Things You Need To Prepare- Polymer clay
- Knitting needle
- Paint brush
- Paint
- Baking sheet
- Talcum powder
- Glitter (optional)
- Knife
- Oven
Steps To DIY Clay Beads
As mentioned, polymer clay is available in a wide range of colors which can be combined to craft beautiful beads. It is quite easy to make polymer clay beads at home and it is up to you whether you choose to include embellishments or not. Therefore, the first step towards making polymer clay beads at home is shopping. If you choose to decorate your beads, you can shop for glitter, molds and different colored paint as well. These items can be purchased in a kit or you can purchase them individually. Using a kit is especially helpful for newbies because they come with guides and instructions about the various techniques used in their creation. Here are the steps to DIY clay beads at home.
1. After you have gathered all the necessary items, you can begin by cutting the polymer clay into pieces of the desired size.
2. Knead the small pieces until they are flexible and warm and this will make it easy for you to shape the beads based on your requirements. You can give shapes to them such as squares and rectangles or just roll them into round shapes.
3. Add designs to the beads or use stamps that you have bought.
4. Use talcum powder to dust a knitting needle and use it to pierce the centre of the beads. This avoids sticking.
5. Place the beads on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes at a temperature of 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Allow the beads to cool down once they are out of the oven. Now you can paint your beads with different colors and decorate them with glitter or other embellishments that you have bought.
Tips About Making Polymer Clay Beads
- Polymer clay beads can also be used to make pendant style beads. If you are looking to make dangling style beads, you can stick a piece of wire into the top part of the bead and use pliers to make a loop at the other end of the wire.
- Swirly colored beads can be made by mixing 2 or 3 different colored clays together.
- Do not bake the beads in the oven for too long or else they can burn.
- Always check the packaging of the clay for baking instructions and follow them so you get proper results.
Polymer clay beads are quite popular these days because they are cheap and are readily available. With few simple things and tools, you can make them at home and use them in the creation of stunning jewelry pieces such as necklaces, earrings and bracelets. In addition, you can decorate them with glitter, stamps and other embellishments and use your imagination to create unique beads.