Jewelry/WearableKids Crafts

A Collaboration with My Two-Year-Old: Air Dry Clay Necklace

My two-year-old loves to come up to my attic studio and make art.  We paint, we draw, we smooth fabric, we spray water, and most recently: we play with air dry clay.  We made some clay beads together — which mostly means that I rolled balls of clay and he smashed them.  But after he went to bed, I fixed up some of the salvageable beads and set them aside to dry.

RawBeads-wm
Once the beads had dried, I painted them — using the same technique I share in The Artful Holiday class to make these fabulous clay ring/jewelry dishes:

Golddish-wm
Golddish-wm
Golddish-wm
As a side note, if you're on the fence about The Artful Holiday class, "because you're just not a project person," I want to emphasize how many techniques are being taught in the class.  Technique that you can take and use in whatever way you want — like this surface painting method.  Every project in class uses multiple techniques which we hope you take and repurpose.  In fact, every Wednesday in class, I demonstrate how I'm repurposing some of those techniques!  Okay, side note over.

Once I painted the beads, it was time to string them together. 

Necklace-wm
Necklace-wm
As you can see, I mixed the clay beads with a lot of pewter findings — including bead caps for each of the beads. 

Detail2-wm
Detail2-wm
I think the bead caps really elevate these humble clay beads and make them look quite fancy.

Detail3-wm
The earrings I'm wearing are actually miniature versions of the dishes I shared above.

Earrings-wm
Earrings-wm
I'm having a lot of fun playing with air dry clay — just remember to seal it and it will last!

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Based outside of Boston, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is a painter, printmaker, and collage artist who constructs vibrant compositions. Her artwork investigates the interplay of identity and perception, inviting viewers to take a longer look. Julie works in layers, both physically and metaphorically, exploring what is visible and what is concealed. Passionate about connecting with and inspiring other artists, she shares her expertise through in-person workshops and her online classroom at MyArtPractice.com. Julie's achievements include high-profile clients, multiple publications - including her book, “Carve Stamp Play” - and exhibits in New York City and throughout Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Brown University.

56 thoughts on “A Collaboration with My Two-Year-Old: Air Dry Clay Necklace

  • Really beautiful! Did your sweet boy appreciate what you’d done with his handiwork?

    Reply
  • Really beautiful! Did your sweet boy appreciate what you’d done with his handiwork?

    Reply
  • Really beautiful! Did your sweet boy appreciate what you’d done with his handiwork?

    Reply
  • Really beautiful! Did your sweet boy appreciate what you’d done with his handiwork?

    Reply
  • Really beautiful! Did your sweet boy appreciate what you’d done with his handiwork?

    Reply
  • Really beautiful! Did your sweet boy appreciate what you’d done with his handiwork?

    Reply
  • Really beautiful! Did your sweet boy appreciate what you’d done with his handiwork?

    Reply
  • Julie – I always admire your artwork. ADDED to that, I appreciate the time & energy you spend with your son. I took the time to spend with our son, Ben – reading, sketching together, making up books about him, & playing outside in the dirt with him. We were close. You’ll NEVER regret these times…AND he’ll thank you someday. Ben did.
    TFSharing!
    Nancy Sapp

    Reply
  • Julie – I always admire your artwork. ADDED to that, I appreciate the time & energy you spend with your son. I took the time to spend with our son, Ben – reading, sketching together, making up books about him, & playing outside in the dirt with him. We were close. You’ll NEVER regret these times…AND he’ll thank you someday. Ben did.
    TFSharing!
    Nancy Sapp

    Reply
  • Julie – I always admire your artwork. ADDED to that, I appreciate the time & energy you spend with your son. I took the time to spend with our son, Ben – reading, sketching together, making up books about him, & playing outside in the dirt with him. We were close. You’ll NEVER regret these times…AND he’ll thank you someday. Ben did.
    TFSharing!
    Nancy Sapp

    Reply
  • Julie – I always admire your artwork. ADDED to that, I appreciate the time & energy you spend with your son. I took the time to spend with our son, Ben – reading, sketching together, making up books about him, & playing outside in the dirt with him. We were close. You’ll NEVER regret these times…AND he’ll thank you someday. Ben did.
    TFSharing!
    Nancy Sapp

