Trying Something New - Polymer Clay Beads

Photo provided by EJaRt of the polymer clay beads we were going to make in the workshop.

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending a workshop at EJaRt Creative in Hasketon.

I am a huge crafts fan and I love trying new things, but it can get expensive when you have to buy so much to get started with something new.

At EJaRt they’ve come up with a solution; Creative Escapes! Every month they arrange a workshop on a Friday evening where you can have a taster at a new craft. A perfect way to try something new and have a little fun without the huge costs involved with buying everything you need to start a new craft!

I was immediately interested in polymer clay beads, because I thought it would go hand in hand with my macrame. I am always in the look out for new and exciting beads which I can use in my work, for example in plant hangers or wall hangings.

I even toyed with the idea of making my own out of resin, yet another craft that would be expensive to get into!

Polymer clay seemed like a really fun craft that would produce something really interesting and pretty that I could take forward and use in my macrame.

My little set up, ready to get started!

Our tutor for the evening was Anne Smith, who was so lovely and a great teacher. She made the process so easy and she was very approachable.

Our seats were all set up with all the equipment we were going to need for the workshop, we had a tile to make and store our beads, a small knife for cutting, a rolling pin to roll the clay, and some Implements to make the wholes in the beads. We were even provided with a little pot to take the beads home, as they would need to be baked in the oven to harden the clay.

First decision was a hard one; choosing the colours we wanted to use!

The colours of polymer clay I chose.

I chose a minty green, a hot flamingo pink and a maroon red.

The colour combinations that people choose were so beautiful, I wish I had gone round taking pictures of them all!

First we had to roll the clay out to the same thickness, then shape a piece into a bead.

I forgot to take a picture of my beads before we make them super pretty 🤦🏼‍♀️

Next came the fun part; there were three main designs we were making. First we made little dotty beads, then we made a marbled effect bead, and lastly (and my favourite) we made swirled beads!

It was so much fun! I won’t share the process, you’ll have to join a workshop for that….sorry! But Anne was a brilliant teacher and gave us all the confidence to give it a go and the beads turned out amazing!

My finished beads before the whole was added!

Just look at those swirl ones at the bottom of the picture..I mean! Just so beautiful!

We then added a hole using the implements provided and that’s it, we were done!

Holes added and ready to bake!

As soon as I got home I had the oven on ready to bake them as I was so excited to see them finished!

Baked and ready to wear!

Overall, I absolutely loved this workshop. It was so much fun, and I loved working with the polymer clay! It’s definitely inspired me to invest at some point and make some beads for my macrame work, although I feel like I’m going to have to buy all the colours 🤣

If you love dipping your toe into new crafts, I really recommend EJaRt, I am actually running a Creative Escape myself in May where we will be making a small macrame wall hanging! Next month it’s lace paper cutting which looks like a lot of fun!

Have you tried polymer clay? Let me know what you thought, or give me some ideas of what to try next in the comments!

💛