DIY Clay Jewelry Dish

It’s hard to believe that I have yet to find the ideal system for organizing my jewelry. Where is that perfect piece of storage for necklaces, rings, earrings, and bracelets so they could all live happily and neatly in a single place?! Alas, I have a handful of decorative ceramic bowls and porcelain dishes scattered along my dresser, separating rings from bracelets from earrings. And after seeing this tutorial on how to create a sweet faux porcelain dish, I immediately had to try it. Why not add more to my ever growing collection . . .

You’ll need:

  • one small and one medium sized ovenproof bowls
  • a baking sheet or wax paper
  • a paper or fabric lace doily
  • a rolling pin
  • 2 ounces of polymer clay
  • a knife
  • an oven
  • a nail file (optional)

Preheat the oven to 275°F (130°C). Even though most polymer clay is non-toxic, all the surfaces and tools that comes in contact with the clay should be strictly used for crafts and not reused with food. The first step is to condition the clay. Knead the clay in between your fingers, until it becomes softer and more pliable. Then, start rolling out the clay on a baking sheet or wax paper.

The clay should be rolled out to a thickness of 1/4″. Place a paper or fabric lace doily over the clay and make an imprint with the rolling pin. Gently peel the lace doily away from the clay.

Turn a small bowl over and place it over the clay. Using a knife, trim away any excess clay from the perimeter.

Carefully lay the circular clay piece into a larger and shallow bowl. Place the bowl onto the middle rack of the oven and bake for approximately 15 – 20 minutes.

Allow the bowl to cool completely before removing the clay dish. Use a nail file to smooth out the edges. I personally prefer to keep it white, however, I’m sure it would look just as cute painted gold or sprayed painted in another color. Enjoy!!

(all images by HonestlyWTF; tutorial adapted from here)

Leave a Comment

124 Comments

  1. Valeria wrote:

    Thank you! I wanna do a lot of them in pastel colors <3

    Where did you get those lovely tiny rings in the last pic?

    2.21.12
    Reply
  2. Amazing and so simple!

    xoxo
    http://fashionagony.blogspot.com/

    2.21.12
    Reply
  3. Hannah wrote:

    Wow this is such a great idea! Definitely on the ‘to try’ list!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  4. This is lovely and so doable. I’ve been doing polymer clay crafts/jewelry for a long time and anyone can do this project. Also, thank you for highlighting the fact that once polymer clay touches something, no food should come in contact with it. I use a cheap toaster oven to bake it in so I don’t have to use my oven.

    2.21.12
    Reply
  5. I share the same frustration over the lack of one perfect jewelry storage solution – this is an adorable make-do until that glorious day when someone invents the ULTIMATE jewelry organizer!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  6. Will copy it for me!
    😉
    Girls, look at my blog, yesterday published a DIY with many sequins!
    http://detrasdellabial.blogspot.com/2012/02/diy-clutch-lentejuelas-doradas.html

    XoXo

    2.21.12
    Reply
  7. will makes this for sure!!
    http://bonnieclydemarni.blogspot.com/

    2.21.12
    Reply
  8. Kate wrote:

    I love how easy this looks. And practical.

    2.21.12
    Reply
  9. That’s so cool! Looks simple enough…I love DIY projects that actually seem doable. 🙂

    http://atallshipandastar.blogspot.com/

    2.21.12
    Reply
  10. This idea looks great! I might give it a try [: Thanks for posting the tutorial

    2.21.12
    Reply
  11. Lisa wrote:

    I am also waiting for the perfect jewelry organizer to fall into my life! i love displaying pieces in bowls, but they are just taking up too much space!
    in dramatic fashion

    2.21.12
    Reply
  12. Candy wrote:

    woah this is too cute! I love it in white (a shiny black would be cool too)!

    Candy
    http://www.tayloranddemolish.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  13. This is such an adorable DIY. I shall make millions! MUAHAHA… or just a few for my friend’s housewarming.
    http://www.dottoddot.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  14. This stunning. I never thought I’d made such a great product from clay. Thanks for the tutorial!