    Reply
  • Julie – I always admire your artwork. ADDED to that, I appreciate the time & energy you spend with your son. I took the time to spend with our son, Ben – reading, sketching together, making up books about him, & playing outside in the dirt with him. We were close. You’ll NEVER regret these times…AND he’ll thank you someday. Ben did.
    TFSharing!
    Nancy Sapp

    Reply
  • Julie – I always admire your artwork. ADDED to that, I appreciate the time & energy you spend with your son. I took the time to spend with our son, Ben – reading, sketching together, making up books about him, & playing outside in the dirt with him. We were close. You’ll NEVER regret these times…AND he’ll thank you someday. Ben did.
    TFSharing!
    Nancy Sapp

    Reply
  • Julie – I always admire your artwork. ADDED to that, I appreciate the time & energy you spend with your son. I took the time to spend with our son, Ben – reading, sketching together, making up books about him, & playing outside in the dirt with him. We were close. You’ll NEVER regret these times…AND he’ll thank you someday. Ben did.
    TFSharing!
    Nancy Sapp

    Reply
  • That is fabulous – what a fun way to create together!

    Reply
  • That is fabulous – what a fun way to create together!

    Reply
  • That is fabulous – what a fun way to create together!

    Reply
  • That is fabulous – what a fun way to create together!

    Reply
  • That is fabulous – what a fun way to create together!

    Reply
  • That is fabulous – what a fun way to create together!

    Reply
  • That is fabulous – what a fun way to create together!

    Reply
  • You never cease to amaze me! And now you have a gorgeous necklace that has your energy and your son’s combined (even if his is a bit “smashing” lol)
    He will grow up knowing he has a magic mommy!

    Reply
  • You never cease to amaze me! And now you have a gorgeous necklace that has your energy and your son’s combined (even if his is a bit “smashing” lol)
    He will grow up knowing he has a magic mommy!

    Reply
  • You never cease to amaze me! And now you have a gorgeous necklace that has your energy and your son’s combined (even if his is a bit “smashing” lol)
    He will grow up knowing he has a magic mommy!

    Reply
  • You never cease to amaze me! And now you have a gorgeous necklace that has your energy and your son’s combined (even if his is a bit “smashing” lol)
    He will grow up knowing he has a magic mommy!

    Reply
  • You never cease to amaze me! And now you have a gorgeous necklace that has your energy and your son’s combined (even if his is a bit “smashing” lol)
    He will grow up knowing he has a magic mommy!

    Reply
  • You never cease to amaze me! And now you have a gorgeous necklace that has your energy and your son’s combined (even if his is a bit “smashing” lol)
    He will grow up knowing he has a magic mommy!

    Reply
  • You never cease to amaze me! And now you have a gorgeous necklace that has your energy and your son’s combined (even if his is a bit “smashing” lol)
    He will grow up knowing he has a magic mommy!

    Reply
  • Gorgeous necklace and earings!!!!! You are truly an amazing creative artist! What a lucky little guy to have hands on abundance of creative play time.

    Reply
  • Gorgeous necklace and earings!!!!! You are truly an amazing creative artist! What a lucky little guy to have hands on abundance of creative play time.

    Reply
  • Gorgeous necklace and earings!!!!! You are truly an amazing creative artist! What a lucky little guy to have hands on abundance of creative play time.

    Reply
  • Gorgeous necklace and earings!!!!! You are truly an amazing creative artist! What a lucky little guy to have hands on abundance of creative play time.

    Reply
  • Gorgeous necklace and earings!!!!! You are truly an amazing creative artist! What a lucky little guy to have hands on abundance of creative play time.

    Reply
  • Gorgeous necklace and earings!!!!! You are truly an amazing creative artist! What a lucky little guy to have hands on abundance of creative play time.

    Reply
  • Gorgeous necklace and earings!!!!! You are truly an amazing creative artist! What a lucky little guy to have hands on abundance of creative play time.

    Reply
  • This is a collab I can get behind!

    Reply
  • This is a collab I can get behind!

    Reply
  • This is a collab I can get behind!

    Reply
  • This is a collab I can get behind!

    Reply
  • This is a collab I can get behind!

    Reply
  • This is a collab I can get behind!

    Reply
  • This is a collab I can get behind!

    Reply

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