Friends, I have the perfect, heartfelt, handmade gift idea for you today! Handmade Heart Thumbprint Necklaces! Or Keychains, thumbprint jewelry options are endless, however, the gift is priceless! Crafted with polymer clay and your favorite fingerprint!
This charm can be created to wear as jewelry or it can be created and made into a key chain or simply a heart charm to keep near as memorial jewelry! I chose to create a thumbprint heart necklace.
Pin Heart Thumbprint Charm Necklace Here
Click the button above to save to your board for later!
Update: Check out this post if you are in need of a charm for three fingerprints!
Mother’s necklaces are super popular and beautiful with precious stones in sterling silver or white gold and those are amazing but even more precious are the little fingerprints that adorn these custom-design fingerprint charms!
These handmade pieces are fun and unique and perfect for all the special people in your life. They are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Birthdays, and more! I can speak from experience that this is a great gift for a mom or grandma! This is also a great idea for new parents!
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Let’s get started! For your convenience, linked below is my materials list. The only thing I can’t link for you is the actual child’s fingerprint you will use :)
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Supplies Needed For the Heart Thumbprint Necklaces:
- Oven Bake Clay
- Small rolling pin (I used my kids’ play dough one!)
- Heart Cookie Cutter
- Bobby Pin
- Martha Stewart Paints
- Martha Stewart Paint Brushes
- Necklace Chains or necklace twine
- Jump rings
- Cute kids who have cute thumbs :)
Grab all the supplies you need right here in one place on my Amazon storefront!
How to Make Heart Thumbprint Charm Necklace
Time needed: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Take a chunk of oven baked clay and turn it into a personalized piece of jewelry using a few supplies and children’s fingerprints! Below are the instructions to make a heart thumbprint necklace.
- Roll Polymer Clay
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Begin by cutting a chunk off the oven-bake clay off the block and roll it flat on the baking sheet. I used my boys’ play dough roller! It worked perfectly! You want the clay to be about 1/4″ thick.
- Add Fingerprints
Next, I had each of the little ones come and press their thumbs into the clay in a V shape. You can use fingerprints or thumbprints. Be sure they wash their hands afterward.
- Cut Heart Charm
Using a small heart cookie cutter, center the cutter over the thumbprints and cut the polymer lay into a heart shape.
- Remove Excess Clay
To maintain the heart shape as best you can, remove the excess clay around the cookie-cutter first and then gently remove the cookie cutter as well. You will be left with a perfect heart with fingerprints!
- Create a hole for jewelry findings.
If you are creating a charm to use for a necklace, bracelet or keychain, use a bobby pin or other small nail/pin to create a hole in the clay near the top of the pendant. A jump ring will be added to attach to the jewelry.
- Bake
Bake according to the package directions. My clay said to bake at 275 degrees F for 15 minutes per 1/4 inch. I baked for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the charms from the oven and allow them to cool.
- Paint (optional)
If you’d like to, you can paint the charm using acrylic paint. I made some metallic ones using the Martha Stewart Metallics line! Allow to dry.
- Add Jump Ring
When cooled or paint dried, use needle nose pliers to attach a jump ring through the hole on the heart charm. Check out this post to see the correct way to attach a jump ring.
- Attach to Jewelry Piece
After you add the jump ring you may either thread a necklace through or attach to a charm bracelet or keychain.
More Handprint and Footprint Projects!
Fingerprint Jewelry Gift Boxes
You can also create some adorable gift boxes for your newly made fingerprint pendants.
To take it to another notch, I had this cute idea to use some silk screen stencils and more of the paint to decorate some pillow boxes to put the necklaces in for gifts!
Use the Sponge applicators and dab the paint on the silkscreen and wipe across to remove the excess.
The great thing about the silkscreens is that they have a tiny mesh in the open areas that keep the paint right where you need it. Ever try to fill an open stencil and you brush on your paint and you are left with a stencil with a giant glob of paint stroked uneven paint inside? Yea me too! These silkscreens keep the open areas full of paint!
This fingerprint necklace is perfect for anyone you may have a special relationship with! It is a unique gift that can never be duplicated because it’s made from your fingerprints!
More Popular Keepsake Projects:
PIN HEART THUMBPRINT CHARM NECKLACE
Comments & Reviews
lora@designsbylora.com says
SOOO>>> where did you buy these fancy heart cookie cutters (all 3 times)
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Walmart…I am pretty sure all three times, lol! Maybe target once. They were very inexpensive. Like $0.97 for 6 or 8 nesting ones.
Laura says
About what size is the small heart cookie cutter?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Laura, I’d say an inch and a half or so? Big enough for fingerprints but small enough to be worn!
Diane says
If my son was deployed I would definitely do it and keep his print close to my hear.
Amy says
How many heart thumbprints can you do with one package of clay? I have a preschool classroom of 17 children and would love to do this but not sure how much clay to order. Thanks for any input!!
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Hi Amy, depending on the size of your heart cookie cutter I’d think you’d need 2-3 packages. You don’t use too much per charm.
Stacy says
I bought a one pound package of sculpted and was able to make one with all 24 of my first graders with plenty of clay to spare! I think I only used about half of the package. :)
Shelley Seely says
Cheryl–
Love this idea. Did you put any sealant or protective coat over the heart?
Shelley
PS. ADDICTED to your blog.
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Aww Thanks so much Shelley! I did not use a sealant. Just the acrylic paint. Mine are still holding up perfectly! If you bake the clay correctly they are pretty sturdy!
Diane Livingston says
Using that tick of paint doesn’t appear you can see the finger print? i want to do this with my son he will be deploying this year and I really want him to be close to my heart. So I am going to do a charm like these.
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Hi Diane! In person you can still see the print! It just doesn’t photograph well. I think that’s a great idea to do with your son! Thank him please for his service! I will pray for a safe deployment for him!
Judi Byers says
Hi! This thumbprint heart is precious! Would the air dry clay work as well? And can I use any kind of acrylic paint? Thank you!
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Hi Judi, I found that the air dry clay crumbles. If you want it for the long run I would use the polymer over bake type! Also, any kind of acrylic will work!
Vickie B says
What is the thickness of the clay when you rolled it out?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
About 1/4″ or so!
Jenn says
When I comes out of the oven how long does it take to harden and cool before you painted it?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
I think it just depends on your climate. They come out of the oven hard. You can always put them in front of a fan, but it didn’t take too long (that I remember) they are only 1/4″ thick.
LeAnn says
I currently have these in the oven at my school. I hope this craft works. It’s such s cute idea!!!! Thanks!
Jenn says
Me too! I can’t wait to pain them with my students this afternoon. Great craft for Mother’s Day.
Stanette says
What is the name of the clay u used? And where did u get it? Thank u
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Hi Stanette, I linked to the clay I use in the post supply list. It is Sculpey brand. You can get it online or at most craft stores.
Debbie Gan says
Do you think this would work with model magic?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Debbie, the air dry clay ended up cracking for us. It was not as durable at all compared to the polymer clay.
Phyllis says
I wanted something special to make with my first through third grade Sunday School class and this is something we can’t mess up and will be a great memory for moms. I have one boy who is the last of 5 and wanted something grand and this is it. THANK YOU!!!!
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Aww! So glad Phyllis!
Debbie Madison says
I am a 4th-grade teacher. I am using this idea with Milk plastic in our matter unit. Thank you for the great gift idea!!
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Oh my chemical engineer/science former self is so happy to hear this!