Learn how to make a polymer clay ring dish with these easy handprint craft instructions, complete with a video tutorial.
A handprint art ring dish or jewelry bowl made with marbled polymer clay is a unique homemade gift idea that kids can make for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, or a birthday. Use this DIY marbled clay ring dish tutorial to make a handprint jewelry bowl with your children or a personalized ring dish for yourself!
Related: Four Season Handprint and Fingerprint Tree
Marbled Clay Ring Dish and Jewelry Bowl DIY
The clay ring dishes by “A Beautiful Mess inspired our handprint jewelry dishes and ring bowls with one crucial difference. Instead of making the clay ring bowls round, we made our clay jewelry dishes in the shape of my daughter’s handprint to give away as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts. And, best of all, her grandparents loved them!
The necklace in the handprint jewelry bowl below is a drawing of my daughter’s made into a necklace. Another fun idea is to have your child make a beaded “mom or mum” necklace or a thumbprint heart necklace to complete the gift.
Related: Shell Frames with Handprint Art Keepsake Craft
Handprint Ring Dish Craft Supplies
- Colored polyform clay
& white polyform clay - Rolling pin or polyform Sculpey acrylic clay roller
- Precision glass cutting mat
- X-Acto Knife or clay tools
- Cardstock
- Pencil
- Bake safe bowl
- Acrylic metallic paint or metallic silver and gold paint pens
- Paintbrushes
- Oven bake clay bond and glaze pack (optional)
& 
Polymer Clay Handprint DIY Ring Holder Dish Video Tutorial
Related: Fingerprint Art Magnets
Related: Thumbprint Heart Glass Magnets
How to Make a Handprint Art DIY Clay Jewelry Dish Step By Step Tutorial
Step 1 – Make Handprint Art Template
Trace your child’s hand. It is easier (and much safer) to trace a handprint art template cut from cardstock than your child’s actual hand. And creating a handprint template makes it possible to easily make more than one ring holder dish.
So, we decided to make our handprint art template with cardstock to have a sturdy handprint template that would be safe to use repeatedly. But beware, it’s almost impossible to trace the hand of a toddler, preschooler, or kindergartener perfectly. Please do your best to clean up the lines until you like the shape of your handprint template, and then cut it out.
The good news is that you only need to trace one hand to make a handprint art template for your ring dish. You can flip it to either side to make a left or right-handed jewelry bowl.
Related: Salt Dough Handprint and Footprint Heart
Step 2 – Look at the Marbled Clay Ring Dish Instructions by A Beautiful Mess
The ring bowls we saw made by “A Beautiful Mess” inspired our handprint ring holder dish and jewelry bowl. Many copycats have replicated their gorgeous ring bowls over the years, but they were the first to share how to marble clay and turn it into a ring dish on the world wide web. So, we started using the marbled clay ring dish directions they provided and continued to play and experiment with mixing polymer clay in different ways to get other effects. And after making several marbled polymer clay ring dishes–we have come up with a few additional tips to share with you below about how best to make a clay ring dish or jewelry bowl.
- Select a few polymer clay colors and roll them into several different sizes of clay snakes (thin vs. thick) to vary the marbled effect.
- A tiny bit of black polymer clay added into the mix is essential. When mixed into other clay colors, the black polymer clay helps define the marbling and makes a jewelry bowl look gorgeous–with or without gray polymer clay added to it. A marbled polymer clay jewelry bowl doesn’t look as good without the black clay.
- Roll your ball of polymer clay into a snake once again for a super-thin marbled swirly look. Next, fold the marbled clay snake in half. Then, twist the marbled clay snake up once again.
- Reuse the polymer clay from two or more ring bowl scraps to make a third ring dish. Next, roll the leftovers from each clay jewelry dish into one or more snakes. Twist them together, and finally, add another polymer clay snake in a different color if needed or desired.
- Make each DIY clay jewelry bowl as thick as you can. Jewelry dishes and ring bowls that are made too thin are highly fragile.
and roll them into several different sizes of clay snakes (thin vs. thick) to vary the marbled effect.
helps define the marbling and makes a jewelry bowl look gorgeous–with or without gray polymer clay added to it. A marbled polymer clay jewelry bowl doesn’t look as good without the black clay.
Related: Keepsake Gifts Kids Can Make
Step 3 – Roll Out Marbled Polyform Clay and Trace Handprint Art Template
- Roll your twisted marbled clay into a ball and use a rolling pin to flatten.
- Place your hand template on top and cut it out using clay tools or an x-acto knife. (An adult should complete this step.)
We used a precision glass cutting mat for rolling out and cutting our marbled clay hand-shaped ring dish. It makes it easy to protect our tables and counters from stains and cuts. A glass mat also makes a great painting pallet because you can scrape off dried paint easily!
Step 4 – Bake Marbled Clay Handprint Jewelry Dish
Place the marbled polymer clay handprint art into an oven-safe bowl and bake according to the polymer clay manufacturer’s directions. We cooked our jewelry dish for 15-20 minutes at @275 degrees.
