I could honestly dream up polymer clay DIY ideas every week for the rest of my life. I, Teri, love this stuff and can’t get enough of just how versatile it is as a material. Even better is that this tutorial doesn’t involve rolling or moulding, so it literally couldn’t be simpler unless a very kind person did it for you instead (ha!). These DIY mini mountain photo holders are a super cute way to display your own snaps, creations, or the sweet momentos you pick up on your merry way. Not to mention they’re perfect for the upcoming holidays!

Have a few dotted along a shelf or one by your bed to create an interesting way of showing off your paper goods, especially those that aren’t quite big enough for your walls but love regardless…

DIY POLYMER CLAY PHOTO HOLDER | EASY DIY MINI PHOTO HOLDERS

Preheat you oven to the temperature suggested on the clay packet.

Start by cutting your clay block in half with your knife to make the whole thing thinner. Then cut triangles from this thickness, about an inch tall. These will be your actual holders. Use your knife to cut down the middle from the top of each, just stopping short of the bottom. This will provide the slit for you photos / postcards to sit in.

Then cut the remaining clay in half again so it’s left even thinner than before but not so thin that it becomes really flimsy. Cut out medium and small triangles from this new thickness, to be used along with the larger ones later.

Place all of these on a tray lined with foil or baking paper and oven bake for the length of time suggested on the clay packet.

Once baked, leave to cool so all the shapes have hardened and then paint the tips with the metallic gold nail polish and leave to dry.

Now you can assemble the mountain holders. Squeeze a little all purpose glue on either corner of a large triangle and sit a medium and small triangle against it to create the look of a mini mountain range. Make sure they sit flat against the ground and leave to dry. Repeat with the remaining shapes and voila!

I told you there wasn’t even a hand workout required with this clay project. Who needs to exercise their hands after all?

You can easily experiment with different colors and perhaps even use paint to create patterned mountains too. Why not upscale the project to create a bigger DIY mountain range to hold bigger prints?! Plus, these are perfect for the upcoming holiday cards!

Teri is a designer, illustrator, stylist, crafter. Originally trained in print and surface pattern design, she has since had five years experience designing in-house for a greetings card company, and now creates The Lovely Drawer full-time from her little London flat.