
When any holiday rolls around, it’s nice to add a little bit of flair to your outfit, even if you’re not into wearing red, white and blue head to toe for the Fourth of July. A subtle accessory, or one that really pops, will give your wardrobe a hint of holiday cheer. For Valentine’s Day, we made some clay necklaces that are both playful and sassy and say, “Hey, I’m down with love.” Check out the tutorial below.
Materials:
– Sculpey clay
– chain
– eye pins
– jump rings
– lobster clasps
Tools:
– 2 sets of jewelry pliers
– wire cutters
– potter’s needle
– scrapper
Instructions:
We love Valentine’s Day because we get to go crazy with hearts. And we couldn’t resist making a neon pink heart to rock for that love-filled day.
- Roll your clay between your hands and press it down on a flat surface.
- Using your potter’s needle, draw your desired shape and then go back a second time and carve the shape, pulling the excess clay aside.
- Smooth your shape with your fingertips.
- Poke a hole through your shape with the potter’s needle, moving it around until the hole is large enough to fit your chain.
- Follow the instructions on the Sculpey packaging to bake your pendant.
- When the clay has cooled, file your chain through the hole, add jump rings (or eye pins if your chain is really thin like ours), and then a clasp.
I Heart You
Prepare your clay and press it firmly on a flat surface until it’s about ¼ inch thick.
Draw a heart with your potter’s needle, and then carve it out. Gently smooth the edges, taking care not to distort the shape.
Then add your hole by poking the needle through the side, much like a heart with an arrow. Add your chain, jump rings and a clasp, and then rock that baby!
Best Friends Foreva’ Eva’
Remember those BFF heart necklaces that you’d share with your favorite gal pal? Are those still a thing? Well we say yes, yes they are.
For this set of necklaces, follow the same process as the neon pink heart, but cut your heart in half, making a zigzag design down the middle.
Smooth out the bumps and add the hole.
Then add the chain. Our chain was very thin, so we used an eye pin to create a loop. Then we put a jump ring through the loop and added the clasp.
Besties!
With this pendant, you’ll send a message to the world (or at least to the people you walk past on the street). Your message: free hugs and kisses! So maybe a good thing, maybe kind of weird. But oh so cute, and so totally worth the occasional stranger hug.
Hugs and Kisses
Again, follow the same process but be very careful with your letters. You don’t want to lose a leg on your “x” or wind up with a deformed “o.”
Also, take note: If you’ve been using colorful clay and you want to switch to white, be sure to wash your hands. The remnants from the colored clay will show up on the white. Measure the size of your “o” by placing the “x” right next to it.
Cupid Was Here
We couldn’t resist making a little arrow necklace, and we love how it turned out!
The only difference in making this pendant is the findings.
Rather than poking a hole through the entire arrow (we tried — it was hard!), we opted to put an eye pin on each end. We baked the clay with the pins in place, which worked nicely. For this necklace, cut one piece of chain for each side.
This arrow looks great over your heart.
Enjoy your new necklaces! Kiss, kiss!
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.