I started my crafting by scouring Pinterest for any handy tips-and-tricks that might come in handy as I was forming the beads. Elaine Robitaille's great shapes tutorial, Clay Bead Basics, really came in handy when deciding which bead shapes that I wanted to try for my necklace and key-chain creations.
I rolled the beads on wax paper and used plastic gloves to avoid fingerprints and mixing of colors. To make the holes, I used toothpicks and "cake pop" sticks for different sizing options, and propped the beads up a bit, so that they'd retain their shape and not need to rest on a flat surface, which would have flattened one of the sides.
I baked the beads following the baking instructions on the packaging - 275F for 30 minutes. I had the beads sitting in small aluminum baking dishes on top of corn starch - this prevented contact burning of the beads, so they didn't turn brown and burnt looking.
What colors will your beads be?
Until next time,
Naomi