Kentucky Derby Craft: Hot Air Balloon Pins

Over the weekend in Louisville was the Great Balloon Race and Balloon Glow. Part of the Kentucky Derby Festival every year, the Balloons are a welcome sign of the season. My first Derby week craft is a clay pin balloon, and I will show you how to make one.

For this craft you will need: Glue Paint (I used a high gloss) Oven bake clay like Fimo or Sculpey
A Pencil (to texturize clay) wire cutters pinbacks a length of cheap chain, like an old necklace

Open the oven back clay and roll it around in your hands to warm it up. This will make shaping the clay easier. Create a balloon shape and a separate basket shape with the clay.
You will attach the balloon piece and basket piece with the necklace chain. Attach the chain to the backside of the balloon and basket pieces, and add some clay to the top of the chain pieces to secure it. 
Turn the balloon back to the front side, and you can create some texture or designs on the clay with a pencil point.

Be sure to place the balloon pieces onto a baking pan and cook the clay in the oven as directed on the package. 
Once the clay balloon has cooked and cooled, then secure the pinback to the balloon. You can use any type of glue, but I ended up using hot glue.
Once the glue on it has dried, you can hold the pinback while painting the clay balloon. 
If you use a high gloss or enamel acrylic paint, it will give the pins a nice finished look. 

Let the balloon pins dry, and then you have a fun accessory for your outfit during the Kentucky Derby Festival! Why not wear it to the chow wagon or the Steamboat race?