Alright, so I figured I’d share what I was messing around with today. Horn hair clips. Yeah, sounds a bit out there, but I got the idea stuck in my head and, you know how it is, I just had to try and make some. Thought it would be a quick little project. Famous last words, as usual.
Getting the Stuff Together
First off, I had to rummage around for all the bits and pieces. Wasn’t planning a big shopping trip for this, so it was more about what I already had. I found a block of polymer clay – the black kind, the one you bake in the oven. Had it for ages, from some other grand idea that probably didn’t go anywhere. Then, I needed hair clips. Just those plain metal alligator clips, nothing fancy. Those usually do the trick for sticking things to hair. Grabbed my trusty craft knife, a bit of sandpaper, and of course, some strong glue. The kind that sticks your fingers together if you’re not careful. You know the one.
Making the Horn Shapes
So, I started by kneading that clay. It was a bit stiff, as expected. Warmed it up in my hands until it was workable. Then, I broke off two chunks and started rolling them into little horn shapes. This part took a bit more fiddling than I thought. Trying to get them to look like a pair, you know? Not like one was from a goat and the other from a tiny bull. I tapered the ends to make them pointy and tried to flatten the base a little so they’d sit okay on the clips. I even tried to carve a few little lines into them with the back of my knife, just to give them a bit of texture. Didn’t want them looking too smooth and boring.
Baking and Waiting
Once I was reasonably happy with the shapes, it was time for baking. I just laid them out on a small piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. My oven’s a bit unpredictable, so I didn’t just set the timer and walk away. I hovered. The clay packet gives you times and temperatures, but experience tells you to keep an eye on things. You don’t want them to burn or get all weird. They came out pretty solid, thankfully. Then the hard part – letting them cool down completely. Seriously, don’t rush this. If you try to handle them while they’re still warm, you’ll just end up with fingerprints all over them or, worse, they might break.
The Final Assembly – And a Bit of a Struggle
After they were properly cool, I gave them a quick sand with some fine sandpaper, just to knock off any little rough bits. Then it was glue time. This is where it can all go wrong. I put a good dab of that strong glue on the flat bottom of one horn and pressed it onto one of the alligator clips. Held it there for what felt like an eternity. Trying to get it straight, trying not to get glue everywhere. Then did the same for the second one. It’s always a bit of a mess with super glue, isn’t it? You aim for precision, you end up with sticky fingers.
And well, that’s pretty much the story. Horn hair clips. They’re done. Are they perfect, like something you’d buy in a fancy store? Nah, probably not. One horn might be a tiny bit tilted if you really look close. And getting them stuck on the clips so they actually sit right in your hair without looking totally lopsided, that was its own little battle. These DIY projects, they always look so quick and easy when you see someone else do it. But then you’re in the middle of it, covered in clay dust and wondering why it’s taking three times as long. But hey, I made them. They’re one of a kind. And they actually look kinda cool. So, mission accomplished, I guess.