Step 5 – Allow Handprint Clay Jewelry Dish to Cool
Allow your homemade handprint art jewelry dishes to cool completely before moving on to the next step in the instructions.
Step 6 – Paint the Rim of the Handprint Art Ring Dish
Use a metallic silver or gold paint pen
(or a small paintbrush) to paint acrylic metallic paint around the rim of each handprint jewelry dish or ring bowl. Keep a wet rag or water wipe close by to keep the marble clay ring dish clean as you work. And, For an extra special touch, use an extra-fine tip paint pen
to write a personalized message on the bottom of the handprint ring bowl for mom, dad, nana, grandma, or grandpa.
Step 7 – (optional) Use glaze to seal and protect Marbled Clay Handprint Jewelry Bowl
Apply polymer clay glaze to seal and protect your handprint ring dish. (optional)
Related: Fingerprint Flower Glass Magnets
Related: Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make
Clay Handprint Jewelry Dish or DIY Ring Bowl Gift Idea Kids Can Make
Make a beautiful ring holder dish with your children at home or in the classroom with the step-by-step instructions and video tutorial above. A jewelry dish makes a lovely homemade gift idea for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparents Day, Christmas, or a Birthday.
With help from a caregiver or teacher, children can make a handprint art jewelry dish or DIY ring bowl for parents and grandparents at home or in the classroom. A marbled clay ring holder dish makes a unique gift idea that friends and family are sure to love.
Complete the gift with any of the easy ideas below!
The necklace in the handprint jewelry dish in the left handprint ring bowl pictured below is a drawing of my daughters that I had made into a necklace. Look at the lists below for more jewelry gift ideas and fun ways to complete your handprint gift.
Homemade Necklace Gift Ideas for Handprint Jewelry Bowl
- Thumbprint Heart Necklace
- Fingerprint Flower Necklace
- DIY photo necklace
- Mom (or mum) necklace
- Mother-daughter necklace set
- How to make a beaded necklace or bracelet
Gorgeous Jewelry gift ideas to gift with a handprint art ring dish
- Delicate name rings
- Gemstone Stacking Mom Rings
- Disc necklace with birthstones
- Mother-Daughter Circle Pendant Necklace
- Family Name Rings Personalized Necklace
- Personalized name necklace
More gorgeous gift ideas that kids from toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners to grade school kids and teens are on this great list of homemade gift ideas kids can make!
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
If You Liked This Handprint Art Jewelry Bowl, You might also like:
- Cute Keepsake Gift Ideas
- Favorite Gifts for Mom
- Four Season Handprint and Fingerprint Tree
- Fingerprint Art Glass Magnet Keepsake Craft
- Salt-Dough Handprint and Footprint Heart
- Personalized Mother’s Day Candle Holder
- Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make (photo below)
How much clay does it take for each hand?
Good question Carla. You’ll need a small handful for each hand. Do you best to keep the hand at least 1/4 inch thick. If it is too thin it will easily break. I hope that helps!
I absolutely love this idea for a mother’s day project for the kiddos. I have watched multiple YouTube “how to” videos and I don’t see why the adhesive is necessary in this project. I bought the three pack glaze as suggested but I’m left thinking of how to incorporate the adhesive. Is it in case we add bling?
Yes, Adriana, the only use for it is to add bling. You don’t really need it for this project. We found it useful for making snowman ornaments to make sure the twig arms stuck and the carrot nose stayed put.
Just wondering if it is possible to write on these maybe after they are baked?
Great question, Jennifer!
Yes, You can use paint pens! Metallic silver or gold would look amazing! In fact, you can use metallic paint pens to paint the sides instead of using a paintbrush and paint. You can find our recommendations in the craft supply list above. 🙂
The clay handprint jewelry bowl was such and easy and fun keepsake to make with my 6 year old son. He picked out the colors, rolled the clay, twisted it and rolled it into a ball. I did the rest and it was very easy and they came out looking awesome! Thank you!!
That’s wonderful Rebecca!
I’m so glad that you and your 6-year-old son enjoyed making this handprint craft together and that you are happy with the result. Thank you so much for letting me know… It makes it all worth the while.
With gratitude,
Nell
Should we spray to protect the surface .
Hello Sue! I’m so sorry for the delayed response. We have been busy with the holidays! You can spray them to protect them, but it is not necessary. They are fragile, so a spray varnish just may help!
Can you use mod podge to seal them when they are done in the oven??
Great Question Brynn!
I have not tried it, so I’m not sure. The consistency of Mod Podge is a bit thin compared to the glaze made for polymer clay, but yes… I think it would work just fine. If you try it, come on back and share if it works, thanks!
Hi, just wondering If the hand (polymer) shrinks after taking out of the oven.
Thank you!
Hi Ana, great question! No, in my experience, the polymer clay does not shrink after baking the ring bowl and jewelry dish craft. The handprint hardens but can be fragile. Handle with care!
Nell
I want to make this handprint jewelry dish with some of my students. Can the dish be baked in a toaster oven?
Hi Michelle, great question! I’ve never tried it, but I don’t see why not? The smell of clay cooking isn’t great–so make sure you cook them in in a well ventilated area.