Simple Polymer Clay Bead Necklace

Necklaces are a hot commodity in our house right now. You would think they were made of diamonds and precious gems for the squabbles they bring on. But alas, they are but mere plastic trinkets, some strung on plain yarn.

This momma is tired of refereeing these turf disturbances but these cafuffles gave us reason to make something, which of course, I am all for.

Polymer clay is my fave. I think I’ve shared that before. It’s so versatile and it’s usually the first medium I think of when planning out DIYs. I love the versatility of it and thought it was a perfect choice for making beads. I chose a few colors. Each necklace had its own color scheme so there is no mistaking which necklace belongs to who. Also needed:

-polymer blade
-awl
-texture tool
–clay punches

I kept it very simple. After conditioning the clay with my pasta machine, I rolled it into different size balls and used a few punches for the bead shapes. Very, very simple. If you don’t have a pasta machine, using your hands is just as good. Since the clay amounts needed are fairly small, just pinch off a chunk, squeeze and knead it and then form it into the bead.

The children added a little texture themselves.

Sweet J basically mauled them but he had fun doing it. I couldn’t help myself and added more texture to his. Love Bug did them all herself and loved it. She was so excited about her necklace she could hardly sit still.

Right before curing them in the oven, I used the awl to make a hole straight through the middle to make them string-able.

Once baked (follow the directions on the clay package) and cooled, I took the beads for Sweet J’s necklace and rubbed them with contrasting paint to bring out the texture. He made the step extra exciting by weeping loudly right next to me because I didn’t allow him to wield the paint brush. Mean mom.

However, he was so very happy when the beads were strung and placed around his neck.

Gosh I love him.

Love Bug had a different vision for her string. She only wanted paint on a few of the beads and chose the order of beads herself. There are times I don’t appreciate her opinions but I love that she has a plan when we make things together. We got them strung and she made a plan right then and there to wear them to school today.

She is one of a kind.

It was a quick project and involved the children just a bit. In a few years, they will be able to do everything themselves.

Maybe by then we will have mastered the sharing skill. :)

Take care.

P.S. I’m sure you’re wondering – Love Bug dressed herself. She has a very unique way of dressing. Most days, her choices cause me to raise my eyebrows but I like it because she is being herself. I keep saying that I should take photos of her outfits each day but I haven’t yet. Thankfully most are repeated fairly regularly so the opportunity is still there. :)