Gorgeous DIY Air-Dry Clay Valentine’s Day Craft Pop-Tart Earrings

Are you looking for the cutest, most beginner-friendly DIY air-dry clay Valentine’s Day Craft? Look no further! I’m going to tell you the simple steps I take to create the cutest Valentine’s Day gift for the beautiful friends I have in my life. You only need a a few supplies and can customize them to fit your favorite Valentine’s Day vibe!

If you’re looking for the actual pop-tart flavors in my air dry clay form be sure to check out my DIY Air-Dry Clay Pop-Tarts! Or if you life fake food crafts in general, you can check out these DIY Simple Fake Cake Cups!

DIY air-dry clay Valentine’s Day craft Earrings:

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Supplies You Need

• Air- Dry Clay
• Clay tools (optional): roller, sculpting tools, score tool, clay sponges, sandpaper
• What I used to shape crust: q-tips, spooly
• Acrylic paint
• Various sized paint brushes
• Sealer
• Glitter (I used a chunkier one but I wish I had done this one)
• Earring making kit

DIY air-dry clay Valentine’s Day craft Earrings

Valentine’s Day Twist

I definitely love the OG flavors of pop-tarts but when it comes to Valentine’s Day- I don’t mess around. Something I take very seriously are Valentine’s Day colors. They are everything to me. I’m a pink girl all year round, you got a holiday? I have a way to appreciate the holiday with the colors I like. Let’s just say the color pink to me is what maple syrup is to elves. I love it, I NEED it.

Important: For this DIY air-dry clay Valentine’s Day craft, you can make these pop-tarts in the color scheme your heart desires. I would definitely lean into the colors that bring you joy. For this specific project I will be using “Valentine’s Day” colors. To me that means PINK, purple, red, and gold. Follow your heart! DIY air-dry clay Valentine’s Day craft earrings are so fun to customize to your own vibe.

Before You Begin: Earring Making

Start putting together your earring. You will need to be sure to purchase a jewelry kit that includes:

• Jewelry Eye Pins
• Sterling Silver Earring Hooks
• Jump Rings With Pliers

You will add a jump ring in to combine the eye pin and the earring hook. I used the pliers to do this and I also used the pliers to trim the eye pins to the sizes I wanted (a little smaller than the size I wanted my pop-tarts to be). If you don’t have the eye pins you can also just make sure to put a hole in the top of your crust and then just use a big enough jump ring.

STEP 1: PREPARE THE PASTRY

Here is where you will create the “crust” part of the pop-Tart. You need to pay special attention to the small details on the real Pop-tart and try your best to recreate with the clay. I just eyeballed a size I liked making sure it was more of a rectangle than a square since that matches a real pop-tart measurement. You can make this a big or as small as you want! For earrings, you will want the smaller size. Believe it or not- this clay can get pretty hefty when dry and the last thing you want is a heavy earring.

After I formed the shape I wanted I went it and added detail with the Q-tips and spooly. I basically poked around it with the Q-tip and then after that went over it with the spooly adding the texture. You can go as far as you want in this step- don’t overthink it! They are YOUR DIY air-dry clay Valentine’s Day craft earrings, they will end up amazing no matter what.

STEP 2: FIGURE OUT THE FROSTING

This is where you will add the little “frosting” on top of your crust. I don’t really follow any specific patter for this- I just try my best by usually a small but of it in a ball and then from there press it out to the size I want. If the edges get cracked while doing this I will dip my finger in some water and then smooth it out.

Pro Tip: if your clay at any point feels dry- you can add a little bit of water to your hands and then roll it into the clay with your hands.

Score it

 Be sure you remember to score your clay. This basically means to scratch both sides of the “frosting” and add a little water to get them to stay together. You might think this part doesn’t matter, but I promise its common practice when it comes to any kind of ceramic work and a good rule to follow.

STEP 4: SMOOTH WITH SANDPAPER (optional)

You will want to follow this step after your clay pop-tart has dried all the way. The drying process should only take 24-72 hours to dry completely. This part might be unnecessary depending on the quality of your clay and your desired end product. For some of the flavors you are going to want a smooth finish on the frosting but for the most part the crust might be the only thing that needs some polishing.

For some pop-tarts, only the sides and edges will be sanded to smooth it down.

STEP 5: PAINT YOUR POP-TARTS

This is where your paint will come into play. You want to choose or mix colors that fit the exact shade you are going for. For the most part this should be simple. Some details will be very small so be sure you are using your tiny brushes when necessary.

I use acrylic paints.

I usually paint the crust part first and use the tiny brushes to get in those small areas between the crust and frosting. Pro Tip: you can dip your brush in water before you dip it in the paint to help thin out the paint for easier access to those hard to reach areas.

For the crust I mixed together beige (white, brown, and yellow) and then from there added a bit of orange and kept mixing and adding those colors until I like it. Pro Tip: I will sometimes do a base coat in a darker crust color and then in my final pass I will mix together a lighter crust color and some water and go over any parts I think could use some dimension.

Don’t forget the back!

I painted the back a light pink and then sealed them first before flipping them over to seal the rest.

STEP 6: SEAL YOUR CREATION

This is my favorite part because it’s so satisfying to paint a clear coat of whatever sealing agent you choose over the entire pop-tart. I used a shiny one but matte would also work- it just depends on the look you are going for!

I used Mod Podge witch started off kind of opaque and scary but dries completely clear.

Final Result!

I love giving these away as Valentine’s Day gifts to my beautiful friends because they are handmade with love and are super simple to make! This is an awesome project for a beginner and can help open your eyes to the wonderful world of fake food!

In conclusion, crafting these adorable homemade “love tarts” in Valentine’s Day hues is not only a delightful creative project but also a scrumptious treat to share with your loved ones. Embrace the simple joy of DIY baking, and let the vibrant colors of these faux pop-tarts add a touch of sweetness to your day. Remember, it’s not just about the end result; it’s about the fun journey of making something special from scratch. So, spread the love, indulge in these charming treats, and celebrate the joy of creating delicious memories with those you care about. Happy crafting and happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers! 💖✨

Be sure tp leave a comment if you try this craft and let me know what colors you used! Until then, happy crafting!