Since this process was also new to me, I had fun learning how to use each tool so that I could teach Brooke.  The Bead Making Guide had lots of great step-by-step information on how to make a variety of different styles of beads.  Sculpey’s website has a ton of great videos on how to apply different bead making techniques and even great instructions for tips on how to bake the clay.  I used them a lot for advice and help!

The Kit includes the following Clay Making Tools;

• Clay Baking Cushion.  Who knew?  I learned that reusable clay cushions are perfect for baking beads in order to avoid distortion and shiny bottoms.
• 400/800 grit wet/dry sandpaper: Sandpaper is a way to create smooth finishes once your beads are baked.  You can also use sandpaper to texture clay before it is baked.
• Blade: This is where momma comes in to help.  Clay blades are sharp so that you can make clean, straight cuts and edges in your beads.
• Circle Cutter: There is a secret to making the same size bead every time and the circle cutter is like a cookie cutter for bead clay makers.
• Needle Tool: This may be the most important tool in the kit.  A needle tool is used to pierce unbaked beads and to make holes to include on necklaces.  You can also use a needle tool for texturing and creating fine details and patterns in your clay.
• Lentil Bead Tool: The lentil bead tool is used specifically to make lentil shaped beads.  There is a lot of technique used to make these flat, lentil-shaped beads, but they are beautiful in design.
• Clay Roller: Just like making good pie crust, you need to roll out smooth and even sheets of clay and the clay roller is perfect for that.

Swirled lentil bead earrings.  (cite: sculpey.com)

Sculpey III Clay

After you have your tools, the next step is getting the perfect polymer clay for your bead making experiments.  The Sculpey III 30 color sampler is one of Sculpey’s best sellers and a great tool for first-time bead makers.  The set includes thirty 1 oz. bars in different classic, bright, natural, pearl and pastel color ranges.  It is a great and economical way to experiment making clay beads.  Colors include : Black, Emerald, Violet, Yellow, Teal Pearl, Camouflage, Red Hot Red, Just Orange, Ballerina, Lt. Blue Pearl, Translucent, Sweet Potato, Blue, Deep Red Pearl, Pearl, Spring Lilac, Suede Brown, Granny Smith, Gold, Lemonade, Gentle Plum, Hot Pink, Chocolate, Beige, Turquoise, Leaf Green, Sky Blue, Silver, Red, and White.

Sculpey III 30 color Sampler Pack

Clay Techniques!

After you have your tools and clay, you need to start looking at bead making techniques.  There are so many different clay making techniques to choose from and I was looking for simple.  I decided that starting with jelly roll canes would be the first easy technique for Brooke and I to master.  It mostly required good rolling skills and something I felt comfortable with us trying together.

Different types of simple canes when making clay jewelry.  Can you guess which one is the jelly roll?

The most surprising thing to me was that the prices of jewelry making kits and polymer clay are quite affordable and fun.  If you get really good at making awesome looking beads, you could definitely make a profit if you decided to sell them.  We are far from that step, but we are having a good time making cool looking beads from the simplest techniques.  Brooke is taking this task quite seriously and she has become quite methodical in rolling and making jelly roll beads.  We even tried our hand at making a lentil bead, which came out…interesting!  She even made a few Brooke-only techniques because the most important thing to us in the process is having fun.  While I was a little hesitant at first to start this process with Brooke at a young age, I’m glad I did and I am encouraging her to continue her interest.  We’ll see how far her love of bead making will go and for right now we are certainly enjoying the process.

  Our very first attempt at making beads!