Blubber Pins

If you're a diehard Judy Blume fan and love her iconic "life lesson" books, like my third oldest sister has, then you probably might remember the 1974 classic Blubber. This "whale of a tale" tells the story of a young schoolgirl named Jill who gave the nickname "Blubber" to a chubby girl in her class (since she gave on oral presentation on whales). What I've learned from reading this book is that people should treat others the way they want to be treated, especially in school, where kids should learn how to respect one another. In honor of this anti-bullying cause, make this juicy good piece of jewelry inspired by the book: a Blubber pin! Great to wear for back to school, it's a lesson within a piece of jewelry since words have the power to make someone feel good or bad!

P.S. I found the inspiration for the project, after Googling an image of the 2014 revised version of the classic Blubber book cover. You can see the inspiration using this link: http://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/book_images/cvr9781481410137/blubber-9781481410137_lg.jpg

Here's what you will need to make your own "Blubber" pin...

• pink oven-bake clay (I used Sculpey III clay in Candy Pink; it was on sale for $1.50)
• rolling pin
• heart-shaped cookie cutter (I bought mine from Joann's on clearance for $0.74)
• white paint(I used white 3D Scribbles paint)
• spray varnish (optional)
• pins
• glue (I used E6000 Industrial Strength glue)

First, roll out your pink clay on your work surface and use your heart shaped cookie cutter and cut out your heart shapes. One 2 oz block of pink clay will make about 2 hearts, so in one batch, I've made 4 hearts. For the hearts, I used a heart shaped cookie cutter that has the crinkle edges to add a little funky personality to the hearts.

Now, arrange your hearts on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil and bake them according to the clay's baking time and temperature. My Sculpey III clay bakes at 275 degrees for 15 minutes. Once time's up, put on your oven mitts and take your hearts out of the oven to let them cool off for a few minutes.

Now, take some white paint and paint the word "Blubber" on the front of your hearts. You can also add a border to your hearts for extra pizzazz. I've made 4 hearts, so for half of them, I put dots around the hearts, and for the second half, I made a squiggle border around the edges.

I added the can of spray varnish as an option for you if you want to add an even layer of it to give it some extra glossy shine! You don't have to do this step, it's just an optional thing for you!

Now, you're ready to turn your hearts into pins! Simply glue a pin to the back of your heart and let dry!

Now, your Blubber pin is ready to wear!

Fact About Myself: The story takes on the topic of bullying, and it's mostly effective for other people living through physical and psychological changes. Thus, everyone should have respect for one another. Yet, this is extremely important, because I have been through this phase growing up. I have been bullied for having diagnosed with autism, since I first had it at 14 months old. Yet, I have been very determined to get help from my family and faculty, and still managed to go to college, which I already did and, in the end, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's in Art. I've learned that your flaws and imperfections are what make you "you" and I've always get that a lot in my childhood years.