When I found out our class was going to be doing a By Hand Project I got very excited because I have always loved to make crafts. I had a hard time deciding what to make considering that I have done many different types of craft projects. I came to my decision to make different kinds of clay beads, because I have always loved making jewelry but have never made my own beads before. Making beads is a By Hand Project that I will get use out of, because I can take my finished beads and make them into jewelry. I first thought it would be really cool to learn how to make glass beads, but after doing some research I found out that there is only one class offered in Bloomington this semester and it is very costly. I made the decision that instead of someone teaching me how to make the clay beads in person I would just purchase a book on how to make different clay beads and teach myself. I decided that I am going to use a book to teach myself because out of the crafts I have made in the past I have found that the best way I learn is step by step from a book or from a website.
My next step was to find a book that would help me learn how to make various clay beads. I found the book “Baked Beads and Beyond” through Amazon.com, and I am still waiting to receive the book. Since I have not received the book yet I have not been able to start working on my project. I am anxiously waiting for the book to arrive, and can’t wait to get started. Just by looking at the cover over the book you can see that there are so many different designs of beads to make. Besides the book I will need other materials to make the beads. I went to Michaels Crafts and purchased two packs of 24 different colors of Fimo soft clay. Along with the clay I bought a 7-piece tool set that is used for bead making.
For the rest of the semester you can expect to see different posts of my progress and possible struggles of making different clay beads. I will post pictures of different beads that I will be making and I will post a step-by-step “how to” make a specific bead design. By the end of my journey of learning how to make beads I hope to then turn the beads I have made into jewelry. Keep checking in weekly to see my progress.
This the book I will be using to learn how to make clay beads.
This is the clay and the tools I will be using to make clay beads
I think this is a very cool idea. I'm also making jewelry but hadn't thought too much into making my own beads. I'll be interested in seeing the different types of beads you create and how you choose to express yourself through different designs. Hope all goes well for you =).
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to see how your project goes! Jewelry was one of the project ideas that I was considering, but I was a little put back by the cost/selection of beads around Bloomington. I think it's great that you are going to be making your own beads. Good luck and I can't wait to see what you have created!
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