Kids love to string beads, but it’s even more gratifying when they’ve made the beads themselves. There are a lot of different ways to make terrific homemade beads, which I’ll share with you over the next few weeks.
These beads are made from an air-dry clay you make in your own kitchen. The whole process, from clay to wearable beads, takes some time, so this method is best when you know you’ll have a few chunks of time over a couple of days.
If you want to skip a step, you can buy air-dry clay in the crafts department of the store. There are several brands of air-dry clay. Choose one that is white and nontoxic. Although this store-bought clay works fine for these beads, I like the weight and texture of the homemade beads better.
Air-dry Bead Clay
2 cups baking soda
1 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups cold water
Mix the baking soda and the cornstarch together in a saucepan. Add the water. Stir and cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly. After a few minutes, the clay will become the consistency of mashed potatoes. It’s done. Remove from the heat and put the clay on a plate to cool. Cover it with a damp cloth so it won’t dry out.
When the clay is cool, form small chunks into balls. Poke a hole in each one with a toothpick. you can smooth them out by rubbing the surface with a little water.
Keep the clay you are not using covered with a damp cloth so it won’t dry out while you are working. Lay the beads out on waxed paper or foil and let them dry, usually a day or two. Rotate them once in a while so they dry evenly.
When they are dry, paint them with acrylic paints. Let the paint dry and them spray on an acrylic sealer or paint with Mod Podge. When they are dry, you can string them and wear them.