    Annabella Merlin

    2.21.12
    Reply
  15. Love it! I have an earring dish that I use every night…I need to find a reason to have two now!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  16. Nomadic D wrote:

    Wow. Adorable. So sweet, so simple, I love it!

    http://nomadic-d.blogspot.com/

    2.21.12
    Reply
  17. Ambyr wrote:

    What!! This is too cool. I love the printing on it too. I need to try this.

    xoxo
    http://www.thewrittenrunway.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  18. emm wrote:

    I love those bowls and I made several for my wedding and for friends but there is one thing I’d like to add to your post: The original tutorial is from Sodapop: http://sodapop-design.de/2011/01/diy-doily-bowl/ – I think she should receive credit for it and not someone who just stole her pictures. Furthermore she used a special clay that you don’t have to bake in the oven but it will just air-dry.

    2.21.12
    Reply
  19. I truly love this idea. So simple and so stunning. Love the idea of doing this as a gift for someone.
    thanks for sharing!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  20. Vanita wrote:

    Nice! I love it! I have dishes holding my jewelry too.

    A jewelry blog.
    http://www.houseofavandan.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  21. Erica wrote:

    @emm, thank you for the correct source. the links have been updated!! xx

    2.21.12
    Reply
  22. Olivia wrote:

    i like it! i made one too (http://passionforfashionandmore.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/doily-bowl/), it’s very easy and so pretty.
    xxx

    2.21.12
    Reply
  23. christine wrote:

    So cute & easy – will definitely give this a try!!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  24. sacha wrote:

    what a sweet and easy idea! nice one!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  25. Brianna wrote:

    super super SUPER adorable!!!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  26. Cute idea! I love how you incorporated lace!! xoxo
    http://www.hellohellofriday.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  27. Rita Kate wrote:

    People, I hate to tell you that there are some health concerns about clay that is cooked in your oven. You should not mix food utensils and craft medium. Use separate tools and separate cooking oven. I use an inexpensive stove top oven after checking the temperature with an oven thermometer. Better safe than sorry.

    2.21.12
    Reply
  28. Susann wrote:

    Such a nice idea! This would be an amazing birthday gift for a friend..

    xx, Susann
    Fashion in Pepperland

    2.21.12
    Reply
  29. xSteenz wrote:

    A really good way to display jewellery is by adding small hooks to an old printing press tray. You can DIY or buy it from an etsy seller like this: http://www.etsy.com/listing/61188004/jewelry-display (not my shop)
    In the summer I went to an antique market and bought a tray for $10 – I got the fun of DIY, a new jewellery stand, and an item with a piece of history attached to it.

    2.21.12
    Reply
  30. Ana wrote:

    I love this idea! I am definitely going to try it very soon!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  31. Shaleah wrote:

    great idea, and totally do-able

    2.21.12
    Reply
  32. Sheryll wrote:

    What an awesome idea! I’m moving to Korea, and I’ve been looking into DIY projects to add a little personal touch to my new place. This seems perfect!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  33. What can’t you do?

    2.21.12
    Reply
  34. Sam wrote:

    Wow! Love it!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  35. allison wrote:

    that is an awesome DIY project. i work with polymer clay for a lot of jewelry DIY projects and this is probably something i am going to have to add to my list!

    http://www.absurdlypeculiar.blogspot.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  36. Brittany wrote:

    I can’t believe how incredibly simple and beautiful this is! You can never have too much jewelry storage. 🙂

    xo.-brittany
    http://liveeclectic.blogspot.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  37. Nettan wrote:

    yay, I just bought polymer clay 2day.. this gave lots of inspiration x

    2.21.12
    Reply
  38. I absolutely love this DIY!

    So cute, clever and useful!
    I too have yet to discover the best way to organize all my jewelry.
    I might need to make a bakers dozen of these! lol

    http://www.RocksPaperMetal.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  39. Paige wrote:

    A great idea to use polymer clay, i have done a similar thing but i used lace in porcelain which works really well and you can get a great result to ! Ps i love the cute little rings you have pictured as well !

    http://girlwiththeskullscarf.blogspot.com/

    2.21.12
    Reply
  40. samira wrote:

    wow creatif !!! love it

    2.21.12
    Reply
  41. Roos wrote:

    Un DIY espectacular!!! Felicitaciones!
    Roos
    http://planetamujer.blogspot.com/

    2.21.12
    Reply
  42. Plami wrote:

    GORGOEUS! I will definitely try this out!

