It feels like it’s been forever since I posted a tutorial, so this is a two-for-one deal. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to make a pair of rose earrings and hairpins, either (or both!) of which would be perfect for all of those New Year’s Eve parties you’ve got coming up.

To make either the earrings or hairpins, first you’ll need to make the roses. They’re really easy, I promise. You’ll need:
Polymer clay
An oven
A baking sheet
Parchment paper (optional)

Methods
1. Take a tiny ball of clay, and flatten it into a disc. Roll this disc into a tube and you have the base for your rose.

2. Make another ball, flatten it, thin out the edges by squeezing them between your fingers, and wrap it around the rose core.

3. Continue making balls, flattening them, and wrapping them around the flower base and previous petals.
4. When you’re done your rose will probably have a large base, which you’ll need to trim off with a knife before you bake it.
5. This is what the bottoms of your roses should look like after you trim them.
6. Bake on parchment paper, following the instructions on your clay.

If you’re still confused about how to make the roses, here is another tutorial, complete with a cute video, and another one. It takes a little bit of practice, but soon you’ll be making roses by the dozens.

Now that you have some clay roses, it’s time to decide what to do with them.

Rhinestone and Rose Earrings

Materials:
Two matching clay roses
Earring blanks
Glue (E-6000 is my favorite)
Rhinestone chain (I bought mine from a roll at a fabric store, but I’ve seen it in the jewelry section at craft stores, as well. You could definitely recycle old jewelry, too!)
Wire-cutters

Methods:
1. Measure and cut two pieces of rhinestone chain about 1 -5/8-inches long. (Your chain might be a little bit different than mine, though, so you might want to check that this length will work for you before you cut it.)

2. Glue a rose to the earring blank. Leave space on one edge for the rhinestone chain. Allow it to dry.

3. Loop the rhinestone chain and glue it to the earring blank. Let everything dry.

Repeat for two earrings, and you’re done!

Now for the hairpins, which are even easier.

Rose Hairpins

Materials:
Polymer clay roses
Bobby pin blanks
Glue (E-6000)

Methods:
1. Cover the pad of your pin blank with glue.

2. Attach your clay rose, and let it dry.

Repeat as many times as necessary.

Stick randomly in an updo.

Or just pin your hair back from your face.

I chose red for my roses, but of course you could make yours any color you like. I could also see them making a fabulous necklace. Have fun!