Turns out, clay is magical! I’ve been having so much fun playing with it lately. My current favorite project? DIY air dry clay charms! You basically get to play with clay, mold it into fun shapes, let it air dry, and then paint it. To finish it off, you seal it in glossy resin for a durable, professional look.

I used mine to decorate a security lock in my living room (yes, really!), but they’d also be adorable as necklace or bracelet charms, bag charms, or even as tiny art pieces. Let’s walk through the process from start to finish so you can make your own.

How to Make DIY Air Dry Clay Charms

SUPPLIES

Clay + Tools

Air dry clay (I like white for painting on)
Clay rolling pin or a smooth glass bottle
Small cookie cutters (for clean shapes)
Silicone molds (for 3D bows or flowers)
Clay sculpting tools (for detail work or poking holes)
Water spray bottle (for smoothing as you work)
Eye pins (to attach later to chains)

Painting Supplies

White gesso (for priming)
Gouache paint (for rich, matte color)
Fine detail paintbrushes
Gold acrylic paint (water-based metallic works best)

Finishing Supplies

UV resin and UV lamp (they come in a kit with latex gloves and work great)
Needle nose pliers (to hold charms while you resin)
Split rings or jump rings (for turning your charms into decor or jewelry. I used the 9mm size for the security lock)

Step 1: Mold the Clay

There are three easy ways to shape your charms from Air Dry Clay:

Cookie Cutters: Roll out the clay until it’s nice and flat and use small cookie cutters to create shapes like circles, squares, and diamonds. So simple and satisfying.

Silicone Molds: Press the clay into a mold to create more dimensional shapes—like bows or flowers. You’ll get that 3D look without sculpting by hand.

Hand Sculpting: Make your own mini figurines! I made a cat, a teapot, and even a tiny camera. These were my favorites by far. Having clay sculpting tools helps create the little shapes. This book also helped with simple instructions for molding the 3D charms.

💡 Tip: Keep a spray bottle with water nearby. Lightly spritzing the clay while you work helps smooth out rough areas and keep it pliable.

Before your clay dries, insert an eye pin into the top of each charm. This hardware allows you to attach it to jewelry, bags, or decor later on. Note- you’ll probably need wire cutters to cut the eye pin a little shorter to fit inside the charm.

Let the charms air dry for 4–8 hours, or until they’re fully hardened.

Step 2: Paint Your Charms

Once dry, it’s time to paint! Here’s how to get a clean, vibrant finish:

Start with a white gesso primer. You can also use white acrylic paint. This helps the paint stick and gives a professional base coat—don’t forget the backs!

Use gouache paint for your details. I loved using a fine artist’s brush to get into every little crevice. Gouache dries to a soft matte finish that looks high-end and dreamy. Note, if you don’t have gouache paint on hand, acrylic craft paint will also work nicely!

For flat charms, I added gold paint along the edges and front border for a bit of sparkle. I use a water-based gold paint that’s easy to clean up but still super metallic. Tip- make sure to shake the bottle of gold paint well before applying it for an even paint color.

On 3D charms, gold accents bring out the cute details!

Let your painted charms fully dry before moving on.

Step 3: Resin Time!

Now for the best part—adding resin to give your DIY air dry clay charms that glossy, glass-like finish. I used this DIY kit that came with resin, gloves, and a UV light.

Wear gloves and use the nozzle lid to apply a few drops of UV resin to each charm.
I like to hold the charm with needle nose pliers and use a small paintbrush to spread the resin evenly.

Cure under a UV light for 60 seconds. Let it sit an additional 15 minutes to fully harden before flipping.
Then, repeat the process on the back of the charm.

💡 Cleanup Tip: Use nail polish remover and a cotton ball to clean the paintbrush you used for the resin.

Now What? Decorate!

Once the resin is cured and your charms are finished, just attach split rings to turn them into:

Bag charms
Necklace or bracelet pendants
Decor for a zipper, security chain, or even your keychain!

I put my charms onto a security lock. To do that, first I opened up the jump rings to be wide enough to go over the thick chain on the lock.

Then I took the charms I made and closed the jump rings around the charms and the chain to connect them. Super easy!

after

These DIY air dry clay charms are truly addictive to make. They’re perfect for adults, but also great for crafting with kids. If I was making with a child, I’d do the resin step for them as a safety precaution. And how cute do they look on the security lock?!

I love that the lock now looks like a charm bracelet! It’s such a fun way to decorate!

price breakdown

For this project, I had some of the supplies on hand (like Air dry clay, the bow Silicone mold, Clay sculpting tools, Water spray bottle, White gesso, Gouache paint, and Needle nose pliers.)

Here’s a price breakdown of what I did purchase in order to complete this project. Clay rolling pin for $11. Small cookie cutters for $8. Eye pins $5. Fine detail paintbrush $3. Gold acrylic paint $9, UV resin and UV lamp $13, and the security lock $10.

In total, I spent $59 on this project. I’ve been crafting a lot with clay so having all the tools to make it exactly how I want it, is very thrilling!

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been wanting to try clay, this is a fun, approachable way to get into it. Whether you make a batch for gifts or to keep around your house as whimsical little touches, DIY air dry clay charms are a great weekend project that you’ll be proud of!