If you’ve never played around with polymer clay, you’re seriously missing out. Almost like Play-Doh for big kids, polymer clay is great for making just about anything. I prefer to make charms with my clay. Where else would you find bacon and egg charms? From necklaces and pins to one-of-a-kind earrings and charm bracelets, anything can be made out of this wonder clay. For an easy starter, learn how to make a yummy little cupcake charm.

What you’ll need:
Polymer clay: Any color or brand will do, but I stick to Sculpey and Fimo clays. They come in many different hues and if if the right one can’t be found, mix the clay together for a desired shade.
Toothpicks or a needle: For poking holes in the clay
A knife or other sharp cutting tool
A hard surface for rolling or flattening the clay
An oven
A baking sheet or oven-safe tray
Metal wire: For putting hooks in the clay, that way the charms can hang. To avoid the hassle of bending the fine wire, buy eye pins, or straight metal pins with the hoop already made. You’ll only have to cut the straight part of the pin back if it’s too long.
Metal "findings": Metal “findings” are the clasps, hoops and other jewelry-making necessities. I always have a little can full of all sorts of findings, that way I always have what I need when I need it.
Acrylic paint (optional)

1. Prepare the clay
The clay doesn’t just come out of the package soft and ready for rolling. Knead the clay until it is pliable and comfortable enough to work with. The entire package isn’t needed, so just pinch off a decent chunk of the corner and start squishing it to get it ready. The final cupcake should be about the size of a nickel or a dime, so don’t use excess clay.

2. Making the cup
Start by rolling a ball about the size of a quarter. Once the ball is made, place it on a flat surface and roll it a little bit, making it into a more cylindrical shape. Don’t make it too skinny, or very long. The goal here is to make a short, chubby tube. Once that is done, take a knife and chop the end off, making a cut about 1/4 inch into the roll. The clay should now be shaped into what looks like a cup. Set it aside.

3. Making the icing
Take a second color and make another ball, only this time roll it out into a nice, long roll. This one should be long and skinny, and if one is too long, cut the excess off. Once you have a roll, place one end on top of the edge of the cup made in step two. Slowly and carefully, run the icing roll around the top edge of the cup, spiraling upwards like you would when actually icing a cupcake. Make sure to press the clay firmly together, but not so hard that it loses its shape. Once the desired icing height is reached, cut off the excess (if there is any) and finish off the icing spiral.

4. The final touches
Now that there is a cute little cupcake, just add the finishing touches. To make the cup part look more like an actual cupcake cup, carefully take a knife and make lines around the edge. You can also roll tiny balls of clay and place them along the icing, like sprinkles. This is the part to be really creative, so add whatever you’d like to the cupcake.

5. Adding the wire
If you have an eye pin, cut it down to the appropriate length (you don’t want the end to stick out the bottom) and slowly stick it into the middle of the top of the icing. If you’re using wire, the process is the same, only you’ll have to use some needle nose pliers and carefully bend the hoop. I’d recommend waiting until the clay has baked in the oven to do that

6. Bake it
Place the finished cupcake on a baking sheet or other oven-safe tray and stick it in the oven. Make sure to refer to the clay’s packaging for baking instructions, as different clays bake at different times and temperatures. Place it in the oven for the required time and when the time is up, the charm is done. Carefully remove the tray from the oven and set aside for a few minutes to cool.

Once the clay has been baked, the charm is good to go. If you used wire to make the hook, bend the hoop once the charm has cooled. Now you can hang your charm, or add findings to make earrings or other jewelry. One of the cool things about polymer clay is that it can also be painted, so if you didn’t add sprinkles, or the color isn’t what you wanted, you can paint those on as soon as it’s hard from the baking. I like to paint little faces on mine. You can also purchase glaze, to add a shiny and protective topcoat to the charm.

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