    XoXo
    Plami

    http://www.fashionthrill.com/

    2.21.12
    Reply
  43. Kate wrote:

    pretty! all my jewelry lives in assorted jewelry boxes so I always end up wearing the same stuff until i sit down to re-organize and realize i have all this cool stuff I never wear…such is life 🙂

    <3 Kate
    http://www.theforgetfulwife.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  44. our youth wrote:

    This is so looovely!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  45. Root wrote:

    How fun! This would be a great gift too! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
    http://www.granola-ish.blogspot.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  46. Devon specht wrote:

    Awrsome post!!! Thnx!!! 🙂

    2.21.12
    Reply
  47. Rachael wrote:

    This is brilliant, so simple and so chic! I always feel as though people will know that jewelry I’ve made is polymer clay and that it’ll somehow make me seem very childish, but this goes to prove the opposite! I’ll have to give it a try, though I fancy it with a square-bottomed bowl to fit in with my room.
    Rachx

    2.21.12
    Reply
  48. I love your DIY’s! They are so easy to do and look really great!

    Please check out my blog!
    http://www.2fashionfed.blogspot.com

    2.21.12
    Reply
  49. Vanessa wrote:

    I’ve seen similar DIYs before and LOVE this idea!

    2.21.12
    Reply
  50. Ohhh! Great idea, it’s very beautiful and cam adapt it to your fav flowers 🙂 i’ll do it definetly

    2.22.12
    Reply
  51. Great DIY you have a lot of imagine.

    I follow in Bloglovin and Google Friend Connect.

    You can translate my blog in upright corner frame, if not work please go to frame, focus, and click F5.

    Today you can check photos of Munich Carnaval:

    http://laviequo.blogspot.com/2012/02/viel-spass.html

    XOXO from Munich

    La Vie Quotidienne

    http://www.laviequo.com

    2.22.12
    Reply
  52. SUCH a cute idea! Love this – I will add this to my ever growing list of DIY to do’s

    – Sara @ Gameday Stylist

    2.22.12
    Reply
  53. WOW, this is amazing!!!! I adore the look of this, you guys are creative genie’s!

    love K

    2.22.12
    Reply
  54. Shaleah wrote:

    Here is another solution for organizing and storing jewelry, using old printer trays
    http://www.sunbutterandjelly.com/2012/02/diy-creative-jewelry-storage.html

    2.22.12
    Reply
  55. What a wonderful DIY. this is incredibly creative.

    Collections

    2.22.12
    Reply
  56. Toni wrote:

    I have to say that I really enjoy your DIY projects. I would love to do this one. It will be a nice piece for my bedroom!!

    2.22.12
    Reply
  57. me encanta!!* algún día lo haré….

    gracias

    kisss

    2.22.12
    Reply
  58. I LOVE that you added stencil it’s so beautiful. Totally need to try this!

    http://www.dragonnfruit.com

    2.22.12
    Reply
  59. Oh Erica, I love this!! I have exactly the same problem. I’ve got all the materials to make this… and a ton of vintage lace from my mom. Need to try it!

    2.22.12
    Reply
  60. Ana G wrote:

    Oh God, this is perfect. Am going to try just for fun. ( Because am not sure to do it right)
    LAZYCATSTYLE

    2.22.12
    Reply
  61. Izzy wrote:

    Oh my goodness! I <3 this SO much!!!

