This is a great craft for all ages! I like to roll beads when decompressing after a day of work, and yet this is also a super way to involve the kids and can easily turn into hours of fun. Your friends will love these, and this inexpensive jewelry makes a great gift!

Supplies:

  • Polymer clay (such as Sculpey or Fimo) in various colors
  • Needle
  • Parchment paper
  • Cookie sheet
  • Jewelry cord (hemp, waxed cotton, leather)
  • Jewelry findings (crimp beads and closures)

Steps:

  1. Knead to soften clay. (Note: You can mix clays together to create custom colors.)
  2. Form into desired shapes (ball, disc, tube, etc.). You could also cut the clay into shapes (triangle, prism, square, etc.) or imprint a pattern using a stamp.
  3. Use needle to create a hole. Remember to gauge the width of the hole based on your string/cording thickness.
  4. Place beads on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  5. Bake beads in 275-degree oven for 4–20 minutes, depending on bead thickness—approximately 15 minutes for each 1/4″ of thickness. (Mine always bake faster than I think, so keep your eye on them!)
  6. Remove beads and let cool.
  7. Cut cording to desired length. Keep a few extra inches to allow you to work with the crimping beads and closure.
  8. String beads in desired order on the cord.
  9. String cord through crimp bead and then through the closure’s end. Take the same end of the cord and pass through the same crimp bead once again. Use a jewelry crimping tool or needle-nose pliers to close down on the crimp bead. Turn the crimp bead 90 degrees and close down again. (If you have trouble with this step, there are lots of different videos you can google for how to close a crimp bead.)
  10. Repeat crimping process on the other side of the strand.
  11. Voila!