A Bird Ornament... or How to Embed Rhinestones in Polymer Clay

Here is an easy technique for setting rhinestones into polymer clay. I made a very simple bird ornament to decorate. Hope you find this useful!

Things you'll nee to complete this project:

1 - 56g block of STAEDTLER fimo soft #0 white

1 - 56g block of STAEDTLER fimo soft #26 cherry red

teeny piece of STAEDTLER fimo soft #9 black

1 - 56g block of STAEDTLER fimo effect #505 mint

bake-able rhinestones (heat resistant)

basic sculpting tools

bird cookie cutter (non food use)

clay roller

drinking straw

1cm wide decorative ribbon to hang piece

 I'm using a chick cookie cutter from Easter and cutting off the leg part. Use what you have or trace a bird shape out onto the flattened clay and cut it out with a craft knife.

 I rolled the white clay out to about 1/4cm thick and cut out my bird shape.

 I made a 1/4cm thick teardrop wing shape and placed it onto the bird.

 I rolled a ball of black clay and gave the bird an eye.

 A drinking straw makes the best hole to hang ornaments. 

 I made a 1/2cm thick worm of green clay and cut 1/2cm slices from it. I turned those slices into teardrop shapes.

 Flattening the teardrops makes little leaves. I used these to make a wreath around the bird.

I made a 1/2cm thick worm from the red clay and cut off 1/2cm thick slices. I made little balls from the slices and places them on the wreath. I used the back end of a paintbrush that was roughly the same size as the rhinestones I was using to push an indent into the middle of each red ball. I placed a rhinestone into each indent and gently closed the red clay in around each rhinestone edge to secure it.

Bake the piece in a preheated 230 degree oven, on a parchment lined baking surface, for 20 minutes.

(Thanks Pam!)

Hang the bird with a piece of decorative ribbon, or glue a brooch pin top the back of the piece.