Time: 1 hour
Materials: premo clay, bead making tools, wax paper, leather cord, oven
I’m always amazed that when I make something out of clay that it doesn’t fall apart. Call me skeptical, but it seems like it should be harder to work with than it is. I’ve been wanting to learn to make my own beads for a while (because hello, endless jewelry projects), so I finally took the plunge and picked up some Premo Clay to start experimenting with!
Before you begin, preheat your oven according to the instructions on the back of your clay.
Cut of a chunk of clay and mend in your hands. When soft, roll out on wax paper (this will help keep your clay clean). Once you have the amount of clay you want, shape by rolling in between your two palms like you’re making a ball.
There are a variety of ways to make your own beads. I really liked playing around with creating new shapes and sizes without any real guide. For those of you looking to create a more symmetrical piece, the bead kit does comes with a circle punch that helps you measure out the same amount of clay per bead. Just be sure to repeat the same technique when shaping.
Once you have your desired bead shape, you’ll need to pierce it to create your hole. Poke through on one side until barely making it through, then repeat on the other side, starting where the existing hole is. Set on baking pan when done.
*Tip: Wash your hands in between each color to avoid the colors mixing in with one another.
Bake in the oven according to clay instructions. Let cool then string on leather cord to wear! 
If you have any tips or tricks for making your own beads, I’d love to hear them in the comments below!
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This is super cute! I used to work with clay all the time, but not so much anymore.
Thank you so much Katie! Any particular reason you stopped working with clay? I’d love to see what you made!
I just started working with other mediums, like paper or fabric. I used to make cut little figurines with clay like animals or fairies. I don’t know if I have any pictures though. ;)
Love how it turned out – can’t believe it’s clay! I really want to do this with Violet! Thanks for the great idea :)
XO
Thanks girl! And yes, it’s such a fun kid friendly project! How cute would it be if you had a necklace that you and Violet made together?!
Can’t wait to see it :)
Love how colorful the beads are! Cute!
Thanks Onel! I loved the colors that came with the sampler pack– they’re so vibrant and fun. It’s so nice to not have to paint them after baking :)
These are so cool! Thanks~
Thank you so much :)!
SO cute, and great tip on washing hands… I’ve experienced that problem before and it never occurred to me that I should probably do that between colors, ha! Also love the way you styled this shoot- cute lipstick and nails!!
Thanks girl! And yeah, it was something that I only noticed when I shifted from purple to green. Needless to say it was a bit disgusting!
And I’m so glad you liked the styling! I don’t typically jump in front of the camera but there was no better way to showcase the necklace. Someone had to do it right :) ?
Where do you get your tiny little shapes?
Do you mean the round punch? It came in this kit: http://www.sculpey.com/product/bead-making-kit/. You should be able to find it at Michael’s or online :)