Blended & Rolled Bead Bracelet with Makin's Clay®

Blended & Rolled Bead Bracelet
Designed by Lisa Haney

Rolled paper beads are a popular way of creating unique beads for jewelry, or even home decor pieces like baskets. Often seen made with magazine pages, or printed scrapbook papers, Lisa's version takes it to the next level with multi-toned, layered beads made with Makin's Clay®.

Supplies:

Makin’s Clay®

White
Black

Recommended Makin’s® Tools

Roller & Cutters Set

Makin’s Professional®

Other Materials:

Corn Starch

Oil Paints

Paint Brush

Paper

Ruler

Scissors

Stretch Elastic – 1mm

Method

Create a sheet of white clay by running it through the Ultimate Clay Machine® on the largest setting (#1).

Cut the sheet into two 1 ½” x 3” pieces using the roller cutter from the Roller & Cutters Set.

Roll white clay

Cut rectangles

Paint one color of oil paint making a triangle shape across the top of one of the pieces and another color across the bottom.

Place the other piece over the top of the painted piece. Run the whole thing through the clay machine on the largest setting. The longest edge should go into the clay machine first.

Add the paint

Place second rectangle over first

Fold the bottom of the piece up to the top always lining up the sides and run through the clay machine. Repeat until the sheet is completely blended. Be careful to never turn the sheet so that only one color is touching the rollers (usually it is the longest edge that goes into the clay machine first.) There should always be two colors touching the rollers like in the picture, red on one side and yellow on the other. This is similar to the Skinner Blend.

If the clay gets sticky, rub it with a little corn starch. (This is corn starch is a small sock.)

Roll through clay machine

Corn starch helps with stickiness

Once the sheet is blended, move the setting of the clay machine up one setting at a time until the clay has been run through the #5 setting.

The blended clay

Roll black clay

Create a sheet of black clay by running it through the clay machine starting with the largest setting (#1). Move the setting of the clay machine up one setting at a time until the clay has been run through the #5 setting.

Cut out a long triangle template to use so all of the beads will be the same size. This template is about ¾” by 2 ½”.

Cut around the template using the roller cutter from the Roller & Cutters Set. Cut out as many pieces as needed from the shaded sheet.

Use template to cut triangles

Lay the pieces on the black sheet and cut out.

Place blended triangles over black clay

Cut black triangles slightly larger

If the back of the strip seems dry, gently rub a slightly moist paper towel on it. Starting with the wider end of the strip, roll the bead up on the stylus from the Clay Mixing Ruler™. Slide the bead off and let dry 24 hours. Repeat with the rest of the beads.

Roll on stylus

Finished beads

Extrude a tube of black clay using the #3 extruder disc, the Ultimate Clay Extruder® and the 2mm ClayCore® Extruder Adapter. Let the tube dry 24 hours.

After the tube of black clay has dried, cut a length large enough to go around your wrist. String on however many beads you want.

Insert the 1mm stretchy elastic all the way through the black rope and tie it in a knot. Cut the tails of the elastic.