Sparkling Heart Necklace

Valentine's Day is less than a month away and the net is abounding with the sweetest ideas for something homemade to give. In fact, I haven't purchased a Valentine gift or card in years because, in my opinion, there's something sacred about making a gift for your Valentine that has always held with me and this year is no different.

So in browsing around One Pretty Thing which is one of the best sites for craft ideas, I found this lovely idea from Muffin Tin Mom. I've never worked with clay before and after this craft I'm not really sure why. It's actually really fun and easy and, as noted on MTM's site, is also something fun to do with your children!

So, as noted in the directions here, I went to Michael's and picked up some of the clay that was on sale. They didn't have any cream or white so I was forced to get some that was colored. Not really what I wanted to do but this worked out fine in the end. I picked up some very fine glitter in the Martha Stewart ($4.99) section and an 18-inch silver chain ($2.99) in the jewelry section. I also went ahead and purchased the fondant heart cutters because I didn't have anything small enough. These were $2.99 though I'm sure you could easily free form these or use a cutter from home if you already have one.

I also opted not to purchase a metal/plastic/acrylic roller; being that they were $10 and this was my first time working with clay - I figured I'd just use my regular old wooden rolling pin which worked fine and I also used items from my sewing box to help me along. Seriously, it's often about what you already have on hand.

So, just follow the directions from MTM which are really straight forward. I didn't use any paints which, of course you could do on yours. You'll also see that I put my hole in a different place and made my way into a bit of beading. I also added a bit of ribbon which is a sweet touch. Seriously though, these are inexpensive to make and don't you know your female Valentine friends would just gush over receiving one from you!