the beauty of beads!

[gennyvieve.livejournal.com]

Hey all!!! I've been a member of this community for AWHILE, but this is my first official posting, usually i just lurk in the shadows and comment on other entries---mostly due to my inability to post picts(that will change soon, but for now....).

BUT!!! i promised someone i would post a quickie on how to make polymer clay beads. i've been doing it for, um, 12yrs now*gasp*. there are many opinions on which clay is best, fimo vs sculpey vs premo(which is actually a division of sculpey). i prefer sculpey--however, if using sculpey you will need cool hands*grin*. i'm actually in the process of switching to premo--it's just a tad easier to work with that fimo which is like lead outta the package and you have to REALLY work it before it's usable.

to begin. once you get the clay it needs to be loosened up--the fastest way is to roll it onto a ball in your palms, then squish it out, ball it up, squish it up, lather rinse repeat*grin*. until it's flexible enough for you to work with. you'll want to tape wax paper over your work area, it can stick to some surfaces, and that's just a hassle. the same goes for whatever you use to roll out the clay--if you're going to use a rolling pin just be sure to wrap it in wax paper. they sell all sorts of tools at michaels and other craft stores, but honestly, i use toothpicks, and a wax wrapped rolling pin. oh! and straight razor blades. the kind that have a blade on each side--this is the one time i wish my frugal side didn't get the best of me cause i'd like to try the scupley long thin blades, but a pack of 10 straight blades at CVS is like $3 and will last FOREVER.

saucy swirly bead:
start with the color you want to be MOST prominent. roll it into an approx 4" long thick worm(real technical, i know). using the rolling pin, flatten it out.fold it back so the two ends are next to each other, and roll again--this will give you one big uniform sheet. now do it again with your secondary color(PS, you can use an many colors as you like, but if you are going to minimize the design, which i'm getting to, you'll want to use just 2 or 3 colors.). you'll want the primary color to be a bigger sheet than any secondary color and here's why: stack the sheets up--primary on bottom, then the rest of them. now, with the primary overlapping just a little, curl it over and roll it up, being sure that it's a tight roll. that's it! now if you take your blade, and slice off the end you can see the design--what a pretty, big spiral!!!! from there you can roll the worm out, making it longer and skinnier, then use the blade to cut into four or six equal length pieces, then put them together to make a new worm("loaf" is the technical term in books, but i prefer worm, btw)--not to mention when you do this, the worm will have a bigger diameter htna the original, therefore taking up more space and requiring fewer slices for a completed bead(read on). the whole rolling it out and condensing it can be taken to extreme lengths, i have done worms that are a single spiral taken to four, then the four are taken to four, ad naseum until a single slice has about 60something spirals into. and with such tiny spirals people never believe that you made it outta two chunks of clay.

how does it become a bead? cut thin slices and place them on what i call a base bead(usually made up of all the leftover scraps, and colors i don't like but buy on clearance just for this reason) then, using the skinny end of the toothpick blend the slices together, then gently roll in your palm until it's smooth. then, poke the toothpick thru, and gently twirl the toothpickto smooth out the inside of the hole.
then put the finished beads on a wax covered cookie sheet and bake according to the directions on the package(times vary with clay brands). to give them a more finished look, after they bake, i coat them with a clear varnish(aka, clear nailpolish) and let them dry overnight. this also improves the life of the bead.

so there is one design. there are countless designs out there, they can be super simple or ridiculously complicated....i used to try the harder ones, now i just do simple designs and do the minimize and replicate--people love it when the designs are tiny and in great numbers....

sorry this took so much space, i forget how to make a cut, but i will do it if someone lets me know how*grin*

also, if anyone wants different designs that i've come up with(no, the spiral wasn't mine, just the easiest to describe) let me know and i'll post them!

have a wonderful weekend!!!