According to the Necco website, the confectionary company started printing messages on their popular candies back in the 1860s. If you’d like to create a more permanent version of these candies, you can use polymer clay that bakes in your oven. Make a large heart that can be used as a paperweight, while mid-sized hearts can be glued to magnets or even strung on a necklace. You can make one-to-eight hearts from one block of polymer clay. Fimo and Sculpey are two popular and common brands of polymer clay; both come in a variety of colors.
Craft Materials
Remember that you don’t have to use the entire block of clay, so you can keep the cost of this craft down by saving some of the clay for future projects.
You will need
- One or more blocks of polymer clay in the colors of your choice
- A plastic knife to help you cut the clay
- A wide six-inch long dowel, if you want a rolling pin (optional)
- Toothpicks that will allow you to write messages in the clay
- Ceramic baking dish
- Chalk pastels (optional)
- Permanent marking pens (optional)
How to Make this Kids Craft for Valentine’s Day
- Cut the clay a bit smaller that the finished size heart that you wish to make.
- Flatten the clay with your hand or the rolling pin so that it is a quarter-inch thick.
- Use the knife to cut out a heart shape. If you have a small cookie or clay cutter, you may want to use it.
- Smooth the edges of the clay with your fingers.
- Use the point of the toothpick to gently carve your message into the clay. As you press your message into the clay you should remove the excess crumbles of clay. If you don’t like how this looks, smooth the clay and then write your message on the baked heart with a permanent marking pen.
- Set the clay on the baking dish and bake according to the directions on the package.
- Rub a piece of chalk pastel over a scrap of paper. With your finger, pick up the loose chalk powder and rub it over the surface of the cooled clay heart. Work some of the chalk into the words to make it stand out more. Also, applying a thin coating of chalk dust over the heart will resemble the confectioner’s sugar dusted over the edible candy hearts.
Arts and Craft Options
Paperweight – Use the entire block of clay to make a large heart approximately ¼” thick.
Magnet – Avoid applying any chalk pastel to the back of the heart. With a hot glue gun attach a magnet.
Necklace charm – Before baking the heart slide a bamboo skewer or round coffee stirrer through the sides of the heart, being careful to not squash the heart. Make smaller hearts that you don’t write words to place along the side of your message charm.
These clay hearts are quick and easy crafts for kids to make this Valentine’s Day. Personalize messages for the friends and family you wish to give these clay hearts to and they will have a keepsake that lasts a lot longer than candy.
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