cover Matte Clear)
- E6000, or other industrial strength glue
- Hair clips (I had this bag lying around from another project I swore I’d do! They worked great for the little kid bows. I tore apart some old bows for the bigger size, but I think these would work well)
Other supplies that are helpful, but not necessary
- Small heart-shaped cookie cutter
- Metal letter stamps (mine are similar to these)
Start by rolling out your clay on a clean or parchment-lined surface to about ¼” thickness.
Using your heart cookie cutter, cut out as many lil’ heart-shaped cuties as your heart desires. Clean up the edges to get a nice crisp finish.
If you are using the stamps to put your lettering on, I recommend writing your words out on scrap paper to get an idea of placement, and then work from the center out. I found that I needed firm pressure to get a good imprint. It will likely leave an imprint of the outside of the stamp block as well—that is okay! It adds to the homemade look, in a good way! You know those conversation hearts are always misprinted and sideways!
Pop those bad-boys in the oven, according to package directions (mine was 275 for 15 minutes).
Once they’re out and cooled, its time to given them a coat of pastel paint! This is key for the perfect conversation heart. I just mixed white paint into some colors I had until they seemed creamy and pastel-y enough! You’ll probably need 2-3 coats of paint on each heart.
After your paint is completely dry (this is key), move to a well ventilated area and spray the hearts with your clear spray paint to finish.
Once the clear coat is dry, you can fill in your stamped letters with a fine-point sharpie, or write your sayings onto the hearts with a regular red sharpie. (see my tip for freehand writing on my Instagram!)
Using your glue (once again, in a WELL VENTILATED area), glue your hearts onto hair clips (or magnets, or thumbtacks, or paper clips, or really anything because they’re SO dance cute!) and allow time to dry.
Ta-Da! They’re so cute! And so perfect for Valentine’s Day! Or Galentine’s Day! Or EVERY day! & shhhhh, I won’t tell if you keep them all for yourself! We were created to be creative, friends—so get creating! And please tag me if you try these!
