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Little Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay

02/13/2013 Adrianne Surian 11 Comments

I’ve seen a lot of sweet cabochon hair pins lately, and they are super simple to make.  The thing is – you’re really not limited just to flowers!  You can make your own shapes by using a bit of polymer clay!  I thought a pair of cute little bows would make for great hair pins – what do you think?

Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay

Making your own design is a little more time-intensive than buying cabs, because you have to bake it first, but the possibilities are wide open.  Have you worked with polymer clay before?

If you have not, I’ll give you a quick run-down of how to use it.  (If you have, you probably won’t need any of this tutorial since all it requires is gluing your finished piece to a hair pin!)

Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay

I like Sculpey clay, though any oven-bake polymer clay is totally suitable.  You will want to pick up a roller and possibly a cutter or two.  You don’t specifically need to purchase clay supplies – the baking aisle will also have great tools.  The thing is – DO NOT mix your normal kitchen utensils with clay.  Polymer clay is not food safe, so if you use your utensils to work with it – they are no longer food safe either.  If you spot some cutters or a rolling pin at a thrift store, that’s perfect – just be sure you’re keeping your clay tools separate.

For the bows, I found it easiest to roll my clay out about 1/4 inch thick, cut a square, and the trim that into slices (two thick and two thin).  The edges don’t look great but that’s okay, the edges will end up on the underside.  I always cover my surface with wax paper first, to keep things clean.

Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay

Take a thick slice and fold the ends under.  If you accidentally squash it, you can probably puff it back up with a toothpick (unless you really botch it – but then, just roll it back out and start over.  Clay is totally forgiving like that!)

Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay

Then, take a thin slice, and wrap it around the center.

Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay

Voila.  Bow. ;)

My kiddo wanted to play in the clay too, but rather than let her play with mine, I got out her totally kid-safe play dough to stamp and roll on.  She’s a crafter in the making, folks…

Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay

When you’ve got enough bows (or whatever shape you choose), bake it according to the package instructions.  Each brand varies slightly, but you can expect to bake in in a low temperature over for about 30 minutes.  That will make the overall time for the project over an hour, but baking time is of course not active crafting time.

Next, you just need a heavy-duty permanent adhesive to attach the bows to your hair pins.  I like E6000 for jobs like this.  It may break the clay down over the years, but this type of small accessory has a tendency to get lost after a few seasons anyway, so I’m not terribly worried about it being heirloom quality or anything. ;)

Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay

You only need just a small dab of glue – don’t overdo it.

Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay

Drying them will require finding a place to set them flat.  I find that facedown, with something to prop up the pin, works best.

Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay

Then, you’ve got a sweet little set (or two!) of hair pins!

Bow Hair Pins with Polymer Clay
Adrianne

Fashion, Jewelry, Polymer Clay, Tutorials bows, hair pins

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I love it when you love my work! All tutorials and photos published at Happy Hour Projects are copyrighted. If you would like to feature my tutorial on your website or share it on your social media you may use one photo to feature, as long as you provide a link back to the original post.

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Comments

  1. Roxana says

    02/13/2013 at 8:48 am

    aw…I miss having little girls. They are all just about grown now…I’m patiently waiting for grand daughters. PATIENTLY, because they are not all THAT grown yet! Great polymer clay tips for other projects, though. I haven’t really done anything with clay since mine were your age! You’ve been inspiring me to try it again soon :)

    Reply
  2. Tonya says

    02/13/2013 at 9:24 am

    Those are SO cute. I have a son, so I probably won’t be making any bows… but you inspired an idea for my mom. She has recently become obsessed with finding cute barrettes for her hair since she let it grow out.

    Reply
  3. Ashley says

    02/13/2013 at 9:48 am

    You make the cutest stuff!! These are adorable!

    Reply
  4. Kara says

    02/13/2013 at 9:57 am

    My daughter is on such a bow kick!! I need to try this :)

    Reply
  5. Marilyn says

    02/13/2013 at 11:19 am

    Adrianne, now how fun, easy and cut is this….LOVE IT!

    Reply
  6. Monsterscircus says

    02/13/2013 at 5:53 pm

    I love polymer clay! And your tutorial is amazing as always!!! Thank you for sharing Adrianne and have a lovely day :-)

    Reply
  7. Beth J says

    02/13/2013 at 11:24 pm

    Very nice and I love the artist in training!

    Reply
  8. Lisa says

    02/15/2013 at 10:52 am

    thank you for the party!

    Reply
  9. Kadie says

    02/20/2013 at 9:21 pm

    So cute and pretty!! Love that Raya was right there crafting with you.:)

    Reply
  10. Heidi says

    02/21/2013 at 4:41 pm

    These are SO cute, Adrianne! I might need to make some for myself since I don’t have any girls! :)

    Reply

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Hello, and welcome! I'm Adrianne, an artist, author, designer, and blogger in mid Michigan. I work from home, chase my two kids, and this once-city-girl is learning how to care for chickens and adjusting to life out in the country. I have a compulsion for daily creativity... sometimes it's jewelry-making, paper crafting, metal stamping, mixing and baking, or giving new life to recycled items. But with 2 young kids, time is short! My goal here at Happy Hour Projects is to share projects and tips that you can do in an hour or less. The ideas you find here are designed to add a little creativity in your day, no matter how much (or how little) time you have!

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