DIY colourful Collar Clips

I'm delighted to introduce to you today Vicky from The Owl and the Accordion. I've read Vicky's blog for around two years now and she is always a firm favourite when wanting to indulge in some beautiful photography, thrifty finds or brilliant craft posts. Her 'found' posts are so very much up my street that for the past couple of weeks or so I've found myself buying at least two of her suggestions, she has such a great eye for these things! 

Vicky was kind enough to create this DIY for my blog and I was so excited when I saw it! I just know you are going to love her work as much as I do. Over to you Vicky! 

I’ve been a crafter for as long as I can remember; making something from nothing and fiddling about with yarn, paper and washi tape has pretty much always been my idea of heaven. One of my favourite craft materials is FIMO; I honestly think there’s nothing you can’t do with this marvellous multicoloured clay – roll it out, shape it up, pop it in the oven and you’re done! Today, I’m going to show you how to make some easy-peasy bright and cheerful collar clips – perfect for adding to the collar of your favourite Spring shirt.

You will need:

FIMO in your chosen colours

A selection of different washi tapes

Small cookie cutters or FIMO cutters

Jewellery Chain

Jump rings (small metal circles, available in the jewellery section of most craft stores)

Small badge backs

A small plastic rolling pin (one from a childrens baking set is ideal)

Baking or greaseproof paper

Scissors

Pliers

Strong glue

1. Start by deciding what shape you want your collar clips to be – triangles are a good start, and are easy to decorate, or you can go for something more adventurous. Work your FIMO until it’s soft, then roll out onto a piece of baking paper – this will prevent your shapes getting stuck to your work surface, and will easily peel off afterwards.

2. When your FIMO is about 5mm thick, cut out your shapes, and then work out where the bottom is going to be – using a cocktail stick, make a hole large enough to feed one of the jump rings through. Carefully peel off the baking paper, and place them on a baking tray. Bake them in the oven at the temperature given on the packet, and leave to cool.

3. Once cooled, you need to work out what design you’re going to do. I used a selection of washi tapes, but you could also used fine-tipped permanent markers if you fancy going freehand. Cut a small length of tape, and stick to the top of your shape – using a pair of sharp scissors, trim around the edge, so it fits nice and neatly.

4. Feed a jump ring through each hole, then attach the chain to each side – the length of the chain depends entirely on how much you want it to hang down. You can either keep it short and sweet, or make it a bit longer and make a feature of it.

5. Turn your shapes over, and glue the badge backs in place; press down firmly and then leave to set for a few hours - you don’t want them dropping off into your cup of tea! When the glue is dry, pin to your collar and wear with pride. Ta da!

The best thing about this DIY is that it’s really, really simple, pretty quick, and easy to change to suit yourself. You can leave the chain off completely, or go the other way and add on a couple more, you can ditch the washi tape and use paint, or even use an all-purpose ink pad to stamp a message or pattern onto your clips. Have a go!