    2.22.12
    Reply
  62. Erika wrote:

    GENIUS! i must make one after this coming week of exams

    2.23.12
    Reply
  63. Paulina wrote:

    Love this! I have to try, it looks adorable
    and it remainds me polish artist: http://www.behance.net/NeSpoon

    2.23.12
    Reply
  64. cherrybee wrote:

    wow looks so great feel like i need to try it out!

    thanks for sharing.

    lots of love

    cherrybee

    http://live-life-cherrybee.blogspot.com/

    2.24.12
    Reply
  65. I love it! This is a great DIY project- thanks for sharing.

    The Dreamer x
    http://www.tellhershesdreaming.com

    2.24.12
    Reply
  66. This post was awesome to me on many levels. I actually create custom made jewelry organizers so it’s good to know people like you are looking for a place to store all types of jewelry! I love these dishes, I am just starting to make similar ones out of large seashells, they will be on my website within the next month or so!

    2.27.12
    Reply
  67. Wow, I could go crazy with this project… I can think of so many textures that would be wonderful, and so many uses for a bowl like this. Thanks for the tutorial!

    2.28.12
    Reply
  68. Lana wrote:

    wow amazing

    2.29.12
    Reply
  69. Sarah wrote:

    This is sweet! I’m soo going to tryy this:)

    3.12.12
    Reply
  70. Alysha wrote:

    This is awesome! I will definitely pass this along to friends that love DIY stuff. I was thinking that you could even use multiple colors of Sculpey to make it that much more interesting! Great find!

    3.27.12
    Reply
  71. Erica wrote:

    I absolutely love this idea! I’d love to make soup or cereal bowls using this idea–does anyone have an idea on how to do this? Or is it even possible? It would be great to make my own, DIY-ed dinner bowls.

    4.28.12
    Reply
  72. Kelly wrote:

    We did this in fourth grade in art class! 😀 brings back memories 🙂

    http://mustbebeautiful.blog.com

    5.2.12
    Reply
  73. Great diy brings back memories from high school pottery class.

    Jewelry Rage

    6.10.12
    Reply
  74. Frankie wrote:

    I love this! I will be making one ASAP!

    6.20.12
    Reply
  75. Linda wrote:

    Hello! I just made my first bowl with polymer clay and I had a couple of problems. Hope you can help me. First, the clay didn’t dry completely. It’s still a little soft – and I did bake it at 250 for 15 minutes. Also, when I put it into the container to bake it, there were little folds in the clay. It did not come out smooth on the edges that curve up. Did I do something wrong? Please advise.
    Thanks!
    Linda

    7.5.12
    Reply
  76. definitely doing this! 🙂

    7.6.12
    Reply
  77. Michelle wrote:

    Whatever the thickness of your piece, polymer clay should always be baked for an hour. As you are baking this on glass, put the item in to the oven as cold…let the oven warm up, bake the hour, then allow to cool totally before removing from the oven. Baking for an hour ensures the item will not break if dropped. Really 10 or 20 minutes is not enough.

    Linda, try that and also conditioning your clay for longer. Most clayers condition for a several minutes using a pasta machine, which is specifically kept for the reason and no longer used for food. If you do not have one, then you really need to warm the clay in your hands and keep working it for a while. Popping the clay in your pocket for a while to warm up with your body heat before you start is a good tip too.

    Good luck!

    12.19.12
    Reply
  78. Isabelle wrote:

    What size bowls did you use?

    2.5.13
    Reply
  79. Holly wrote:

    Thank you for sharing. I love it. I am going to try it.

    12.3.13
    Reply
  80. Allie H wrote:

    Do you have to prep the baking bowl or does the polymer clay really not stick to it? This is awesome.

    2.19.14
    Reply
  81. That’s so elegant!! Have to try it for my next project!

    Juju
    http://www.jujusprinkles.com/jewelry-display/

    2.18.15
    Reply
  82. Zen wrote:

    I was just planning a DIY tutorial for jewellery dishes for my blog hapinesswherever.wordpress.com and thought of using lace doilies, but would never have been as innovative as you and baked it in a bowl to get that perfect shape! 🙂 Another amazing DIY, please keep them coming! 🙂

    8.12.15
    Reply
  83. OMG I loved it!!!!!!!!!!

    9.2.15
    Reply
  84. Kolleen wrote:

    I like this idea!!! I was wondering….. Couldn’t you use the one small bowl that you used to trim the clay, and turn it over and lay the clay over it and bake? Eliminating yet another item, etc.

    1.23.16
    Reply