Ornament Magnets

Remember when we made polymer clay Halloween magnets?
Here's the glittery Christmas version, and no. 4 in the "30 for $30" series...You'll need:
Polymer Clay in ornament color choices & silver/gray for the metal part
Magnets (michael's has a great selection)
Quick drying glue (I used super-glue gel)
Martha's Essential Glitter (mine are garnet, tourmaline & peridot)
Bendible wire or the top metal hook from your old/unusable ornaments
Sealant

Start off by rolling your clay into a ball that's around 1 & 1/2" wide, cut that ball in half & reshape so it looks like 1/2 an ornament. Next on the back of the 1/2 trace the size of your magnet & carve out a space slightly larger than the magnet size. (the clay will shrink a bit in the oven)To make the ornament topper knead a piece of your gray clay & shape it so it looks like a really fat dime. Cut that in 1/2 & you'll have the base for two ornament toppers.Curve the edge of so it'll fit snugly over the top of the ornamentUsing a carving tool (one made for clay or a tiny flathead screwdriver works well too) carve little curves in the topper like this:Then fit it to the top of the ornament round by lightly pushing them together & then rubbing the edges into eachother. If you're using bendible wire then use a pair of round nose pliers to shape it into an ornament topper like the one below. Trim the ends so it will fit into the half without cutting into the hole you made for the magnet.Press the ends firmly into your ornament topper so this is your end result:Bake according to the clay manufacturer's instructions in a piece of glass cookware that is designated just for craft projects. Clay & lasagna should not share the same cooking pan!
Once cool you'll want to glue your magnet on.
Last but not least it's time to glitter! Paint the ornament part with white glue & then cover liberally with glitter over a paper plate so you can reuse the leftover glitter. Once that layer dries you can go back & fill in any blank spots with more glitter & glue. Finally seal in the glitter by applying several coats of either mod podge or a seal like the Delta one I used.I hope you make these & love them everytime you open the fridge to munch on some raw cookie dough, I mean, healthy carrot sticks.

One more project down for justifying buying Martha's glorious $30 glitter, 26 to go!