Decorating Polymer Clay Cabinet Knobs

On my last post I showed you how I made the polymer clay knobs for my sweet little linen cupboard transformation 

I wanted to throw out some ideas on how to decorate polymer clay knobs

 I know with all of the creativity out there the possibilities are endless

Pull out all of your rubber stamps, buttons, water slide decals, and bling

The buttons and rhinestones I put on my knobs before baking

I am such a loser of a decorative artist, but wanted to show you the possibility of painting your knobs...Next life, I want to be able to paint and sing!

On these I used my rubber stamps after baking the knobs

Depending on how much wear the knobs get you could coat them with clear acrylic spray, I really like this triple thick acrylic spray

It gives the knobs below a nice shiny look

I used rose water slide decals on my knobs for the linen cabinet

There you have it, I can't wait to see the ideas you come up with!

Now I have a bunch of free knobs for future projects! 

Happy Creating!

Carol

How To Make Polymer Clay Cabinet Knobs

When I transformed my sweet linen cabinet I needed new knobs, so I thought I would try my hand at making my own...It worked!

I love the way the knobs look on my cabinet

This is how I made them, now don't be intimidated by all the steps, it really is easy, I just like to make sure you have all of the details

I used polymer clay that you bake to harden.  This was a huge box but, you can get a small block.

I rolled the clay into balls, you may be able to eyeball the size to get them all the same.  I used my old Weight Watchers scale to measure out 1oz hunks of clay

Then rolled them into balls, just like rolling meatballs!

Now, you don't have to, but I decided I wanted my knobs to set off the cabinet a little, so I rolled smaller balls and put them on the big balls then smashed them down a little

I bought screws and nuts from the hardware store.  #8-32 screws are the size you buy with knobs, be sure to buy #8-32 nuts to fit the screws.  I got 1-1/4 inch length which will fit on most cabinets.  You can buy them separate or together in a box.

Now, make a hole straight into the clay.  I used a food skewer, you could use a paint brush handle, just make sure it is larger than the diameter of the screw.  I made the hole deep so the screw could go deeper if the cabinet wood was thin

Now, take your nut and put it over the hole

I used a crochet hook, but you could use a paint brush handle to clear any clay that may have blocked the opening when you pushed the screw in

Then using the paint brush handle roll some of the clay back over the screw to make sure it stays in

Even doing that I had one knob where the screw came out, I just used a little E-6000 glue on the outside edge of the nut, let it dry and then it stayed in

Now, bake your clay according to the package directions, I baked mine at 270 degrees for 25 minutes, but since all ovens are different do a test run on one.

When I did the tutorial on making clay roses a reader sent me a picture of a pan of burnt roses... I'm just saying, do a test on just one so you don't burn a whole pan of knobs 

Let it cool and your done!!!!

Honestly, if you can roll a meatball you can make a knob!

The best part is decorating your knob and making it just your style

This post will give you some knob decorating ideas!

Happy Creating!

Carol


Joining
Someday Crafts
No Minimalist Here
Wow us Wednesday@Savvy Southern Style 
At The Picket Fence
French Country Cottage