What you need
Beads any colors you like (glass, plastic, etc)
Stretch material for jewelry
I useStretch Magic 1mm size
Polymer clay any brand red, yellow, green, blue, black, white & purple (several shades of each I used 3 & some metallics)
Tissue Blade (very sharp adult supervision required!)
Clay knife, or plastic knife
Toothpick or bamboo skewer
Acrylic roller or dowel
Pasta Machine clay dedicated (optional)
Work surface ceramic tile, file folder or wax paper
Oven for baking
Instructions
What are
The Colors of Faith?
Yellow – God’s Light
Black – Our Sins
Red – The Blood Shed by Jesus
White – Cleansing of Our Sins
Green – The New Life We Have in Jesus
Blue – The Waters of Baptism
Purple – Our Faith in Christ
Condition each color of clay until soft and pliable by rolling and squeezing in your hands. Test to see if it cracks when you bend it – that means it needs more conditioning! Mix colors with lighter or darker colors to create new shades!
Roll your first color of clay into a ball and flatten. Roll it smooth & even with your acrylic roller or dowel. A clay dedicated pasta machine will speed up this process!!!
Repeat this step for your next two shades of the same color clay. Changing the thickness of each sheet will add interest!
Lay each sheet of clay on top of each other & roll with your dowel or rod. You may also run it through the thickest setting of your pasta machine.
Trim the edges if needed & fold the new sheet of clay in half the “long” way.
Roll this new, longer sheet of clay until flat with your roller or dowel.
Starting at the folded edge, roll up the long sheet of clay “jellyroll” style. Be sure to press it tightly as you roll, so the clay adheres to itself.
You now have a cane or clay! Roll it out applying even pressure until all of the seams are smooth. Trim the ends if needed.
Continue rolling until your cane reaches the desired size for your beads. You can also gently pull and stretch your can to reduce it.
Let the cane rest for about 30 minutes or pop it in the refrigerator to cool off and reduce distortion when cutting.
Use your tissue blade to cut the cane into thick slices. Roll as you gently apply pressure to limit squishing your cane. Be careful this is a SHARP tool!!!
Poke holes in your beads & bake according to the manufacturer’s directions.
REPEAT for the remaining 6 colors.
Glaze if desired. I use varathane – found in most hardware stores. For small projects, use the clay manufacturer’s glaze. The bottles are smaller & more affordable!
String your clay beads with the other beads on your stretch material. Simply pull the knot inside the hole of one of your beads or secure with a drop of clear glue. You can also use findings and clasps for a more advanced project.
Enjoy your new piece of jewelry for yourself or give as a thoughtful gift!
***TIP***
***SAVE those pieces you trimmed off and roll them together to make swirly accent beads!
***Dark colored clay, like red, green, etc. can leave some pigment on your hands. To help keep lighter colors from turning pink, etc. handle most of the light clay first. You can also use baby wipes to clean your hands and tools (alcohol is a solvent for the clay) or wear latex gloves & switch in between colors.
***Once you use cookie cutters, pasta machine, etc for clay, it is recommended to no longer use it for food
I love it!