Rings. Loose change. Paper clips. Those little impossible-to-find earring backs. These are just a few of the tiny trinkets we tend to lose if we don't have a place to put them right away! Enter these handy dandy DIY dishes; they're chic and small and perfect for wrangling all your favorite knick knacks. We want one for every room in the house!
We were inspired by the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day holiday and the “Luck of the Irish” to create a special landing place for our lucky pennies! But of course, you can use these little clay dishes for anything you want. Bonus: they’re super easy to make and they also make great gifts!
Step 1: Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten a handful of clay into a thin pancake. We used our fingers because we kinda dig the handmade pottery look! Use a cup, can, or other round object to cut out a circle in the clay.
Step 2: Lay the clay circle on top of a small bowl or dish. If using model air, leave the bowl out overnight to dry and harden. If using sculpey or other baking clay, place the dish in the oven and bake according to package instructions (make sure the dish is oven safe!).
Step 3: Once the clay has hardened, lift the clay off of the bowl mold. Paint the bottom of the clay dish any color you choose- we went with metallic copper paint to match our lucky pennies!
Step 4: When the paint on the bottom has dried, it’s time to get creative painting the inside of the dish! When coming up with a design, keep in in mind what your dish will be for; jewelry, keys, hair ties, loose change, etc. In keeping with our “lucky pennies” theme, we chose symbols of luck for our dishes; a horseshoe, four-leaf clovers, and fun calligraphy script saying “get lucky”! And don’t forget to paint the edge of the dish to bring the whole look together.
Step 5: Finish off your mini-masterpiece with a coat of mod podge or other varnish and let it dry. This makes the bowl waterproof against spills and also protects the paint from flaking off when you toss in your keys or other knick knacks.
These little bowls are so handy to have around the house, we’re glad we made three! Whether it’s for loose change, rings, keys, or other little easy-to-lose trinkets, these dishes are perfect for wrangling all your small treasures.
Kelsey Formost
As an only child who had to entertain herself a lot, Kelsey has always been a DIY fanatic! She grew up half beach bum in San Diego, CA, and half country bumpkin in Colorado Springs, CO. When she's not living the dream DIY-ing with Makeful, you can see her pop up on TV once in awhile on shows like 'Modern Family' and 'New Girl'!
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