These little fingerprint heart charms are a sweet way to capture those little fingerprints that won’t always be so little! Perfect for hanging on a necklace or keychain- these fingerprint charms will brighten anywhere you use them!
DIY heart charm materials…
These little fingerprint charms are made out of polymer clay. I wanted to make them out of my air dry clay- because I know you have what you need to make it! But my air dry clay recipe is too soft to hold the tiny details of these fingerprint charms.
THere are many brands of polymer clay but the thing that is consistent among all polymer clay is that it must be baked in the oven to be dried and hardened. I like this bulk pack of white polymer clay because it’s inexpensive and allows you to add whatever colors you like with paint.
You’ll also want paint in any colors you and your little person may choose. We used craft acrylic paint for this project. It’s inexpensive and comes in great colors but it not washable if it gets on clothes so it may require a little extra supervision.
Making heart charms…
These little heart charms are super simple to make -make them as big or small as you want! I started with a ball of clay a bit smaller than a typical “bouncy ball.” Polymer clay always starts off a bit stiff and hard to work with. Allow your kids a few minutes to play with the clay. The more the clay is handled the warmer it will get and the easier it is to manipulate.
Divide the clay into two equal parts and roll them into “football” shapes. Overlap the football shapes with two points overlapping at about forty five degrees. This is the point of the heart.
Press a fingerprint down on each of the football shape. This creates the heart shape as well as connects the two pieces of clay together.
Baking your clay fingerprint heart charms….
Get your fingerprint charms ready to bake by placing them on a baking sheet on top of a piece of parchment paper. Use a toothpick to make a hole in each charm. WIthout this hole you won’t be able to string your charm on a necklace or a keychain.
Make this hole bigger than you think you need. I suggest turning the charm ovr and making sure the hole is just as big on the back side as it is the front. If the hole is too small it gets super frustrating to try to poke a string through later. (Trust me.) Once your heart charms are baked it’s too late!
Each brand of polymer clay has slightly different baking instructions. The main idea is that you will bake the clay in a medium hot oven for fifteen to twenty minutes, based on the thickness of your fingerprint charms. Follow the directions on your package.
Adding color…
Get those little fingers ready to add some colors! We used acrylic paint here- just a tiny dab will do! Get a little paint on the pad of your little person’s index finger. Press down exactly as was done when you made the heart- once, and then again the other direction.
Hint…
If you’re pressed for time you can try this time saver. But please try it first as different brands of paint may react differently.
We actually pressed the clay into heart shapes, applied painted fingerprints, and theeeen baked. That’s right, we popped that wet paint into the oven and it came out just fine. And dry.
If you’re pressed for time or only have a group for a certain amount of class sessions this might be a good time saving tip. However, one of our colors did fade so I would def try with your specific paint before hanging your hat on this method!
What to make with your fingerprint charms…
These heart charms are such sweet little keepsakes! They’re so much more fun than the fingerprints smeared on your car windows, right?
String them on some colorful hemp twine for a sweet handmade necklace. Depending on the thickness of your charms a necklace might be a bit bulky. Add in a few lightweight beads like these to separate the charms and add a little interest! The beads could even be painted!
Make a keychain with one heart charm or a whole family full with these keychain findings.
Check out this fingerprint ring dish! It’s another idea for a sweet handmade craft that memorializes those little fingerprints!
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