Clay Play Day! Tips for Beautiful Beads and Stamped Pendants (with and without fancy tools!)

Hi there! We have had some stunning days in Maine this week. It was so nice outside I brought my clay supplies into the back yard and made some beads and pendants for jewelry:

Watch the video for full instruction as well as tips for making these beads and pendants with or without tools. I will also post tips below the video for your convenience. If YOU have any polymer clay tips to share please leave a comment!

Video!

Today I am using stamps from our sponsor Rubber Stamp Tapestry Use coupon code BEACH16 for 15% off any order of $10 or more through May 21, 2016

Supplies:
Polymer Clay: Sculpey 3
Ink: Versafine (any pigment ink is fine)
Stamps: Rubber Stamp Tapestry : Starfish and shells, Crab Small,  Crab, Sea Turtle Mama, Compass or you can check out all of the nautical stamps they offer.
Jewelry findings: earring hooks, earring posts, headpins, eyepins, jump rings, beaded chain, clasp
Tools: pliers, oven, needle tool, potters scraper or palette knife

Clay Tips!

• Condition the clay by kneading it well before use, or the beads will be brittle.
• Remove rings before working with clay so you won’t have to clean off the residue later.
• Sculpey 3 is good for chunky beads like we made today, it is also easier to conditions BUT if you are making thinner items use Premo or Fimo as they are more durable.
• Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is accurate, otherwise you might burn your clay.
• Use a timer so you don’t over bake the clay (your smart phone has a timer on it!)
• Use pigment ink, chalk or mica powder on raw clay and it will become permanent when you bake it.
• Use an acrylic based sealer if you wish to seal your clay after baking. Oil based spray sealer or nail polish my make your clay sticky down the road.
• Rough edges can be sanded and holes may be drilled after baking if desired.
• Avoid mail ordering polymer clay in the summer as the clay can get “Truck baked” if it gets hot. Most big box craft stores sell polymer clay and it often goes on sale for 88 cents a brick. Those sales keep stock fresh and fresh clay is easier to use.
• And the most important tip is to have fun!

This was a lot of fun! I like to make extra beads when I have my clay out to use on future projects. I hope you try this and let me know how it turns out. If you have never used clay before you can get a pack of 30 colors of 2 oz blocks of clay at any big box craft store for about $25 (or less with a coupon) that is a great way to get started and then pick up the 4 oz block in the colors you run out of when they are on sale. If you think your friends would like to try this project feel free to share it using the handy-dandy sharing buttons below, I sure do appreciate you spreading the love! Thanks for stopping by ad til next time happy crafting!