November 1, 2011

Marbled Polymer Clay Bead Bracelets

My art class made marbled polymer clay bead bracelets this week.  It was super fun and easy.  
They would make nice, inexpensive gifts.  Under $2 each.

Here are the photos of the process. 
I used 20 beads for my adult bracelets and 16 for the child size bracelets.  For the top bracelet (above) I made 12 small, thin spacer beads in black and silver and used 12 of the large beads.

Knead to soften and roll clay into 4 snakes.
Twist, fold in half, twist again, then roll into snake
Fold in half again, twist, and roll into snake.  
Repeat until desired marbling is achieved.
Be careful not to over blend or colors will become muddy.
Cut into 8-10 equal parts then roll between palms to make bead.
 
Use toothpick to make hole then carefully slide onto dowel.
 
Tent lightly with aluminum foil to ensure even baking.
Stretch tightly, holding close to beads, loop and double knot both ends together.  
Tuck ends into next bead and cut.

15 comments:

  1. But how do you make the clay to make these beads. I don't want to buy my clay.

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    Replies
    1. This is polymer clay, which has to be purchased. You could try making Cold Porcelain clay, but it isn't waterproof like polymer clay is and would need to be sealed.

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  2. What would you use to make the beads shiny?

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